When the '2026 Seoul International Fireworks Festival' began on the evening of the 5th at the Han River near Yeouinaru Station in Seoul, citizens pointed their fingers to the sky and looked at the fireworks.
Citizens took out their smartphones all at once to capture the red, green, and gold fireworks that decorated the early fall night sky. Organizers and police estimated that 530,000 visitors filled the Hangang Park.
On this day, the fireworks festival began at 8:05 p.m. with a countdown from the host. When the emcee's countdown ended, the citizens collectively shouted "launch", and soon after, fireworks rose into the night sky with a loud explosion.
The British team opened the fireworks festival. Citizens could not take their eyes off the rain of colorful fireworks pouring down from the night sky. Exclamations like “Ohh” and “Awesome” were heard everywhere. As the British team filled the sky with the insert song 'Soda Pop' from the Netflix animation K-Pop Demon Hunters, citizens even sang along to the song's lyrics.
Mr. Lee (30), who purchased a paid ticket to watch the fireworks festival in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, said, "It feels like fireworks are falling right in front of my eyes," and "It was not a waste of time waiting." Choi (34), who came to see the fireworks festival with his girlfriend, said, "It's the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life." He added, "It's not all captured on camera, so I'm trying to focus more on seeing it with my naked eyes." The sight of the father trying to show his son the fireworks up close by putting him on a wooden horse was also noticeable.
Next, the American team expressed the magnificence of light to the tune of 'Carmina Burana: O Fortuna'. The Korean team marked the finale of the festival with its final performance at 8:50 p.m. As the Korean team's performance began with a loud explosion and two oval-shaped fireworks floating in the sky, shouts of "Wow" erupted. Citizens looked fascinated at the fireworks exploding to the tune of singer Lee So-ra's song 'The Wind Blows'.
Kim Seung-hyu (41), who came to see the fireworks festival with his son and daughter, said, "There were a lot of bad things this year, but I hope the remaining period will be filled with good things. I had a hard time settling down to show the kids the fireworks, but I think it will be a good memory." Mr. Kim (64), who was sitting on a mat and leisurely watching the fireworks with his daughter and granddaughter, said, "The weather was cool and the colors of the fireworks were so beautiful, so I think it was a good thing I came out. It's even better to see my granddaughter so excited."
However, after the fireworks festival began, conflicts between citizens broke out near the Han River as people flocked to see the fireworks from closer. People who were sitting on mats watching the fireworks and people who had just arrived at the Han River and were walking through the passageway were all mixed together, and there were screams and swearing coming from all over the place. The guides who were managing the crowd shouted through loudspeakers, “Please move because it is dangerous” and “Please make a passageway,” but as the fireworks began to explode, people stopped all at once and took out their smartphones to take pictures, creating a bottleneck.
Lee Won-hee (22) said, “The fireworks are pretty, but people block my view and the loudspeakers are so loud I can’t even hear the music.”
On this day, the police deployed officers intensively to the Yeouinaru Station area, where crowds of people were expected to be concentrated. A high-altitude observation vehicle was also mobilized near Yeouinaru Station, which can check the crowding situation through the naked eye and cameras from a height of 7 meters above the ground. The roads around the event site were also completely blocked. The police completely restricted vehicle traffic on Yeouidong-ro (southern end of Mapo Bridge to Building 63) from 3 p.m. to midnight. Wonhyo Bridge also completely blocked vehicle traffic in both directions from 9 a.m. that day until 3 a.m. the next day, the 6th. As the crowds gathered at Yeouinaru Station, for safety reasons, trains passed without stopping from around 6:10 p.m., but operations resumed after 10 p.m.
According to the fire department, there were no unpleasant situations on this day, such as accidents involving crowds. However, one visitor received first aid after feeling a foreign body sensation in his eyes due to the scattered firecracker powder and gunpowder. In addition, some citizens raised eyebrows by leaving after the festival ended without collecting trash such as food containers and plastic cups. After the event ended that day, a long line formed at Yeouinaru Station on Line 5 with people waiting to board the subway. Citizens followed the line, entered the station one by one, and made their way home.
