Busan is good

Fire in the sky to usher in fall

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Festival bigger, better than ever this year

 

More than 1.5 million visitors will flock to the annual Busan International Fireworks Festival in several weeks, providing an ideal way to celebrate the fall season. Organizers behind the festival expect tens of thousands of people to come from other countries, giving the event a truly international feel. This year’s event will feature enhanced fireworks shows and top-notch musical acts in addition to everything else you’ve come to expect from this world-class festival, spread out over three days.

 

Day 1.

Hallyu Stars Concert

The Busan International Fireworks Festival kicks off with a high-energy concert to get you in the mood for fireworks. The Hallyu Stars Concert will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Gwangalli Beach in front of the Millak Rawfish Center. Various Hallyu stars including Super Junior, Boa, SG Wannabe, Shinee, 2AM, Jo Sung-mo, Chaeyeon, Son Ho-young and Hwanhee will entertain the crowd from a 20-meter-wide, 30-meter-long stage.

 

The Choi Ji-Woo Busan Tourism Photo Exhibition also opens on Oct. 21 on the ninth floor of the Shinsegae Department in Haeundae.

 

The photo exhibition will be held until Oct. 27 under the theme “Ji-woo Love Story in Busan.” It displays 30 photographs taken by Choi Ji-woo of top local tourism spots, including the Nurimaru APEC House, Suyeong Bay Yachting Center, Mt. Yongdu, Shinsegae Centum City, Jagalchi Market, Gwangan Bridge and Taejongdae. There will also be an area where visitors can take pictures. For those coming from other countries, Busan has prepared a special postcard set featuring photos taken by Choi Ji-woo. The opening ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. on Oct. 21.

 

Day 2.

World Fireworks Day

To get a flavor of fireworks from around the world, be sure to check out the lineup of events on the second day of the festival.

 

The main event starts at 8 p.m. at Gwangalli Beach, where visitors can enjoy a fireworks show set to music. Teams from China, Italy and Portugal will each put on a 15-minute fireworks performance from a barge on the water. The team from Shanghai ? which has a sisterhood city partnership with Busan ? will launch 20,000 fireworks.

 

The Italian team will feature a smaller number of fireworks but opt for diversity. The three groups will put on a show together in the final two minutes of the World Fireworks Day event. 

 

Day 3.

Busan Fireworks Day

The highlight of the festival is the final night of events, which kicks off at 6 p.m. with several lively concerts ahead of the main show.

 

The fireworks display this year will be held for a full hour starting at 8 p.m.

 

This year’s show promises to be better than ever. Organizers will use barges in the water as well as Gwangan Bridge for fountain, water lotus flower and Niagara fireworks.

 

Visitors will get to see more than 100,000 fireworks this year amid music and laser lights, providing what’s sure to be an unforgettable experience.

 

The high-tech fireworks show will tell a story held under the theme “Sail the World.” It consists of three parts: departure from Busan Port, a journey to Asia, Europe, Africa and North and South America, and finally a welcome home ceremony. To tell the story effectively, organizers plan to incorporate a high-tech video system first introduced last year and present higher-quality fireworks.

 

Tips.

Scoring tickets

Busan City and the Visit Korea Committee have launched a ticket reservation service on the Busan Tourism Association’s Web site (http://www.bta.or.kr), catering primarily to foreigners who might have difficulty securing tickets.

 

For more information on the festival and on getting tickets, visit http://www.ctour.busan.go.kr.

 

 

The source of news: Dynamic Busan