Life
Seen & Shared: The 20th Busan Fireworks Festival
We’re thrilled to showcase Busan through our readers’ eyes! From dazzling fireworks to everyday sparks of life, these photos and stories capture the city’s magic in fresh and personal ways.1.jpg&fileext=jpg&filetype=image/jpeg&filesize=217167)
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@whale_fall52
The 20th Busan Fireworks Festival felt like a scene from a fairytale - each burst filled me with excitement, and the glowing sky and music turned the night into a moment of comfort and joy.
20주년 부산불꽃축제는 정말 동화책 속 한 장면 같았어요. 불꽃이 터질 때마다 설렘이 차올랐고 하늘 가득 번지는 빛과 음악 덕분에 위로와 웃음을 가득 받은 밤이었어요!
I felt proud to live in Busan, and I was so moved watching the fireworks that I almost cried.
All in life, from the smell of camellia blossoming to the memories of fire flowers, for a moment they are beautiful and then they fade and die.
As I missed last years fireworks so I was very excited for this years fireworks festival. I was amused while watching. It feels so unreal. As I am not with my family so I thought it would be great if my family can also watch this with me. But I enjoyed a lot and it made my day.
Every year when I watch the Busan Fireworks Festival, I’m reminded that although the scene looks the same, my heart never is. At the time, I was moving through a particularly tangled stretch of life. Joy and sorrow were layered over one another, and I found myself giving meaning even to a single burst of light. As the fireworks rose into the dark, broke open, and drifted apart, I quietly looked into the places inside me I had been avoiding.
The festival itself lasts only a few minutes, yet in those moments I want to take in the beauty with my whole heart, as if I could keep it forever.
Watching the fireworks flare and fade, I’m reminded of a simple truth: no sadness is permanent. Light disappears for a while, but it always rises again. Somehow, that thought felt enough.
To some, the festival may be nothing more than a dazzling event. But this year, the fireworks became hope for me - steady, quiet hope - and a gentle kind of comfort. The lights that bloomed across the Busan night sky filled the small empty spaces inside me once again.
매년 부산 불꽃축제를 바라보면, 그 장면은 늘 비슷하지만 마음은 해마다 달라진다는 사실을 깨닫는다. 그당시 나는 유난히 복잡한 시간을 지나고 있었다. 기쁨과 슬픔이 겹쳐 있는 터라 불꽃 하나에도 의미를 얹게 되었다.
어둠 속에서 솟아올라 터지고, 다시 흩어지는 빛의 흐름을 보며 나는 묵묵히 내 마음의 자리들을 들여다보았다. 불꽃축제는 결국 단 몇 분의 짧은 공연에 불과하지만, 그 순간만큼은 세상에서 가장 아름다운 장면을 내 눈으로 가득 담고 영원히 간직하고 싶어진다.
불꽃이 터지고 사라지는 모습을 보고 있노라면, 어떤 슬픔도 영원하지 않다는 단순한 사실이 떠오른다. 빛은 잠시 사라져도 다시 올라온다. 그것이면 충분하다는 생각이 들었다. 누군가에게는 그저 화려한 행사일지 모르지만, 올해의 불꽃은 분명 나에게 희망이 되었고, 아주 조용한 위로가 되어 주었다. 그렇게 부산의 밤하늘에서 피어난 빛들은 또 한 번 내 마음속 작은 빈자리들을 따뜻하게 채워 주었다.
I attended the 20th Busan Fireworks Festival this year, and it turned out to be one of the most memorable nights I’ve experienced. Although it was my third time watching the festival, something about this year felt distinctly different. It wasn’t just that the fireworks were more vibrant or grander than before?the entire atmosphere carried a special kind of warmth. Perhaps it was because, for the first time, the weather wasn’t cold. In previous years, I watched the fireworks bracing against the chilly evening air, shoulders tensed. This year, the gentle autumn breeze made it easy to look up at the sky for as long as I wanted.
What I loved most was the sense of togetherness that naturally filled the beach. Thousands of people gathered along Gwangalli, sitting close to one another and looking toward the same night sky. In a time when most of us spend more moments looking down at our phones than up at the world around us, the sight of everyone collectively lifting their heads to the sky felt almost poetic. For that brief time, people seemed to set aside their stress, fatigue, and daily worries, sharing the same expressions of awe and excitement.
I was especially moved by the way the shimmering fireworks reflected on people’s faces. Every time the colors shifted, the light danced across their eyes and cheeks, revealing small sparks of joy. It felt as though the fireworks weren’t only bursting in the sky but also blooming quietly in everyone’s hearts. Those expressions?full of anticipation, wonder, and pure excitement?were both adorable and deeply heartwarming. Families, friends, and couples all experienced the same moment in their own way, but the shared feeling of anticipation created a connection among strangers.
Each time a burst of light filled the sky, I felt a little of my own anxiety dissolve. The brilliant shapes and sounds had a way of grounding me in the present, pushing aside the noise of everyday life. I think this is what draws so many people to the festival every year: the chance to step away from their worries and simply be immersed in light and sound. This year, that feeling resonated with me more strongly than ever.
Another meaningful aspect was the safety and organization of the event. With more than 7,000 police officers deployed, the festival proceeded smoothly without any major safety issues. Despite the enormous crowd, everything remained orderly, and the atmosphere felt secure from beginning to end. Busan has always impressed me with how seamlessly the city manages both the preparations and the conclusion of large events like this. It’s one of the reasons the Busan Fireworks Festival continues to be beloved.
On my way home, I found myself already looking forward to next year’s festival. I don’t know whether the weather or the atmosphere will feel as special again, but I’m excited for another chance to create new memories under the same sky. For me, the Busan Fireworks Festival is more than just an event?it’s a moment each year to refresh my mind and feel connected to the people around me. Thanks to that, this year once again became a beautifully unforgettable night.
This picture was taken by my mom.
My family went out at 6 p.m. and saw a nice firework.
Busan is good.
I visited the 20th Busan Fireworks Festival for the first time in my life - a meaningful moment that arrived exactly 20 years after the event first began. Although I’ve lived in Busan for years, I had always hesitated to go, thinking the crowds would be overwhelming. But this year’s 20th-anniversary celebration felt too special to miss.
Seeing the fireworks in person, after only watching them on TV for so long, left me absolutely speechless. Each musical segment unfolded like a perfectly choreographed performance in the night sky, blending sound and light into a breathtaking show. It reminded me how powerful and moving a single night by the sea can be.
It was a truly magnificent festival - one that reflects the spirit of Busan, a city I would choose to live in again even if I were born anew.
★Busan City Instagram : Click