South Korea’s largest annual fireworks show lit up Seoul’s Yeouido district on Saturday night, drawing about 530,000 spectators. Hosted by Hanwha Group under the theme Find Your Light, the Seoul International Fireworks Festival began just past 8 p.m. and featured teams from South Korea, the United States and Britain. The event was held about three weeks earlier than in previous years because of the later Chuseok holiday. About 6,800 personnel were deployed, and traffic restrictions were imposed around the site.
Fireworks light up the night sky over Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul during the 2026 Seoul International Fireworks Festival, Saturday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
South Korea's largest annual fireworks show took place in Seoul on Saturday, lighting up the skies on this cool early autumn night.
The Seoul International Fireworks Festival, hosted by Hanwha Group, began just past 8 p.m. in Seoul's Yeouido district, with about 530,000 spectators on hand, as estimated by Hanwha and police. This year's show took place about three weeks earlier than in previous years due mainly to the Chuseok fall harvest holiday coming later this month.
Under the theme of "Find Your Light," this year's show featured fireworks teams from three countries — South Korea's Hanwha Corp., the United States, and Britain. A pre-festival event was also held for the first time in the history of the festival that was launched in 2000.
