A Guide to the Busan Fireworks Festival

At a glance

• 📅7 November, 19:00–20:00

  A one-hour programme, including a planned ten-minute intermission.

• 📍Gwangalli, Igidae, Dongbaekseom

  The official announcement names all three viewing areas.

• 🆓Public viewing is free

  Paid tickets are for reserved seats at Gwangalli Beach.

• 🎟️R KRW 100,000 / S KRW 70,000

  Reserved-seat entry starts at 15:00; arrive by 18:00.

The date, time, viewing areas and reserved-seat details are now published. The official site lists Gwangalli Beach, Igidae and Dongbaekseom; the ticket page lists a 19:00 start and 20:00 finish, with a planned intermission from 19:15 to 19:25.

Reserved-seat gates open at 15:00. Ticket holders are instructed to reach their seats by 18:00; arriving later can mean refused entry without a refund. General public viewing does not require one of these tickets.

Traffic-control details can still change close to the event. The official site has its own traffic control page; use its newest notice rather than a previous year's road-closure map.

The free public areas need no ticket. There is no published entry time and no allocated spot, though, so a particular position is never guaranteed. This suits travellers on a tight schedule or who would rather not pay.

Reserved seats are on Gwangalli Beach: R seats come with a table and chair, S seats with a chair. Gates open at 15:00, but anyone who has not reached their seat by 18:00 is refused entry and cannot get a refund. A seat suits people who want to sit down without hunting for space and can spend the afternoon near the venue.

A few booking details are worth knowing first.

• Collection — general tickets booked after a set date are no longer posted out and must be collected on site. The seller expects the collection booths to be very crowded on the day and says it is not responsible for entry delays caused by the queue.
• Busan-resident discount — collecting one requires ID showing a Busan address. Visitors who do not qualify should book the general ticket type.
• Wheelchair spaces — bookable only by phone through NOL Ticket's customer centre; holders use a dedicated gate, and no separate seat is provided.
• Cancellation — the fee rises as the event date gets closer.

The official site names three viewing areas: Gwangalli Beach, Igidae and Dongbaekseom. Gwangalli Beach faces Gwangan Bridge. The paid reserved seating is on that beach.

Neither the official site nor the ticket page cited here describes what the display looks like from Igidae or Dongbaekseom. Check where each area sits on the official site's seating map and directions pages. Dongbaekseom adjoins the western end of Haeundae Beach, so you can walk to it from the Haeundae side.

The choice itself is simple. With a reserved seat, go to Gwangalli Beach. Watching for free, pick whichever of the three areas is closest to where you are staying and your route home, and decide on a second area to move to if the first has no room.

Gwangalli Beach is walkable from Gwangan Station on Busan Metro Line 2, and for the Dongbaekseom side you can walk from Haeundae Station on the same line by way of Haeundae Beach. Roads around the venue are closed on the day, so plan around the metro rather than a car, and check the official traffic notice for any station-exit restrictions or diversions.

Heading straight back to the same station is not the only option afterwards. If it is packed, wait a while before moving, or be ready to walk out in another direction that staff are directing people towards.

• Leave plenty of time. Reserved-seat holders must be seated by 18:00, and on-site collection adds a booth queue on top. In the free areas nothing is held for you.
• Use public transport. Roads around the venue are closed.
• Dress for a November evening by the sea. You will be outside by the water for a long time after dark.
• Plan the exit before the finale. The crowd leaves all at once, so follow the routes staff direct you to rather than the busiest one.

If a fixed seat matters, use the official ticket link. Regular sales run through NOL Ticket until 17:00 on 6 November unless inventory sells out. R seats include a table and chair; S seats provide a chair.

Nearby

• 

  Gwangalli Beach

  The main venue itself — free and open at any hour for the other 364 days too.

• 

  Haeundae Beach

  Dongbaekseom, one of the viewing areas, adjoins this beach's western end — the starting point for walking there.

• 

  Busan X the SKY

  The 100th-floor observatory above Haeundae. Its published hours run to 21:00 year-round.

Frequently asked questions