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Busan’s “2026 Seven Bridges Tour” Set for September 20, Taking a Leap Forward as a Global Sports Tourism Event

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Busan Metropolitan City announced that the “2026 Seven Bridges Tour: Riding in Busan,” an urban cycling festival across the city’s sea bridges, will be held throughout Busan on September 20.

The Seven Bridges Tour is Korea’s only large-scale, non-competitive cycling tour that connects four of Busan’s iconic sea bridges, two underpasses, and one tunnel into a circular route.

This year, 4,000 riders from Korea and abroad will cycle through Busan’s coastal and urban landscapes, promoting the city’s sports tourism brand to the world.

This year’s event will consist of the main cycling tour and side events for residents to enjoy together. The cycling tour will operate as a single 77-kilometer “77 Course,” designed to allow participants to experience Busan’s major sea bridges more fully.

Participants will gather at BEXCO and start from Gwangan Bridge before passing through Sinseondae Underpass, Busan Harbor Bridge, Namhang Bridge, Cheonma Tunnel, and Eulsukdo Bridge. They will then reach the turnaround point in the Gonghang-ro area and return to BEXCO along the circular route. The course also includes the spiral ramp section of Busan Harbor Bridge, known for its dramatic height, which is expected to offer participants an especially memorable riding experience.

A time-attack section and participant refreshment stations will also be operated to add excitement and provide sufficient rest areas. After completing the course, participants will be able to enjoy a variety of activities, including a finish-line music performance, medal engraving, record checking, photo zones, and a selection of local foods.

Meanwhile, the Seven Bridges Tour, first held last year, drew significant attention in Korea and abroad for its distinctive route linking sea bridges within the city by bicycle. It gained international exposure, including direct coverage by CNN in the United States, and successfully established itself as one of Busan’s signature cycling events.

In particular, overseas participants were recruited this year as part of efforts to internationalize the event, while a variety of public participation programs will also be offered so that residents can enjoy the festivities with their families.

“Good Morning Bridge Walking” will take place after the cyclists depart. A total of 1,000 participants who registered in advance will have the special opportunity to walk above the sea on the upper deck of Gwangan Bridge.

The “Seven Bridges Festival,” a participatory wellness festival where residents can experience everything from exercise to recovery and relaxation, will also be held at Yongho Starlight Park.

Busan Metropolitan City is making thorough preparations for the event, with safety as its highest priority, as it works to develop the Seven Bridges Tour into global sports tourism content.

On the afternoon of September 10, Mayor Chun Jae-soo presided over a final safety review attended by officials from major related organizations, including the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters, Busan Infrastructure Corporation, BEXCO, and the Busan Sports Council.

The final briefing focused on measures to address potential safety risks, including the progress of road repairs such as pothole maintenance, the installation of safety covers over bridge expansion joints, road-surface cleaning along the entire route, air-quality management in underground tunnels, and the establishment of detour routes for city buses.

On the day of the event, on-site safety management will also be reinforced, particularly at major high-risk sections.

The upper deck of Gwangan Bridge, the refreshment station on Eulsukdo Bridge, the spiral ramp on Busan Harbor Bridge, and local roads in Yeongdo will be designated as key safety-management points. The entire route will be monitored in real time through CCTV systems operated by the traffic control center.

More than 1,000 professional safety and security personnel will be deployed along the entire route together with police officers and firefighters. In particular, approximately 40 trained personnel and an ambulance will be stationed at the spiral ramp on Busan Harbor Bridge, the signature section of this year’s course. A comprehensive emergency medical response system will also be established, including approximately 40 medical personnel such as firefighters and doctors, 15 ambulances, two medical booths, and coordination with designated disaster-response hospitals, enabling rapid response in the event of an accident.

Measures have also been prepared to minimize inconvenience to residents resulting from large-scale traffic restrictions.

On the day of the event, the entire course will be subject to full or partial traffic restrictions. Restrictions will be lifted in stages after the cycling groups have passed and safety inspections have been completed. Advance public information and on-site guidance will also be strengthened to minimize inconvenience to freight and commercial vehicle operators and public transportation users.

Detailed information on traffic restrictions is available on the official website at https://busan7bridges.com and on Instagram at @busan7bridges.

Mayor Chun Jae-soo said, “The Seven Bridges Tour will go beyond being a simple sporting event to become a distinctive sports tourism experience unique to Busan, where marine activities, sports, and tourism come together.” He added, “We will do our utmost to showcase the appeal of Busan, where the sea and the city exist in harmony, and establish the event as a global sports tourism festival that attracts worldwide attention.”