Seoul City Implements Comprehensive Safety and Traffic Measures for Yeouido Fireworks Festival Drawing 1 Million Crowds

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will activate comprehensive traffic, safety, and convenience measures for the Seoul World Fireworks Festival 2026, scheduled to take place on September 4 and 5.

As the large-scale event draws 1 million people every year, the city plans to deploy a total of 6,800 personnel and establish a thorough response system in cooperation with related organizations.

The city will set up a joint "Comprehensive Safety Headquarters" with related organizations, including the fire department, autonomous districts, the police, and Hanwha Group.

The headquarters will oversee responses to crowd control, traffic conditions, and unexpected incidents at the event site.

Fire engines, ambulances, and medical personnel will be deployed to the venue, and a total of six operational control rooms combined with emergency medical stations will be operated in the Yeouido and Ichon areas.

A total of 45 patrol boats will also be deployed to manage safety on the Han River.

Ahead of the event, joint inspections will be conducted on September 3 and 4 with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, police, fire department, and autonomous districts to examine crowd management plans and facility safety management statuses.

Hanwha Group will monitor crowd density in real-time through closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) installed in each zone of the venue.

An emergency rescue request feature will also be provided in the official festival application, "Orange Play."

On September 5, when the main event takes place, Wonhyo Bridge will be completely controlled from 9:00 AM until 3:00 AM the following day, and Yeouidong-ro (from the south end of Mapo Bridge to the front of the 63 Building) will be fully restricted from 3:00 PM to midnight.

Twenty-four bus routes passing through these sections will also be temporarily detoured.

From 4:00 PM to 9:20 PM, 16 bus routes passing through four stops on Han River Bridge will also pass without stopping.

Meanwhile, 26 bus routes passing through the Yeouido Transfer Center and Yeouido Station will be intensively dispatched between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM, when crowds flock to the venue, and between 10:00 PM and 11:00 PM, when dispersing crowds concentrate after the festival ends.

To prepare for passenger congestion before and after the event, subway Line 5 will operate 19 additional trips and Line 5 will operate 65 additional trips.

Safety personnel three to five times the usual number will be deployed to 21 stations near the venue to maintain order on platforms and exits and to assist passenger movement.

Yeouinaru Station on Line 5, the closest station to the venue, may also have trains bypass the station without stopping or have its exits closed in case of congestion.

The 120 Dasan Call Center will operate a 24-hour consultation response system for the festival, providing prompt guidance ranging from traffic controls to public transportation operation information.

Rental and return services for public bicycles (Ttareungi), private electric bicycles, and personal mobility devices (PM) will be suspended from 8:00 AM on September 4 to 7:00 AM on September 6 in the Yeouido and Ichon areas where spectators will gather.

Bicycle access to crowd-dense zones on the day of the event will also be restricted.

Han River buses are scheduled to have suspended or shortened operations from September 3 to 5 for water safety.

As the Seogang Bridge to Han River Bridge section will also be sequentially controlled by time slot, the city has urged water leisure companies and others to check the control times and sections in advance.

Illegal parking and standing will be jointly cracked down on in areas where spectators can view the festival, including roads and bridges near Ichon, Noryangjin, and Yeouido.

Vehicles that do not comply with on-site guidance may be towed.

Information regarding public transportation, road controls, and detour routes can be checked starting one week before the event through the Seoul Transport Operation and Information Service (TOPIS) website (topis.seoul.go.kr), Twitter, and variable message signs (VMS).

On the day of the event, CCTVs and drones will be utilized to check and guide traffic conditions around the venue and bus detour statuses in real-time.

To ensure a pleasant festival viewing experience, 94 temporary restrooms and various garbage collection facilities will be additionally installed in Yeouido and Ichon Hangang Parks.

An official food truck zone will be operated at the Mercy for None in front of the Yeouido World Waterway Stage.

The city plans to pre-screen hygiene and prices and intensively crack down on disorderly commercial activities such as illegal street vendors.

Hanwha Group will operate two general information centers and six operational control rooms at the Yeouido venue to support restroom location guidance, emergency medical care, finding lost children, and accepting lost and found items.

After the event, about 1,200 people, including the Hanwha employee volunteer corps, will clean up around the venue.

To prepare for air quality deterioration caused by fireworks, the city explained that it plans to guide visitors on "citizens' behavioral guidelines for high-concentration fine dust" prior to the event and deploy mobile measurement vehicles to measure concentrations of fine dust and pollutants.

In addition, Yeongdeungpo-gu will also form an administrative support headquarters led by the deputy district mayor to embark on traffic and safety management alongside the city.

Personnel will be deployed to major hubs such as Seonyudo Park, Dangsan Station, Singil Station, and the Yeouido Yukgapmun area to manage crowds.

The Yeouidong Community Service Center restroom will be kept open constantly, and cleaning vehicles and personnel will be deployed after the festival ends to complete nighttime street cleaning and garbage collection.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.