Busan Fireworks Festival

the amazing fireworks from the bridge

This past weekend was the second weekend this month we spent in Busan. This time, though, we went for the 10th Busan Fireworks Festival. Our friends went last year and said it was phenomenal, so we decided to join them in it this year. We went down to Busan on Saturday afternoon. The big, hour-long fireworks show started at 8pm on Saturday. Last year, it was so crowded, our friends couldn't even get to the beach at all, so when we arrived in Busan, some of us went to the hostel to check-in and others laid down mats on the beach to get a good viewing spot. The Fireworks Festival takes place on Gwangalli Beach. The focal point of the beach is Gwangan Bridge (also called Diamond Bridge), a suspension bridge and the second largest bridge in the country. Fireworks are actually shot off the bridge and all around it. We ended up getting a great spot right between the two towers of the bridge. We had four mats for he 14 or so people who were coming. We had a 6 hour wait, so we busied ourselves with talking, snacking, and playing card games. It wasn't as bad as it sounds. It was difficult to get to the bathrooms though because you had to climb over people. Literally every available inch of the beach was covered with mats by the time the show was about to start. People would find any available space to put their mat down, including on a long, narrow strip right in front of us. Eventually, we started to sit closer to the edge of the mats to protect our space and make sure no one encroached on it. During the day, there were people selling mats, blankets, kimbap, and chicken all on the beach. We packed our own snacks, but it was very convenient. They knew that once you sat down you couldn't get up. About an hour before the fireworks show, there was a K-Pop performance on the main stage, which we were sitting pretty close to. It was something fun to listen to for a bit while we waited. The fireworks show itself was incredible!!! They used fireworks I'd never even seen before, and it was longer than any fireworks show I've ever been to. There are no words to describe how breathtaking it looked. On top of the fireworks themselves, the bridge already has laser lights on it, which were also incorporated into the show. There were two barges that had fireworks on them as well as these large circular things. The circles had lights attached, and they were like an awesome light show in themselves. There were a

crazy light show + fireworks, and a couple taking selfies!

few fireworks that stood out to me; first, there was one that looked like rain and kept going for a while. I would think it would have burned out, but it didn't seem to for quite a while. Then, there was the ones attached to the bottom of the bridge that made it seem like it was raining color under the bridge. Another time, there was a pretty epic song playing, so the audience was gearing up for something awesome. The firework they shot off though went up really high, but was lackluster when it exploded. Everyone was kind of like, "oh, well that was ok" UNTIL the branches of the firework each exploded into big bursts of colorful fireworks themselves. It was like a ton of fireworks in one. They also shot fireworks in all different shapes, like hearts and planets. It was a beautiful display, and well-worth the trip and waiting 6 hours. Luckily, the weather was beautiful and not too cold for October. Sidenote: there was a couple taking selfies throughout the show. They hardly ever turned around to watch it at all. Why bother waiting all that time and not actually watch it anything!? Dumb people! We didn't want to head out right after the fireworks because the trains and taxis and traffic would have been a nightmare. Instead, we collected our things and ate a late dinner at a Japanese curry place on the beach. Eventually, we made our way back to our hostel and played a card word game before getting some much needed sleep.