Busan Fireworks Festival showcases city's bid to host World Expo

The port city of Busan will host its annual Busan Fireworks Festival next Saturday, marking the final event in the city’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo.

A scene from the 2022 Busan Fireworks Festival that took place near Gwangalli Beach in Busan on Dec. 17, 2022. [NEWS1]

The port city of Busan will host its annual Busan Fireworks Festival next Saturday, marking the final event in the city’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo.

According to the Busan city government, the fireworks festivals will be held near Gwangalli Beach, Igidae, and Dongbaek Island, showcasing its signature fireworks, including displays resembling Niagara Falls. This year, fireworks will be set off in these three separate spots to prevent overcrowding.

The event will be the city's last opportunity to showcase its capabilities to the world and demonstrate its ability to host a safe expo before the host city of the 2030 World Expo is announced next month, the city government said.

The host country for the World Expo will be chosen by the Bureau International des Expositions, or the BIE, through a secret ballot on Nov. 28.

The city government will deploy more than 6,000 safety personnel in preparation for emergencies as more than a million people are expected to attend the fireworks festival.

Personnel from various institutions, including the police, fire authorities, public officials, and volunteers, will be dispatched to manage crowds.

Additionally, 900 professional security agents will oversee the event sites, twice the number deployed during last year’s event.

“Safety should be the top priority for all events,” Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon said.

“The city will ensure the fireworks festival is a relaxing and enjoyable experience while showcasing Busan's ability to organize and manage large events safely.”

People are crowded near the event site of the 2022 Busan Fireworks Festival on Dec. 17, 2022. Around 700,000 people gathered for the festival last year, less than in previous years. [SONG BONG-GEUN]

Traffic on Gwangan Bridge will be partially restricted from Monday through Sunday to prepare and wrap up the festival.

On the event day, roads on Gwangan Bridge leading toward Nam District will be entirely restricted from 4:30 p.m., and those heading toward Haeundae will be restricted from 7:30 p.m.

The pre-event festivities will begin at 2 p.m., featuring various street performances at the event site.

The festival's highlight will start at 8 p.m. and last about an hour, under the theme of dreams. After the main event, a curtain call fireworks show will last for about five minutes.

This year’s main show will be different as the hourlong fireworks will deliver a connected story as opposed to how the shows were divided into two separate programs in previous years.

“I hope the fireworks festival will touch people's hearts through the city's night sky that symbolizes its strong desire to host the expo,” Park said.

The festival will be streamed on the YouTube channels of local broadcasters, including MBC and KNN, and can also be heard on radio channels.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]