A fireworks festival is a night event. But this one does not start at night. If you are looking up the Seoul fireworks festival road closures, here is what Yeouido actually looked like five hours before the first shell.
On the afternoon of Saturday, September 5th, I went out to Yeouido ahead of the main show. The fireworks begin at 8 p.m. Five hours to go — and yet Yeouido was already not the Yeouido I know.
A quick note if you are new to Seoul. Yeouido (여의도) is an island in the middle of the Han River and the city’s financial district. On a normal day it is office towers and eight-lane roads. On the day of the fireworks festival, the city closes those roads to cars entirely — something that happens perhaps two or three times a year here. If you are planning to come, this is the single most important thing to know: do not drive.
People walking where the cars used to be
The first thing you notice is the empty road. Lanes that would normally be nose-to-tail with traffic are lined with orange cones, and past those cones not a single car gets through.
You do not see this often in Seoul. A major road in the middle of the city handed over from cars to people for a day. If there was a moment when the word “festival” actually landed, it was this one — not the fireworks.
People under parasols — in Korea these are for sun, not rain, and you will see them everywhere on a bright day. People with picnic mats tucked under an arm. People carrying convenience store bags. All of them heading the same way: toward the river.
Hi-vis vests, everywhere you looked
One more thing kept catching my eye as I walked. The people who had come out to keep everyone else safe.
There was a hi-vis vest at every intersection. Police officers, and safety marshals in wide-brimmed hats. Not one or two of them but clusters, signalling to each other by hand and splitting the flow of the crowd. Wherever a barricade stood, wherever people were going to bunch up, wherever a car must not enter — someone was posted there.
Walk around in daylight and you realise how much more of this event happens outside the venue than inside it. Emptying the roads, drawing the control lines, standing people at every corner. All of it running since nine in the morning, for twenty-five minutes at eight at night.
If you only show up at night and look at the sky, you miss this part completely. That is why I wanted to keep the daytime photos separately.
Yeouido from above
Clear sky, and the clouds sitting on it just right.
The barges out on the water, the tents running along the bank. Nothing had happened yet, but the stage was fully set. There was something strange about knowing that the fireworks people would be gasping at tonight were sitting quietly down there right now.
And then, the sky
The real reason I wanted to write this is the sky.
“Blue” does not quite cover it. Cumulus clouds sat on top of it in about the right amount, and the wind coming off the river was neither cool nor warm. Perfect for walking in short sleeves, with a thin layer wanted the moment the sun went down. Seoul gets only a handful of days like this in early September.
This may sound odd, but the sky is always good on fireworks day. In my memory, the day of this festival has almost always been clear like this. Coincidence, probably — but the fact that this sky comes back every year around this time is part of why I have grown fond of the festival.
The sky opened up again this year, so I hope more people go home from tonight feeling good about it.
Why you should come out in daylight
Short version: on the day of the show, coming early beats coming late in almost every way.
- Your spot. The good places fill up long before sunset. Come in the afternoon and you choose; come in the evening and you sit wherever is left.
- Food. The closer it gets to showtime, the longer the lines at both the convenience stores and the food trucks. Buy in daylight and you skip the queue entirely.
- The temperature swing. The afternoon sun is still summer — you will want shade and water. After sunset the river wind turns properly cool. One thin layer covers the whole gap.
- The walk itself. Walking down a closed major road is something you can only do on this one day. That alone is a reason to come early.
- Learning the layout. At night you get carried along by the crowd. Find the toilets, the exits and your seat while it is still light and the evening goes much easier.
Getting there, and the schedule
| Event | Seoul International Fireworks Festival 2026 (한화와 함께하는 서울세계불꽃축제 2026) |
| Where | Yeouido Hangang Park (여의도 한강공원), Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul |
| Main show | Saturday, September 5 — fireworks 20:00 to 21:10 |
| Road closure ① | 63 Building ↔ south end of Mapo Bridge (마포대교), both directions, Sat Sep 5, 15:00–24:00 |
| Road closure ② | North ↔ south end of Wonhyo Bridge (원효대교), both directions, Sat Sep 5 09:00 – Sun Sep 6 03:00 |
| Nearest station | Yeouinaru Station (여의나루역), Subway Line 5 |
| Alternative | Yeouido Station (여의도역), Lines 5 and 9. Yeouinaru gets extremely crowded on event days, so this is sometimes the faster way in and out. |
| Information | Dasan Call Center, 120 (Seoul’s city helpline; English available) |
Programme on the day
| Time | Programme |
|---|---|
| 13:00 – 18:00 | Pre-events and public participation programmes |
| 19:40 – 20:00 | Opening ceremony |
| 20:00 – 21:10 | Fireworks |
| 20:00 – 20:15 | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| 20:20 – 20:35 | 🇺🇸 United States |
| 20:40 – 21:10 | 🇰🇷 Korea |
| 21:10 – 22:00 | After-party DJ set |
Frequently asked
Q. Can I drive to Yeouido on the day of the fireworks?
Please do not. On September 5th the Wonhyo Bridge stretch is closed in both directions from 9 a.m. until 3 a.m. the next morning, and the 63 Building–Mapo Bridge stretch from 3 p.m. until midnight. No vehicle gets inside the closed zone. Take the subway.
Q. What time do the road closures start?
Going by the signs posted on site, the Wonhyo Bridge stretch is the earliest at 9 a.m. The 63 Building–Mapo Bridge stretch starts at 3 p.m.
Q. What time should I get there?
The fireworks start at 8 p.m., but there were already a lot of people around by 3 in the afternoon. If you want to choose your spot, arrive before sunset.
Q. What is there to do if I come early?
You can walk the closed roads, claim a spot, and buy food at the convenience stores and food trucks without queueing. Learning where the toilets and exits are while it is still light makes a real difference later.
Q. Is it safe?
There were police and safety marshals posted at every intersection and closure point. It is still a very large crowd, though — follow the marshals’ directions, and agree on a meeting point with your group before you go in. Mobile signal gets patchy when this many people are packed together.
Q. What is the weather like?
September 5th was clear. The afternoon sun is strong but the river breeze makes it bearable. It cools down after sunset, so bring a light layer.
In one line
This festival does not start at 8 p.m. It starts in the morning, when the cones go down on the road. Once you have seen that part, the night sky reads a little differently. The sky was this clear again this year — I hope everyone who came had a good night of it.
Official info: Visit Seoul event page · Hanwha official festival site (Korean) · Seoul city road closure notice (Korean)