'Fireworks Festival Boom'... Convenience Store Sales Soar Up to 850% and Hotels Fully Booked

Sales Soar Amid One Million Visitors at Seoul World Fireworks Festival
Beer and Ready-to-Eat Meals in High Demand
Mat Sales Surge by Dozens of Times
Luxury Yeouido Hotel Suites Priced in the Tens of Millions of Won Sold Out

As hundreds of thousands of people flocked to the "2025 Seoul World Fireworks Festival" held in the Yeouido Hangang Park area of Seoul, convenience stores and hotels in the vicinity experienced a significant boom in business.

According to GS Retail on the 28th, ten GS25 convenience stores in areas affected by the fireworks festival, including Yeouido and Ichon, saw sales surge by up to 850% compared to Saturday of the previous week, September 20. Sales peaked at 5 p.m. on the day of the event, and some stores surpassed their average weekday sales for an entire day within just one hour.

A convenience store in Myeongdong, Jung-gu, Seoul. Yonhap News Agency

By product category, ready-to-eat meals sold explosively. Sales of instant foods such as GoPizza and Dakgangjeong increased by 119 times, roasted sweet potatoes by 75 times, and gimbap and noodles by four times. Alcohol sales also soared, with beer up 22 times and highball up 13 times. Essential outdoor items like mats (up 75 times) and portable batteries (up 38 times) also saw a sharp increase in sales.

CU, operated by BGF Retail, also reported that sales at its Yeouido, Yongsan, and Banpo stores rose several dozen times compared to the previous Saturday. Key items included desserts (up 59 times), snacks (up 55 times), gimbap (up 41 times), and ramen (up 38 times). Seasonal and outdoor goods such as hot packs (up 106 times), mats (up 49 times), and portable batteries (up 88 times) also sold rapidly.

On the afternoon of the 27th, spectacular fireworks decorated the night sky at the "2025 Seoul International Fireworks Festival" held at Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

At Seven-Eleven, ramen (up 40 times), instant foods (up 30 times), and beer (up 15 times) saw significant sales increases at more than 20 nearby stores, while outdoor items such as mats and lap blankets also rose by 40 times. Emart24 reported that six of its stores saw sales grow by up to 8.6 times, with portable batteries (up 65 times), mats (up 52 times), ice cream (up 15 times), and beer (up 14 times) among the most popular items.

A representative from the convenience store industry stated, "We secured sufficient supplies of beverages and instant foods and deployed additional staff to meet the demand for the event," adding, "We focused on creating a safe shopping environment."

Hotels near the fireworks festival were also fully booked. Even mid-10 million won range suites at luxury hotels in Yeouido were sold out, and rooms with prime views of the fireworks were reserved so quickly that some were resold at a premium on secondhand trading platforms. A hotel representative explained, "Once the fireworks festival schedule is confirmed, room reservations are virtually closed, as demand from those trying to avoid traffic congestion overlaps with the event."