2019.07.01
Ocean Expo Park Summer Festival delivers its Biggest Bang
Of all the fireworks on Okinawa during summer season, only one is the grand-daddy of them all. On July 13th, 10,000 fireworks will light the skies over Emerald Beach at the Ocean Expo Park in Motobu. No other firework extravaganza can hold a candle to it. It’s Okinawa best fireworks display, bar none.
The annual Ocean Expo Park Summer Festival attracts tens of thousands of people every year and this year marks the 41st of their spectacular fireworks display. The fun begins at noon where families can play at the Asobi-no-hama Beach (Fun Beach) till 6 p.m. They will have dolphin sliders, ball games, activities for the children, as well as a little sandbox for toddlers. Live entertainment starts at 4 p.m. leading up to the 8 p.m. fireworks showtime. The fireworks will last from 8 p.m. to 8:50 p.m.
Entry inside the Emerald Beach special event area is limited to 20,000 people. Numbered entry tickets will be handed out at the venue on the day of the event on a first-come first-serve basis; one ticket per person only. Those who are not able to get a numbered ticket can still watch the fireworks from outside the special event area.
The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, also located inside the Ocean Expo Park, will stay open until 11:00 p.m. on that day. So, when the fireworks are over, and you don’t want to get caught in the traffic heading back home, you can stick around for a while and check out this awesome aquarium. Last entry to the aquarium is 10:00 p.m. and after 9 p.m. no one under 18 years old can enter without a guardian.
All vehicle traffic on Route 114 will be restricted from Kakinouchi Intersection to Parking Lot # 7 from 7:30 p.m. ~ 11 p.m. as well as from Urasaki Intersection to Parking Lot #7 from 8 p.m. ~ 11 p.m. A section of road starting from Parking lot #7 ending at Urasaki intersection on Route 114 will be one-way from 8:20 p.m. to 11 p.m.
All vehicles will be restricted on Route 16 from Yamachan-bento to the three-way intersection on Route 114 from 7 p.m. to midnight. Route 505 and route 449 will have no restrictions, and traffic will flow in both directions.