Gilpost · Festival calendar · Pohang-si Buk-gu
FestivalAutumn 2026
Pohang International Fireworks Festival
포항국제불빛축제
This edition · Data as of · Published ·
Pohang is a steel town, and its festival is about fire and light: it began as a fireworks show for Pohang Citizens’ Day in 2004 and grew into an international competition, with teams from abroad taking turns over the water. For the past three years it was held in late spring or early summer; in 2026 it is moving to November. The exact dates, venue and programme have not been officially announced yet — the Korea Tourism Organization currently lists 19–21 November at Yeongildae Beach. We read Korean blog posts from people who went in 2023, 2024 and 2025 to see what to expect.
Videos
[4K] 2024포항국제불빛축제🎆 풀영상 다시보기보이소 TV, BOISO TV · YouTube
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What’s on
This is the 2025 programme. The 2026 programme, dates and venue have not been officially announced (checked 3 October), and the Korea Tourism Organization notes that its listing is still last year’s. Everything is free.
2026 venue not announced
Nothing matches.
Source: the Korea Tourism Organization listing (2025 content). We will update this when the 2026 programme is published.
The essentials
| Dates | 2026-11-19 – 2026-11-21 |
|---|---|
| Where | Not announced — listed as Yeongildae Beach and around Pohang (2023: Hyeongsan River park · 2024: Yeongildae Beach · 2025: Hyeongsan River and Songdo) |
| Cost | Free |
| Organisers | Pohang City · Pohang Cultural Foundation (+82 54-289-7852) |
| Address | Duho-dong, Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do 경상북도 포항시 북구 해안로 48 (항구동) |
| Contact | 054-2897-8525 · festival.phcf.or.kr/fireWorks/intro.do |
| Programme | The 2026 programme is not out yet. Last year: an international fireworks competition, a drone light show, light-art installations, a street parade and smaller nightly fireworks — see “What’s on” below. |
What 26 visitors said
What people liked
What people struggled with
These are raw counts, not percentages. Someone who did not mention something is not someone who disagreed.
Who goes, and when
Couples and families with children are the biggest groups, and many drove in from other cities — Daegu, Gyeongju, Cheongju. The main show is a single night, so most arrived that afternoon to claim a spot and got home after midnight.
Where people watched
- In the middle of it (2023: the picnic lawns and river bank at Hyeongsan River park; 2024: the sand at Yeongildae) — the fireworks burst right overhead, but spots go from mid-afternoon and leaving is the hardest part.
- The seats in front of the main stage (2024) — handed out free on the day at 2 pm, one per person. Those who got them liked the order and could hear the music; those who did not know about it were annoyed to see seats sitting empty.
- Across the river or further away (2023 near Posco Bridge, 2024 two or three kilometres out, 2025 from Songdo Beach) — no crush and a quick getaway, but you will not hear the soundtrack.
Who they went with
Time of day
Visiting from abroad
Only one post mentions foreign visitors: a 2024 writer noticed large tour groups from Taiwan. Nobody mentions English signs or interpreters. The festival is in the Korea Tourism Organization’s English listings, but the description there is still last year’s. With the move to November and the details not out yet, check the listing and Pohang’s official channels nearer the time. A practical tip: the fireworks are free and need no booking, so the language barrier is mostly about getting there and back — plan your route home before the show ends.
Weather and crowds
The past three editions were in May and June, so the weather in them is not a guide to November. Even then, the sea wind at night was cold: in 2024 many writers describe rain from the evening and real cold, and some left mid-show in a downpour. In 2025 heavy rain cancelled the international fireworks night (21 June); one couple heard only four hours beforehand. For a November night by the sea, bring proper warm layers and a blanket. On the main nights in 2023 and 2024, almost everyone describes it as packed.
Getting there and access
The car is the problem. Roads around the venue close and the car parks fill early — one 2024 writer says the overflow lots were full by 2 pm and all eighteen by 5 pm. People who squeezed into side streets nearby took over an hour to get out; those who parked 20–30 minutes’ walk away (towards Hwanho Park, across the river, or at the schools used as overflow parking) got away much faster. In 2023 there was a shuttle from the overflow parking, but one writer gave up after 40 minutes and walked; in 2024 another found no shuttle at all. Buses were too full to board — one person walked an hour and forty minutes back — and taxis were hard to get. Pohang KTX station is some way from the coast, so you need a bus or taxi from there. The 2026 venue and transport plan have not been announced.
Year by year
Autumn 2023
26–28 May at Hyeongsan River sports park. On the 27th, teams from the Philippines, Italy and Sweden competed, followed by a Korean finale — over an hour. Sweden’s show set to the Frozen soundtrack got the most praise, and a wind blowing out to sea kept the smoke away. Crowded but orderly, by most accounts.
Autumn 2024
31 May – 2 June at Yeongildae Beach. On 1 June, teams from the UK, China (the winner) and Australia, a 1,000-drone show and a Korean finale. Two thousand seats in front of the main stage were handed out free at 2 pm, one per person. Rain came and went through the evening and then set in, it was cold, and parking and getting home were the biggest complaints.
Autumn 2025
Pushed back to 14–22 June by the snap presidential election. Heavy rain cancelled the main international fireworks night on the 21st. What people did enjoy was the seaside food-stall street at Songdo Beach, the smaller nightly fireworks and the activity booths.
Tips from people who went
- If you drive, park deliberately far away (20–30 minutes’ walk) — you will get home much sooner
- For the music, go near the main stage; for comfort, watch from across the river or further off
- If stage-front seats are offered again, queue before they are handed out (2024: 2 pm, one each)
- Eat early and bring food and drink — the queues are long
- Warm layers, a blanket, rain gear and insect repellent
- A low chair beats a mat on the sand; use the designated picnic areas
- Ear defenders for small children
- Book rooms early — one family found nothing in town a month ahead
- If rain is forecast, check for a cancellation notice on the day (it happened in 2025)
The 26 posts we read
- 23-04 · 2023-05-27 포항 국제불빛축제 23.05.26~23.05.28
- 23-07 · 2023-05-28 20230527-2023 포항국제불빛축제 (밤하늘을 수놓은 수많은 불꽃의 향연)
- 23-08 · 2023-05-28 [경북 포항] 4년만에 개최된 2023 포항국제불빛축제 방문기
- 23-13 · 2023-05-28 2023 포항 불꽃축제 볼거리 먹거리 가득한 형산강불꽃축제!
- 23-15 · 2023-05-29 포항 불꽃축제 주차 시간 명당자리 / 국제불꽃축제 / 포항 조개구이 ....
- 23-16 · 2023-05-29 2023 포항불빛축제 관람 총 후기 [ 주차는 셀프? , 국제불꽃쇼, 명당자....
- 23-19 · 2023-05-30 [23년 5월 4주차] 뮤지컬 이상한 엄마 + 포항불꽃축제 + 과학상자
- 23-20 · 2023-05-30 [포항아이랑]2023년 포항국제불빛축제 불꽃쇼 명당자리, 주차, 준비....
- 23-22 · 2023-05-31 포항 국제불빛축제 데이트 다녀왔어요~
- 23-24 · 2023-05-31 포항 국제 불빛 축제 - 불꽃 축제
- 24-07 · 2024-06-02 포항불빛축제 2024년 이런? 축제는 오랜만(주차, 명당자리 후기)
- 24-11 · 2024-06-03 2024 포항 국제 불빛 축제 후기
- 24-13 · 2024-06-04 •─────⋅☾ 2024 포항불꽃축제 ☽⋅─────•
- 24-14 · 2024-06-07 경북여행] 포항 불빛축제에 다녀왔습니다~ ( 3박 4일 여행~ )
- 24-15 · 2024-06-07 포항 가볼 만한 곳 영일대 2024 국제불꽃축제 후기
- 24-16 · 2024-06-07 2024 포항 불꽃축제
- 24-17 · 2024-06-10 [2024 포항 불꽃축제] 주차 대성공!-임시주차장 이용 /스페이스워크/ ....
- 24-27 · 2024-06-02 [포항] 포항 불꽃축제 2024.06.01
- 24-28 · 2024-06-02 2024 포항 불빛축제 영국,호주,중국 국제불꽃경연대회 방문후기 관람....
- 24-29 · 2024-06-03 2024-06-01 토 일상 (#포항불꽃축제)
- 25-08 · 2025-06-30 [포항] 럭키웅로미의 1박 2일 포항여행 | (라한호텔, 해동반점,포항불....
- 25-14 · 2025-06-14 2025 포항 불빛축제 상황 송도해수욕장 6/14 포송마차 현장 불빛축제 ....
- 25-15 · 2025-06-16 <포항> 포항 ‘국제불빛축제’ 불꽃후기✨, 송도 ‘포송마차 ’축제....
- 25-18 · 2025-06-23 6월 3째주 일상보고 와 여름이다!
- 25-19 · 2025-06-24 2025 대구 칠곡 축제 꿀맥페스티벌 후기
- 25-20 · 2025-06-25 포항 국제불빛축제 불꽃축제 우천취소 포항 송도해수욕장 포송마차....
All posts are in Korean. We summarise them in our own words rather than quoting.