World-Class Firework Shells to Explode Over Gwangalli's Night Sea... Busan Fireworks Festival Kicks Off on the 7th

Three-dimensional displays across Gwangalli, Igidae and Dongbaekseom Island

Chinese guest show followed by the "Busan's Dreams" multi-fireworks show

7,000 safety personnel deployed; traffic and travel-home measures in place

Giant fireworks will paint Busan's autumn sky against the backdrop of Gwangalli's night sea and Gwangan Bridge. From world-class 25-inch fireworks to Niagara-style fireworks cascading over the water like a waterfall, the festival that will light up Busan's night will take place on the 7th.

Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Jeon Jaesu, announced on the 2nd that it will hold the 21st Busan Fireworks Festival from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. that day at Gwangalli Beach, Igidae and Dongbaekseom Island. This year, the festival will use all three locations as stages to create a three-dimensional fireworks display and present programs featuring stories unique to Busan.

The event will open with an international guest fireworks show by China's SUNNY. The Chinese team will launch fireworks for 15 minutes starting at 7 p.m., followed by Hanwha Corporation's Busan multi-fireworks show, themed "Busan's Dreams." The main show, which runs for 30 minutes from 7:25 p.m., will consist of three acts: "Anticipation," "Boldness" and "Joy."

Highlights include giant 25-inch fireworks set to multimedia lighting on Gwangan Bridge, as well as Niagara and wave fireworks. The final five minutes will feature a curtain-call fireworks display expressing gratitude to citizens and on-site staff.

The giant 25-inch fireworks, measuring about 63.5 centimeters, are among the largest fireworks launched at festivals worldwide. They are rarely seen at typical regional fireworks festivals and are generally reserved for major professional fireworks events.

The area around Gwangalli will be filled with a festive atmosphere even before the fireworks begin. At 4 p.m., the Republic of Korea Air Force's Black Eagles will perform an air show, while the beach will host a book picnic, chalk art and scratch-art activities, and busking by Busan indie bands.

Starting at 6 p.m., "Fireworks Prologue" will feature stories and song requests submitted in advance by citizens. Three preview fireworks displays and citizen messages on Gwangan Bridge will also be presented. At 6:50 p.m., a touch-button ceremony and countdown will be held with the participation of the captain of a test voyage on the Arctic sea route, an Asian Games sailing gold medalist and the first foreign visitor to purchase a ticket, among others.

This year, about 17,000 paid seats will be available. About 3,000 seats added from last year will be reserved for tourism packages exclusively for foreign visitors. Packages linking the festival with Busan tourism will also be sold through overseas travel agencies and global online travel platforms.

For the first time, Busan residents will receive a 10% discount on R and S seats. The number of seats for the Youth Culture Pass program has doubled from last year. The city will also set aside 1,300 reserved seats for culturally underserved groups and community contributors. In cooperation with the Republic of Korea Navy Fleet Command, the city will also offer a program allowing families with multiple children to board a Navy vessel and watch the fireworks from the sea.

Given that tens of thousands of people will gather at once, the city is also stepping up safety measures. More than 7,000 safety personnel, including public officials, police, firefighters, transit corporation staff, facilities management staff and volunteers, will be deployed on site. Forty-two locations, including Gwangalli Beach, areas where spectators may be at risk, subway stations and major access roads, will be designated as priority safety management zones.

The city will monitor crowd levels in real time using CCTV and apply a phased capacity limit to the beach and waterfront roads. The number of LED vehicles providing crowding updates will increase from 11 last year to 12 this year. The city will also have eight emergency medical booths, 32 ambulances and four emergency access routes ready. KakaoMap will provide real-time crowding information, the locations of amenities such as restrooms and key event information. It will also offer a Find Friends service to help people locate members of their group.

Traffic controls are already underway. To install and dismantle the fireworks equipment, some lanes on the upper deck of Gwangan Bridge will be closed starting at 8 p.m. on the 2nd, and partial closures on the lower deck will begin on the 4th. On the day of the event, the 7th, the upper deck is scheduled to close completely from 3:30 p.m. and the lower deck from 6:30 p.m. until midnight.

Roads around Gwangalli will also be closed in stages. Closures will begin at 10 a.m. on the section of Gwanganhaebyeon-ro between Eonyang Intersection and Meeting Plaza. At 4 p.m., they will extend to the beach road and Marine City area, and at 5 p.m. to Gwangnam-ro and Millak Waterfront Road, among other areas. After the event, the city will encourage spectators to leave in staggered groups and support their return journeys by adding subway services and deploying city buses more frequently.

Citizens and tourists who cannot attend in person can watch the festival through Busan Metropolitan City's official YouTube channel, Busan Tube, as well as Busan MBC and KNN. More information about the event is available on the official Busan Fireworks Festival website.

Busan Mayor Jeon Jaesu said, "We will do everything possible to ensure safety from preparations through the end of the event, so that citizens and visitors from Korea and abroad can enjoy the festival with peace of mind."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.