Pohang International Fireworks Festival
🗓️ 2026.11.19 ~ 2026.11.21
The following festival details are from the previous year’s (2025) festival; the 2026 festival details are currently being updated.
In Pohang, the ‘City of Fire and Light,’ the representative cultural tourism festival ‘Pohang International Firelight Festival’ is held every year. It began in 2004 with a fireworks show to commemorate Pohang Citizens’ Day, and its theme has always drawn on two symbols at the heart of the city’s identity: ‘light,’ representing Pohang’s standing as a world-class steel city, and ‘fire,’ evoking the hot furnace that powers its industry.
What started as a local commemorative display has since expanded into an international-scale festival, with famous fireworks teams from overseas participating every year. More importantly, it has moved away from being a simple fireworks-centered event. The program now unfolds as a festival of harmony, fusing industrial and cultural elements through produced performances and light parades—so there is something for visitors who come for the fireworks as well as those who stay for the atmosphere.
Main Programs
The centerpiece is the International Fireworks Show, featuring teams from Korea, Canada, and Italy. The Drone Light Show offers a different kind of night-sky display, with synchronized drones forming patterns overhead. The Light Art Way turns the festival site into an open-air gallery of illuminated works, while the Street Parade brings music and performers through the streets. Rounding out the program is the Daily Fireworks Show, which ensures there is a fireworks display on each day of the festival.
Side Programs
Between the main attractions, the side programs fill out the festival experience. The Firelight Music Festa and Fringe Performances provide music and street entertainment, while the Firelight Canal Market and Firelight Theme Zone are good places to slow down and explore. Food is well accounted for: the Fire-flavor Gourmet Road gathers food stalls along the festival route, Phang-staurant—a portmanteau of Pohang and restaurant—serves as another dining option, and the Agricultural and Special Products Sales Zone lets visitors take home regional produce and specialty goods.
Visiting Information
Admission to the festival is free. The event takes place at the following address:
đź“Ť Address: 48 Haean-ro, Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do (Hanggu-dong)
For visitors traveling from outside Pohang, nearby accommodation is available through the link below.
🛏️ Accommodation near the event
đź’° Fee: Free
đź“ž Inquiry: 054-289-7852~5
🖥️ Homepage: festival.phcf.or.kr/fireWorks/intro.do
What is Pohang?
Pohang is a coastal city in North Gyeongsang Province, on South Korea’s eastern seaboard. It is the largest port city on the East Sea and the site of POSCO, one of the world’s largest steelmakers. The steel industry has shaped the city’s economy and public identity; working ports, industrial facilities, and residential neighborhoods sit close together. The coast provides a different side: beaches, rocky headlands, and a seafood economy that supports local markets and restaurants.
The Hyeongsan River runs through the city and empties near the harbor. Yeongildae and Guryongpo beaches have wide sand flats and clear water; they are popular for swimming and for early-morning views of the sunrise. Bukbu Beach, just north of the center, is the usual venue for the Pohang International Fireworks Festival, an event that draws large crowds along the waterfront in late summer or autumn. The exact schedule changes by year, so visitors should check before planning a trip.
Away from the water, Pohang’s neighborhoods reflect its maritime and industrial history. Guryongpo village retains a number of buildings from the Japanese colonial period and has a local raw-fish market. Jukdo Market sells seafood brought in by nearby fishing boats and also has produce and prepared food stalls. These areas are not staged for tourists; they serve daily life, which makes them useful places to observe how the city works.
Pohang is not a polished tourist destination. Its appeal lies in the combination of an active industrial port and an ordinary coastal city where fishing, steel, and summer holidays overlap. Visitors who want a quiet seaside stay or a look at South Korea’s heavy-industry side will find both here, often within a short drive of each other.
