The Seoul International Fireworks Festival is an event that gets you out of the house and into a park with practically everyone else in the city. Indeed, it is an event to enjoy the outdoors and the spectacle of fiery light in the sky. But it is also one that tests your ability to be around hundreds of thousands of people.

People come in pairs or in packs and they stake out a spot. I ended up near the river as it boasted being a better viewing area. People sat and waited as the sun went down.
Sellers were nearby with blankets, sitting pads, kim-bop and all sorts of things necessary to sit out in the cold with. I for one was wearing jeans and three layers with a few blankets and found myself feeling pretty cozy.

Then the sound of "boom" was heard and the sky was lit up. The first team was Japan and they put on quite an excellent show.


Seeing the sky lite up, I couldn't help but marvel at how ancient gun powder and fireworks are to human kind. I also felt a sense of comradeship with the thousands of other people at the park.

Indeed, the Korean crowd was a bit tough to please and they mostly went "ooo" and "aahhh" to the biggest fireworks shot in the sky.

The Portugal team was after the Japanese and their show was sufficient, but evoked just one gasp of excitement from the crowd.

Then came the final team, Korea, and you knew it was going to be special as things started off with a real bang. In fact Korea put on a great show and I was thoroughly impressed.
Throughout Korea's performance they liked to use high-beam search lights in sync with music. This was an interesting effect, but after a while became kind of a nuisance.



I think the best place to see the show was on the bridge, and many people seemed to have that figured out.

As you can see they also managed to get their hands on some very bright fireworks. The finale of the show was topped off with a big splash of color and fiery sprays here and there. The special part was when they turned the bridge into a waterfall of flowing light.


I've heard of this festival for a long time now being in Korea, and never got a chance to go. I am really glad I went. I wasn't too cold and the fireworks didn't make me stay out too late, either. Overall, I would highly recommend going next year as it can definitely put a special touch into your time here.

*PS bring some patience as leaving the place required one to walk like a penguin.