Busan Fireworks Festival

Each year, Busan hosts an enormous "fireworks festival" on Gwangalli beach, probably the most beautiful strip of land in the whole city. The relatively short beach is backed by stores and resturants of all kinds and just out over the water is the beautiful Gwangan bridge.

"Festival," is a largely misleading term. There are some musical/performance art shows ahead of time, but really everyone is there to see the hour-long fireworks spectacular. And I'm not using the term "everyone" figuratively. Literally hundreds of thousands of spectators crowd every tiny plot of land on the short beach and crowd into hotel rooms and office buildings that overlook the scene.

One of the teacher's from Danny's school, Mr. Hamn was kind enough to invite Danny, Brandon, Ria (a mutual friend from Japan) and me to a private party in an office over looking the beach. We had a great vantage point without fighting with the crowds. I repayed Mr. Hamn the only way I knew (and the way he had previously demanded) in vodka.

My mother has always been a pretty big fan of fireworks, so I've seen quite a few shows over the years. I was even partially responsible for fundraising and promoting a fireworks show for the Sesquicentennial. Nonetheless, it is absolutely safe to say I have never seen anything like this.

The show began with a bird-contraption soaring around the bay. It ignited and became a blazing phoenix, burning as it flew.

There were at least three barges (I thought at one point I counted a fourth) shooting fireworks up, as well as spectacular pyrotechnics on the bridge itself. The show came in four acts, each with its own story about Busan told through music and fire.

I couldn't possibly post the entire show here, but I am including the video I shot of the finale. This gives you just a taste of the nearly 60 minutes we consumed. Watch for the lights and flares coming from Gwangan bridge in the background.