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The Twentieth Spark: Lighting Up the Global Tourist City of Busan – The 20th Busan Fireworks Festival

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Busan Metropolitan City announced that the 20th Busan Fireworks Festival will be held on November 15 at Gwangalli Beach, Igidae, and Dongbaekseom Island as part of the city’s efforts to reach three million international visitors and advance its vision of becoming a global tourism hub.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the Busan Fireworks Festival is expected to be more dynamic and spectacular than ever, with thorough preparations to ensure both grandeur and safety.

First launched in 2005 as a commemorative event for the APEC Summit, the festival marks its milestone year with its largest-ever fireworks display and Busan’s unique safety management system. This year’s show will also deliver messages of Busan’s leap toward becoming a global tourism hub by attracting three million international tourists.

The lighting project on the anchorage of Gwangandaegyo Bridge, one of Busan’s iconic landmarks, has recently been completed. The upgraded lighting system enhances color and resolution, creating a stunning harmony with the fireworks to illuminate the 20th-anniversary night.

Improvements have also been made to address shortcomings from last year, such as the cable damage incident that disrupted the lighting display. This year, the city has introduced redundant lighting equipment, improved installation methods, and strengthened on-site security to ensure stable and flawless performances.

Approximately 14,000 paid seats—similar to last year—have been prepared to welcome spectators, with the number of seats purchased by foreign tourists expected to increase from 4,400 to about 5,000 this year.

Festival Highlights

The main attractions of this year’s Busan Fireworks Festival include:
– A three-part performance featuring the “20th Anniversary Celebration Fireworks Show”
– Expanded fireworks displays from three offshore points at Gwangalli, Igidae, and Dongbaekseom
– New effects such as the 20th Anniversary Letter Fireworks, the 200-shot simultaneous multiplex fireworks, and the “Catch Ball Harmony Fireworks.”

Previously, the festival consisted of two main parts—an international invitation section and the Busan multi-fireworks show. This year, a three-part structure has been introduced with the addition of the “20th Anniversary Celebration Fireworks Show” as the opening segment to enhance audience immersion.

To mark the anniversary, the number of barges has been expanded from eight to thirteen, making this the largest-scale fireworks display to date. For the first time, both the international fireworks show and the Busan multi-fireworks show will be performed from the Igidae and Dongbaekseom points, creating a broader and more inclusive festival.

Signature elements such as the Niagara Falls-style and 25-inch fireworks will be accompanied by new additions, including two types of 20th Anniversary Letter Fireworks, a 200-shot simultaneous multiplex display, and Korea’s first “Catch Ball Harmony Fireworks,” where fireworks are exchanged between Gwangandaegyo Bridge and the barges in a ping-pong motion.

Festival Program

The event will proceed in the following order: the pre-festival “Fireworks Street,” “Fireworks Prologue,” and “Opening Ceremony,” followed by the “20th Anniversary Celebration Fireworks Show,” “International Invitational Fireworks Show,” “Busan Multi-Fireworks Show,” and “Curtain Call Fireworks.”

– Fireworks Street (14:00–18:00): A variety of attractions and performances, including balloon art, street shows, and a 20th-anniversary commemorative booth, will entertain visitors during the day.
– Fireworks Prologue (18:00–18:50): Replacing the previous “Fireworks Radio,” stories and messages submitted through social media—celebrating memories from the past 20 festivals—will be projected onto the Gwangandaegyo Bridge truss. In addition, the number of preview fireworks will increase from three to five times (18:00, 18:10, 18:20, 18:30, and 18:50) to build anticipation.
– Opening Ceremony (18:50–19:00): Citizens with special memories of the festival will participate in a touch-button ceremony marking the 20th anniversary.
– Part 1 – 20th Anniversary Celebration Fireworks Show (19:00–19:10): A new sensory experience will unfold as fireworks are synchronized with “Übermensch,” an original track from global artist G-DRAGON, combined with cutting-edge AI-generated sound.
– Part 2 – International Invitational Fireworks Show (19:15–19:30): Japan’s Hibikiya Corporation, established in 1894 and renowned for its product quality and distribution channels, will present a 15-minute display featuring vivid colors and refined pyrotechnic artistry.
– Part 3 – Busan Multi-Fireworks Show (19:35–19:55): Under the theme “Twenty Autumns,” Hanwha Corporation will stage a 20-minute performance divided into three acts—“We,” “Today,” and “Wind”—filling the autumn sky with dazzling fireworks.
– Curtain Call Fireworks (19:55–20:00): The festival will conclude with fireworks expressing gratitude to the staff and citizens, extending this finale to Igidae and Dongbaekseom in addition to Gwangalli Beach.

Comprehensive Safety and Transportation Measures

To ensure safety, over 7,000 personnel—including city officials, police, firefighters, security staff, Busan Infrastructure Corporation workers, and volunteers—will be deployed to help an estimated one million attendees return home safely.

In anticipation of increased visitors near Dongbaekseom and Igidae due to additional barges, manpower in those areas will be reinforced. Joint safety inspections led by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will be conducted on November 14–15 to identify and promptly address any potential safety concerns.

A total of 42 zones across Suyeong-gu, Nam-gu, and Haeundae-gu have been designated as key management areas, including Gwangalli Beach, metro stations, viewing zones, and major access roads. Real-time crowd monitoring through CCTV and the installation of safety fences along the beach and breakwaters will prevent accidents such as falls.

A crowd-control system will be implemented at Gwangalli Beach and the adjacent beach road. If capacity limits are reached, entry will be restricted, alternative routes will be announced, and additional LED information vehicles (increased from 8 to 11) and an aerial observation vehicle will be deployed to strengthen on-site management.

Emergency access routes connecting the beach to Gwangnam-ro will be secured, and ambulances (31 units) and emergency medical tents (7 stations) will be placed throughout the venue for immediate response.
To disperse crowds exiting the paid seating areas, flexible safety barricades will be installed along the beach road as needed.

After the show, guided announcements and messages will facilitate an orderly departure, with spectators leaving the beach road first, followed by those on the sand. Public transportation services will be increased accordingly. The Busan Metro will add trains at Suyeong, Gwangan, and Geumnyeonsan Stations and, if necessary, bypass congested stations without stopping. City bus services will also be reinforced, focusing on 21 key routes, with extended operating hours until midnight and on-the-spot route adjustments to alleviate congestion.

Traffic restrictions will be enforced on Gwangandaegyo Bridge and surrounding roads from November 10 through 15 to accommodate equipment installation and dismantling. The upper deck toward Nam-gu will close from 8 p.m. on November 10, and both decks will be fully closed at 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., respectively, on the day of the festival. Sections of Gwangalli Beach Road and nearby streets will also undergo phased traffic control depending on conditions.

To maintain order in tourism-related facilities, Busan Metropolitan City is conducting prior inspections of accommodation and restaurant pricing, service, and sanitation through November 15, with administrative measures for violations. Complaints can be reported via the 1399 Hotline.

Further information on the festival is available on the official Busan Fireworks Festival website (busanfireworks.com). The event will also be broadcast live via the city’s official YouTube channel “Busan Tube,” Busan MBC, KNN News, the Busan Festival Organizing Committee’s YouTube channel, and KNN Power FM (99.9 MHz).

Mayor Park Heong-joon emphasized, “Public safety requires thorough preparation, even to the point of seeming excessive. We will remain on alert until the last citizen and tourist return home safely.” He added, “As the Busan Fireworks Festival marks its 20th anniversary, it will illuminate Busan as a global tourism hub and propel us toward the era of three million international visitors.”

The mayor also called on citizens for active participation in voluntary cleanup and courtesy campaigns, saying, “With kindness and mutual respect amid large crowds, Busan will become an even more attractive city that global travelers will want to revisit—bringing us closer to the vision of a ‘Global Tourism Hub City, Busan.’”