Fireworks fans spread mats, claim prime Han River spots ahead of festival

A day before Seoul’s biggest annual firework festival, hundreds of visitors on Friday already managed to lay out picnic mats on spots offering the best views at Yeouido Hangang Park in western Seoul.

When the Korea JoongAng Daily reporter arrived at the park around 1:30 p.m. before the Seoul International Fireworks Festival’s pre-event — featuring a drone show and fireworks — kicked off at 8 p.m., many visitors were already sitting on picnic blankets on the lawn in front of the Han River.

“I tried to come two years ago, and every time I came, even if I came early, there were no more good seats,” Lore, a visitor from Panama, said. “I decided to try a different strategy.”

The lawn in front of the Han River was covered with picnic blankets, with only about 10 percent of the space available for newcomers.

The main shows of the Seoul International Fireworks Festival are set to take place from 8 p.m. to 9:10 p.m. on Saturday. Friday’s preshow was to offer a glimpse of that.

Some visitors were waiting just for the preshow.

“We both have part-time shifts tomorrow, but we decided to come here early after hearing that there is a preshow taking place,” Seo Min-jun, a college student who came with his girlfriend, said. “I came to watch last year’s main fireworks show on the weekend, but since I can’t watch this year’s, I’m here to watch the preshow.”

The park did not have many food zones set up yet, but the entrance to the park was only a 10-minute walk from many cafes and restaurants.

“Maybe I’ll order food delivery or grab something from a food zone in the back there,” Seo said. “I think we will stay here through the end of the preshow, until the fireworks and drone show are over.”

Between the lawn and the Han River, there was a designated area with rows of chairs reserved for those who booked the seats online for Saturday’s main event.

The park also had a separate area where only those who bought tickets online in advance could install tents and watch fireworks. Some people were already resting inside tents ahead of the preshow in the warm early September weather. The temperature was hovering around 29 degrees Celsius (84.2 degrees Fahrenheit).

As the annual fireworks event is one of Seoul’s signature events of the fall and draws nearly 1 million people every year, the city prepared many personnel to ensure the safety of visitors, with security staff wearing orange jackets constantly patrolling around the area and police officers standing in multiple places.

Besides the lawn, however, the park did not have many visitors yet.

Saturday’s event will be a different story, as the Seoul Metropolitan Government is set to completely restrict vehicle traffic on Yeouidong-ro stretching from the south end of Mapo Grand Bridge to the 63 Building from 3 p.m. Saturday to midnight due to the festival.

Subway trains will also not stop at Yeouinaru Station on Seoul Subway Line 5 in western Seoul from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, as large crowds are expected.

Police plan to deploy officers to roads, subway stations and riverside parks near Yeouido from Friday evening to Saturday.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]