The Busan International Firework Festival is a 9-day festival that runs from Oct 21- Oct 29. The festival originally started in 2005 for the APEC Busan Summit but was such a success that it has continued on every year since. It attracted 2.52 million visitors from Korea and around the world in 2010, and this year I’m sure there were at least that many.
The festival takes place in Gwangali (just down the street from my house) and the fireworks are set off from the famous bridge that runs parallel with Gwangan beach. On the first weekend was the international festival which had competitions between USA, Poland, Japan and China. Each country put on a 15-20 minute display which was synched to music. Although we were unable to hear which country did which specific display, they were all outstanding..
As I watched each display after the next, I was pretty awestruck. Amy commented by saying “just wait until next week…”. Apparently Korea’s display is one of the best firework shows around, so my expectations were set pretty high.
Walking down the street, a news castor came up to Amanda and I and asked us to do an interview for the local news. Of course we agreed (why not have a spot on Korean television). I would have loved to see it, but unfortunately, I forgot which new station it was and I probably wouldn’t have been able to find it anyways
Once the night’s displays had finished, everyone came back to my apartment and we ordered some pizza (with the help of my Korean friends) and had a great post-firework dinner of pizza and pop! All in all, a good night.
The following weekend was the big show. Because so many people came to view the fireworks, my friends and I planned to meet at the beach at 4pm to find a place on the sand. It was a beautiful day and I was so excited for the evening. When we arrived at the beach, I was shocked to see SO many people there already. The show wasn’t for another 4 hours, but it was difficult to even find free space on the sand. Luckily some friends had arrived earlier and had set out spots for us.
With every passing minute, more and more people filed in leaving the entire area a very chaotic zoo. Once we were settled in our small group on the beach, the only thing left to do was wait. As the sky became darker and darker, more and more clouds were rolling in. Around 6:30pm, we began feeling the first few drops of rain… not a good sign. Immediately, umbrellas began going up and poncho sales were all around us.
Although it was not the most comfortable of settings, my friends and I decided to wait it out, because this show only happens once a year and this would be my only opportunity to see it. Now, being that we’re from North America, our bodies aren’t used to sitting on the ground for extended periods of time. So, we would regularly stand up off the ground and get circulation going to our lower extremities again. Now, one would think that this would be totally acceptable seeing as we were still about 2 hours from showtime however the Koreans sitting behind us did not agree. They put up a fuss whenever any of us would stand up because it was obstructing their view (of what, I don’t know). It got to the point that one of them threw an empty pop can at us so that we would sit down (rude! I know, and know that these people must have been in their 50s). So this was the ongoing war between us until the fireworks began.
Once the fireworks started, it was pouring full on. We were completely drenched and cold. Some of our group left to go and get warm, but I was determined to see the show after waiting for so long. I’ve seen fireworks before but nothing like this night. The entire sky was illuminated by firework after firework. It was excellently choreographed to excellent music (from Josh Groban to the Spice Girls and everything in between… even some Korean songs!).
Although it was thoroughly cold and uncomfortable, I’m so glad that I was able to attend the show because it was truly a masterpiece. I expect that I’ll probably never see another show as impressive as this one. Definitely worth the crowds and the rain!
Now after the show, I went home and took a hot shower to warm up. Then I put the most fabulous costume on… a giant Kangaroo! Yes, it was Halloween and we were going out to KSU to celebrate.
This was probably one of the best Halloweens I’ve had because everyone was dressed up and having a good time. Also, because Korea isn’t as cold as Canada, you were able to wear your costume without needing a coat overtop (a big plus!). For the next few hours we went barhopping from place to place and at around 5am we ended up at a Noribang for some Halloween karaoking. Needless to say, the next morning was spent sleeping in.
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