Pohang International Fireworks Festival to Launch Spectacular Lights from the 26th... Focus on Safety Festival

Held May 26-28 at Hyeongsan River Sports Park

Largest scale with 4 countries participating, featuring 'Fireworks Show' and 'Fire & Light' content

Mayor Lee Gang-deok emphasizes 'Safe Festival' even during treatment

The ‘Pohang International Fireworks Festival,’ Pohang’s representative cultural tourism festival, will be held normally for the first time in four years since COVID-19.

On the 23rd, Pohang City held the '2023 Pohang International Fireworks Festival Departmental Final Inspection Report Meeting' in the city hall's large conference room, chaired by Vice Mayor Kim Nam-il.

Marking its 18th edition this year, the ‘2023 Pohang International Fireworks Festival’ will take place for three days from the 26th to the 28th under the theme ‘Light on Pohang, Illuminating the Night Sky’ at the Hyeongsan River Sports Park area.

The city plans to showcase various light contents utilizing Pohang’s identity of ‘fire’ and ‘light’ to highlight the symbolism of Pohang as a global marine tourism city, as the ‘Pohang International Fireworks Festival,’ recognized as one of Korea’s top 100 K-culture tourism events for 2023-2024 and one of the country’s three major fireworks festivals.

To this end, the city has prepared diverse events including ▲the largest-ever ‘International Fireworks Show (Philippines, Sweden, Italy)’ ▲the ‘Grand Finale’ presented by Korea’s Hanwha team ▲the ‘Citizen Design Fireworks Show’ conceptualized directly by citizens ▲‘Light Radio’ hosted by Pohang city ambassador and trot singer Jeon Yujin ▲and the Poanggeori Parade.

Additionally, seating tickets for tourists and citizens will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 4 p.m. on Saturday the 27th at the information desk in the Citizen Zone (4,500 seats), and the Hyeongsan Park Golf Course next to the stage will also be open, allowing attendees to bring mats and watch the event seated on the ground.

The international fireworks show will be held for about an hour starting at 9 p.m. on the 27th, and earlier from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., the Poanggeori Parade will run for about two hours from Songnim Elementary School to the main stage at Hyeongsan River Sports Park, featuring Korea’s largest-scale large objects and a performance-style procession created by citizens from 29 towns, townships, and neighborhoods in the region.

Moreover, the Hyeongsan River Sports Park will be filled with various attractions and food, including a food market and agricultural, specialty, and marine product sales area next to the Pohang Canal, a kids’ zone for children to play, a light-themed photo zone serving as the festival’s photo spot, a small market and experience sales zone, an ESG zone focused on the environment, and the Poang Restaurant.

In particular, during the event period, a 10% special discount on Pohang Love Gift Certificates (card type) will be offered, and the ‘2023 Korea Together Festival,’ a consumption promotion event centered on small business owners, SMEs, and organizations, will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Manindang near the event site to enhance synergy.

Along with this, since the holiday period is long including substitute holidays, the city plans to deploy 11 parking lots and 6 shuttle buses for transportation to the event site, and further details can be found on the Pohang International Fireworks Festival website or Pohang Metaverse.

Three days before the festival, on the 23rd, Pohang City held the ‘2023 Pohang International Fireworks Festival Departmental Final Inspection Report Meeting’ chaired by Deputy Mayor Kim Nam-il in the city hall’s large conference room.

Starting with a comprehensive report from the host Pohang Cultural Foundation and the event agency, over 20 departments reported their preparation status, and in-depth discussions on progress and issues were held with related organizations and groups including Pohang Southern Police Station, Pohang Southern Fire Station, and Pohang Maritime Police Station.

Especially at the inspection meeting, since the Pohang International Fireworks Festival is being held normally for the first time in four years, emphasis was placed on checking risk factors such as road curbs and alleys in anticipation of crowd congestion around the event site, as well as promoting noise and traffic understanding notices.

As the festival lasts for three days, a cooperative system with related organizations will be established to develop safety measures for each event site and situation, operate a comprehensive control room managing dual coastal accidents on sea and land, and focus on operating a ‘safe festival site’ through safety management using CCTV and drones.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok, currently undergoing follow-up treatment, said, “We must prioritize safety and prepare through organic cooperation with related organizations and resident groups so that tourists can enjoy a pleasant and safe festival during the event period,” and he urged via phone, “Since Hyeongsan River Sports Park is large and has many installed obstacles, please carefully check the facilities.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.