"Several Years of Drought, Yet a Water Festival?"... 'Waterbomb Gwangju' Finally Canceled

Canceled Abruptly Ten Days Before the Event
"We Will Join the Local Water Conservation Campaign"

The summer festival 'Waterbomb Gwangju 2023,' which combines water play and performances, was suddenly canceled ten days before the event.

Waterbomb Gwangju announced on the 28th through its official ticketing channels and SNS accounts, "Despite the forecast of monsoon rains, it has been determined that the drought is unlikely to be resolved, making it difficult to proceed with the Waterbomb performance."

They added, "The Gwangju area has been experiencing a severe drought, and citizens have been continuously practicing water conservation. All parties involved with Waterbomb, including the artists, hope for the drought to be resolved in Gwangju Metropolitan City and wish to participate in the water-saving campaign."

Furthermore, the organizers stated, "All performance tickets will be canceled collectively and fully refunded automatically through the payment method used, so there is no need for individual cancellations," and assured, "We promise to do our best to handle all customer inconveniences caused by the cancellation."

[Photo by Waterbomb Gwangju SNS]

Waterbomb is a representative summer festival featuring performances with water spraying and was scheduled to be held in nine cities nationwide, starting with the Seoul performance on the 23rd.

In Gwangju, the event was planned for July 8th at the special stage of Gwangju Women's University. However, news that the performance would be held in Gwangju, where the worst drought in history had even led to drinking water restrictions, sparked debates among the audience.

However, the cancellation announcement came after a month's worth of rain fell overnight across Gwangju, reigniting controversy.

On the 27th, a heavy rain advisory was issued for the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions, with intense rainfall reaching up to 283mm. This amount is close to Gwangju's average July rainfall (294.2mm). Additionally, 100 to 200mm more rain is forecasted to fall in Gwangju by the 30th.

Some netizens supported the organizers' decision, saying, "I was surprised that despite such heavy rain, the drought was still not resolved," and "Was the water conservation campaign really necessary in Gwangju? I hope the situation improves."

On the other hand, some criticized the organizers for their delayed response, stating, "There were dozens of flood-related news articles, so how can they call it a drought? They should have canceled the event from the start," "The drought has been an issue for a long time, so the sudden cancellation is hard to understand," and "I wonder who will compensate for the water guns and other prepared supplies."

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