South Korean Music Festival Waterbomb Made Waves in Manila
Is anyone still feeling the aftermath of Waterbomb Manila 2025? Well, us too! *raises hand*
Summer has (unofficially) arrived in the Philippines, all thanks to Waterbomb Manila 2025! Held from Feb. 22 to 23, 2025 at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, numerous K-Pop artists, DJs, and personalities performed in front of Filipino festival goers and made a resounding splash with their electrifying performances.
This was the first time that the South Korean music festival has been held in the Philippines. Much like in its country of origin, the Waterbomb Festival in Manila featured a star-studded lineup of local and international artists that performed a mix of music and dance stages in the K-Pop, Hip-Hop, and EDM (Electronic Dance Music) genres.
Much like its name, the festival also included water-based activities like water gun fights and water cannons. And festivalgoers and performers definitely got soaking wet from all the water guns and water cannons going off at almost every performance!
The Beat Manila was there to witness the first-ever Waterbomb Festival in Manila, and we’re certainly sharing what went down at this wild ride of a music festival.
Waterbomb Manila Day 1: A Refreshing Start to the Summer
Boy, was it hot last Saturday!
The festival kicked off with a cool start, as the audience was immediately greeted with performances from Filipino singer Thea Astley, who sang “Never” and “Pink Pony Club,” Korean DJ APRO, and Korean R&B/Hip-Hop soloist B.I.
Performing his songs “Michelangelo,” “Be I,” “One and Only,” “Waterfall,” “BTBT,” “Tasty,” and more, B.I. turned up the heat and went wet and wild on the stage. His set was followed by Scream Records’ DJ IMLAY, and then by Korean soloist and dancer Lee Chae Yeon, who performed her songs “Summer Heat,” “Don’t,” “Let’s Dance,” and “Knock,” and even sang an IZ*ONE song medley.
Korean singer Kim Jong-kook, who is also a regular cast member of the variety show “Running Man,” went on stage, performed his hit songs from the 90s, and even brought on some guests from the popular Netflix reality competition show “Physical 100” to the Philippines.
Popular Korean Hip-Hop duo DYNAMIC DUO, composed of Choiza and Gaeko, got the ball rolling on the Philippine Waterbomb stage by performing their songs, including the trending “AEAO” and “Smoke.”
4th-generation K-Pop girl group StayC went next, with their setlist including their most popular songs “ASAP,” “RUN2U,” “So Bad,” “Teddy Bear,” and “Bubble.” They also teased that they will be “coming back in March,” so stay tuned for that!
If the air was starting to cool down a bit with the nightfall, former NUEST member Baekho made sure to bring the heat back on stage with his performances of “Savior,” “No Rules,” “Wet & Wild,” and “Feels.”
Kwon Eunbi, who has become a hot topic at every single Waterbomb Festival in South Korea, sizzled with her performances of “Door,” “Beautiful Night,” “Flash,” “Problem,” “Sabotage,” and “Underwater.”
MAMAMOO’s Hwasa also showed off, feeling the love from Filipino festival goers with her performances of “Chili,” “I Love My Body,” “Twit,” “Don’t,” “NA,” and “Maria.”
Her set was followed by renowned Hip-Hop trio Epik High, who performed their songs “Don’t Hate Me,” “No Thanxx,” and “One.”
Of course, Day 1 couldn’t end without its headliner, the “Poging Pambansang Kapitbahay” and “Honorary Filipino” EXO’s Chanyeol. Performing his songs “Nothin’,” “Tomorrow,” “Ease Up,” “Back Again,” “Black Out,” and “Hasta La Vista,” Chanyeol closed the night and the first day of Waterbomb with high spirits.
DJs J.E.B., DJ Roots, ZB & Astion, and Scream Records’ Raiden were also there to keep the party vibes in check for festival goers.
Waterbomb Day 2: An Exhilarating Way to Get Soaked
The energy in Waterbomb Day 2 was a little bit different; vibes were already at an exciting high way before the start of the program.
P-Pop artists and labelmates BILIB and ZÉLA raised the P-Pop flag at Waterbomb Manila Day 2, kickstarting the exciting day with high-energy performances.
BILIB, who debuted in 2023 with the single “Kabanata,” opened the show with their track “Say What You Wanna Say,” and expressed how proud they were to be performing on the same stage as many other known K-Pop artists.
ZÉLA went right after, performing her debut song “Karma,” and then followed it up with her songs “Pogi Boy” and “01/01.” The labelmates then joined forces on stage for a collab stage.
As with the previous day, performances by groups or soloists were followed by DJ performances to hype up the crowd — including Kenet, Scream Records’ 2Spade and Mar Vista, Siena Girls, Aster & Neo, and Insidecore.
Block B member U-Kwon performed next, singing his solo songs “Fuego,” “Wanna Do,” “Rise Up,” “Tough Love,” “Make It Rain,” “Zero for Conduct,” and Block B’s 2015 hit, “HER.” His set wasn’t complete without him throwing his jacket to a lucky fan in the crowd!
VIVIZ, composed of SinB, Eunha, and Umji, went on stage to perform their songs “Shhh!,” “BOP BOP,” “Untie,” and “MANIAC.” They also greeted Filipino fans, saying that it was good to see them again after a long time.
“Show Me The Money” alumni Haha, Skull, Reddy, Sulreggae, and Yang Se-chan hyped festival goers with a lively and energetic performance to warm fans up for the evening ahead, including their track “Dang Diggi Bang.”
Renowned Korean Hip-Hop/R&B artist Gray was the right person to start the evening. Even with the cold winds breezing through the Quirino Grandstand, Gray’s setlist included some of his smooth and sensual tracks like “I’m Fine,” “U,” “119 Remix,” and “Stay The Night,” complete with his signature producer tag.
Girl group OH MY GIRL came next, debuting on the Philippine stage with their tracks “Dun Dun Dance,” “Dolphin,” and “Nonstop.” Their stunning visuals shone through even when hit with water, and they promised to return to the Philippines in the future — complete with member Mimi.
The night went on with Kang Daniel sizzling the stage with his songs, “Jealous,” “Nirvana,” and “Electric Shock,” and even gave a sneak peek of his abs for his fans to gush over. Mother Hyolyn graced the stage soon after, entering with her signature track “Dally (ft. Gray),” and even performed a SISTAR medley with “Ma Boy,” “Touch My Body,” and more.
Hyolyn sang her most recent song, “Wait,” revealing that she had also filmed the music video and concept photos in the Philippines.
GOT7’s BamBam came on stage with an all-pink ensemble and topped with a cowboy hat. He sang his solo songs, including “RiBBon” and “Sour & Sweet,” two of GOT7’s songs, “Tidal Wave” and “Hard Carry,” and even Lola Amour’s “Raining in Manila.”
Sunmi, a former member of Wonder Girls, graced the stage with her “Sunmi-pop” tracks, starting with “Siren,” Pporappipam,” “Heart Burn,” “Balloon in Love,” “Tail,” and ending with her 2017 hit, “Gashina.” She also stunned the crowd with her heartwarming fan service, immediately approaching a fan with her photocard and signing it.
The headliner for Day 2, Jessi, marked her first public appearance after a long while and stunned with a red and black cut-out outfit, with thigh-high boots and a swagger that can only be seen in her. She hyped her fans up with her famous tracks “What Type of X,” and crowd favorites “Zoom,” “Gum,” and “Nunu Nana.” She also performed “Smoke,” a song popularized from “Street Woman Fighter Season 2.”
Waterbomb in Manila: “See You Soon!”
Four days after the first-ever Waterbomb Festival in Manila, the organizers sent out a message thanking everyone for two days of “unforgettable moments, electrifying performances, and nonstop energy.”
Their message? “See you next year!”
Who knows, maybe even bigger artists and some Waterbomb Festival faves could come to the Philippines for the next Waterbomb in Manila! Are you just as excited as we are?
For more information and updates, stay tuned on Waterbomb Manila’s official Facebook, X (Formerly Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok pages.
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