From fine dining to film, Festival Shiwol to electrify Busan with creativity and culture

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From fine dining to film, Festival Shiwol to electrify Busan with creativity and culture

Published: 17 Sep. 2025, 07:05 Updated: 17 Sep. 2025, 10:47

KIM JI-YE
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Festival Shiwol's Good Night Concert in 2024 held in Busan [BUSAN METROPOLITAN CITY]

As autumn settles over the coastal city of Busan, Festival Shiwol is poised to transform the city into a vibrant playground of creativity and culture, offering a diverse range of activities, from drone competitions and live music to film screenings, gourmet dining on a bridge and even a cycling tour.

Running from Sunday to Oct. 3, Festival Shiwol serves as Busan’s integrated exhibition and convention project, uniting the city’s diverse festivals and events under one umbrella. It provides visitors with an immersive Busan experience while presenting networking opportunities for industry insiders. Now in its second year, the festival underscores Busan’s ambition to establish itself as a global cultural hub.

Hosted by the city government, this year’s edition has grown significantly, expanding to 26 festivals across 10 sectors — film, culture, music, technology, business and food, along with four new additions: leisure, local, insight and networking. Last year, it had 17 festivals across six sectors. The festival has also been extended by five days, increasing the schedule to 13 days, compared to last year.

Unlike its inaugural edition, which was centered mainly in Haeundae District, this year’s events will spread throughout Busan, bringing the celebration to the entire coastal city.

A key visual image for the 2025 Festival Shiwol [BUSAN METROPOLITAN CITY]

The opening day on Sunday will feature two new events on Gwangan Bridge, one of Busan’s iconic landmarks: the “2025 Seven Bridges Tour” cycling tour and the “Brunch on the Bridge” gourmet experience. Normally closed to pedestrians, the bridge will be temporarily open to the public.

The cycling tour will start at 7 a.m., giving participants from around the world the chance to ride across Busan’s bridges on either a 77-kilometer (47.8-mile) or 33-kilometer course. Ahead of the cycling event, a 10-minute drone show parade will take place at 6:50 a.m. above the Gwangan Bridge.

Food lovers can start the day early with Brunch on the Bridge at 10 a.m., where Michelin Guide–listed restaurant Le Dorer in Busan will serve a special meal on the bridge against the scenic backdrop.

As one of the festival’s new highlights, a two-day drone event and competition will debut at the North Port Waterfront Park, dubbed Busan World Drone Festival.

On Saturday, the day before the festival’s official opening, 2,000 light-emitting drones will illuminate the sky at 10 p.m. The main competition takes place on Sunday at 9 p.m., where teams from the United States, China and Vietnam will vie for the most dazzling light performance using drones. The event will take place between the festival’s music concerts, Busan Jazz Festa, at the park venue.

Busan Jazz Festa will bring a picnic-style music experience to the same venue on Saturday and Sunday. The lineup includes Sunwoojunga, SHINee’s Onew, Daybreak, Italian bandoneon-and-piano duo Pasquale Stafano & Gianni Iorio and Argentine pianist and composer Pablo Ziegler.

Tickets for the concerts are available on NOL InterPark, ranging from 99,000 won ($71) to 150,000 won. Pets are also welcome, but will incur an additional 10,000 won charge.

Other events and festivals to look out for as part of the Festival Shiwol include the Busan International Film Festival, beginning on Wednesday and run through Sept. 26 across the Haeundae area; Busan International Rock Festival from Sept. 26 to 28 at the Samnak Ecological Park; Busan Craft Beer Master Challenge from Saturday to Sept. 24 at the BEXCO outdoor plaza, where visitors can taste handmade local Busan beers; and Busan Global Webtoon Festival from Sept. 25 to 28 at the Busan Cultural Content Complex.

For more information about Festival Shiwol, visit its official website at https://shiwol.com.

BY KIM JI-YE [[email protected]]