At the 4th Sinchon Water Gun Festival in Seoul.
Photo: Nam Kwon Heo.
It was an extremely hot summer in Korea. To help everyone cool off, the 4th Sinchon Water Gun Festival was held along Yonsei-ro in Sinchon from July 9th to 10th. This annual festival, started by event promoter Gil-woo Han, reminds every participant of their childhood memories. “When I was a child, I used to have water gun fights with my friends,” says Han. “So why not as an adult?”
This year’s festival gave us positive energy and a chance to forget about the hot weather. The festival is always open to everyone. Participants only need to come prepared with a water gun. This year’s program consisted of three parts. First, the festival began with a pirate ship attraction. Then the water gun battle began with everyone joining in. At the same time, two fire engines used water cannons on the crowd, adding to the fun. Finally, the festival wound down with a dance party and a DJ.
I went to the festival on July 9. The weather was sunny with the wind blowing occasionally. The others were dressed up for the festival in a variety of ways: soldiers, Spider-Man, Iron Man, and many other characters. All of them got their costumes wet, but they were happy. Everyone sang together and danced to the DJ’s music. A fun time was had by everyone at the festival. The event reached its climax when a young boy started breakdancing for the crowd. Shouts came from everywhere as people cheered the boy on. The festive noises grew as water guns were shot into the sky, water falling on a delighted audience.
The event didn’t go perfectly, however, as the inconsiderate behavior of some people ruined the fun a little for others. With the overwhelming number of people, however, it was difficult to complain about such things. Such things may be unavoidable at festivals. But if the organizers and participants address this problem, future festivals should be enjoyable for everyone.