SBS Gayo Daejeon Summer Reveals SUMMER ANJELS Collaboration Unit

SBS is adding a new cross-group stage to the 2026 SBS Gayo Daejeon Summer lineup, announcing a special unit called SUMMER ANJELS for the festival’s August program.

The collaboration brings together five performers from three rising girl groups: Hearts2Hearts’ Ian and Stella, MEOVV’s Anna and Ella, and izna’s Bang Jeemin. According to the festival announcement released on July 20, Ian will also take on MC duties at the event, giving Hearts2Hearts an additional presence beyond the performance itself.

The unit name is designed around the members’ names. Organizers said the word ANJELS was formed from letters associated with Ian, Anna, Bang Jeemin, Ella, and Stella, creating a summer-themed identity for the one-off stage. The spelling also gives the project a distinctive festival branding that can stand apart from each group’s regular activities.

A Five-Member Stage Built For A Festival Setting

Special collaboration stages are a familiar part of Korean year-end and seasonal music shows, but the announcement is notable because it pairs members from newer teams at a time when fifth-generation girl groups are competing for broader public recognition. For fans, the appeal is not only seeing idols perform outside their usual group formats, but also watching how different performance styles are rearranged for a shared stage.

SBS described the five members as artists with both talent and a distinctive aura, and said the production team is preparing a performance intended to feel different from what audiences have previously seen. While the broadcaster has not yet disclosed the song selection, concept, or stage design, the wording suggests that the unit is being positioned as one of the festival’s centerpiece moments rather than a brief transition segment.

The collaboration also gives each participating act a useful promotional moment. Hearts2Hearts gains visibility through Ian’s double role as performer and MC, MEOVV places two members in a high-profile broadcast unit, and izna’s Bang Jeemin joins a stage that can introduce her to viewers who may be following the broader festival rather than a single fandom.

SBS Signals More Collaborations Are Coming

The SUMMER ANJELS reveal may be only the first part of SBS’s special-stage plan. Organizers also teased that additional collaboration performances will be announced after this unit, indicating that the summer edition is being built around more than a standard lineup of individual group appearances.

That approach fits the identity SBS has been developing for Gayo Daejeon Summer. SBS Gayo Daejeon began in 1996 and became strongly associated with year-end music programming, especially after its late-December festival format became the norm. In 2024, SBS expanded the brand by introducing a summer edition, turning the program into a biannual event with a separate seasonal rhythm.

The 2026 SBS Gayo Daejeon Summer is scheduled for August 9 at KINTEX in Goyang, a large venue frequently used for concerts, awards shows, exhibitions, and fan events. Holding the program there gives SBS room for the scale expected of a broadcast festival: multiple artist teams, elaborate stage transitions, and a live audience that can amplify collaboration performances.

For international K-pop fans, the announcement is also a reminder of how television festivals remain important even in an era driven by short-form clips and global streaming. A special unit may perform only once, but the resulting fancams, official clips, and social media edits can travel widely, often giving members new attention beyond their existing fan bases.

With SUMMER ANJELS confirmed and more special stages still to come, SBS is setting expectations for a summer show built around cross-group moments. The key question now is how the production will distinguish this collaboration from the many festival units that appear each year: through song choice, choreography, styling, or the chemistry of five performers who normally stand on different stages.