At several festivals in South Korea this fall, attendees have employed an unusual method to reserve spots in queues: placing sheets of paper taped to sidewalks to mark their place in line. This practice was notably visible on October 2, the opening day of the three-day Busan International Rock Festival, where A4-sized papers stretched for hundreds of meters along the sidewalk leading to the event entrance. Each sheet was inscribed with details such as dates, phone numbers, group sizes, and notes indicating claimed spots.

A similar approach was observed at the Korean-Japanese music festival XMF, held over the same weekend at an outdoor venue in Paradise City, Incheon. The use of paper placeholders also appeared at the 2026 Ground Forces Festival, an annual military culture event hosted by the Republic of Korea Army at Gyeryongdae military airfield in South Jungcheong Province. The festival, running from October 1 to October 5, showcased military equipment, interactive activities, and performances by soldiers, attracting hundreds of K-pop fans eager to see idols currently serving in the military.

Fans have adopted these paper queues as an alternative to overnight waiting, which organizers prohibited due to safety concerns. According to Lee So-jeong, an attendee at the Ground Forces Festival, while overnight lining was not allowed, fans were permitted to establish their own queues outside the venue. She described how visitors returned to their marked spots before entry, noting an absence of line-cutting or disorderly conduct.

This system reflects practices long established within K-pop fandoms, particularly for events with first-come, first-served entry policies. In such cases, fans sometimes designate unofficial line managers who assign numbers and monitor queue order, allowing others to temporarily leave and return without losing their place.

However, the paper queue method has drawn criticism for causing public disruptions. Some pedestrians lodged complaints about the papers occupying sidewalks, and online commentators criticized fans for complaining about people stepping on the papers despite occupying public walkways themselves. Concerns have also been raised regarding litter, as not all papers are removed promptly after events, creating additional clean-up demands.

Organizers of the festivals have so far allowed the informal system to persist, balancing crowd management with safety protocols. The trend highlights how fan culture practices are extending beyond traditional K-pop settings into broader festival environments in South Korea.