South Korea’s global water music festival, ‘Waterbomb Manila 2025‘, made waves in the Philippines for the first time, combining music and water fun on February 22-23, 2025, at the Quirino Grandstand. With a wild fusion of K-Pop, Hip-Hop, and EDM artists, Filipinos experienced a unique kind of music festival, as water splashes and thrilling performances took center stage during the two-day event.
WET and WILD on DAY 1
B.I, also known as Hanbin, and Kim Jong Kook made their highly anticipated return to the Philippines. Hanbin performed his hits like ‘Tasty’, ‘BTBT’, and ‘TTM’ alongside Reddy, who was also in the lineup. Kim Jong Kook transported us back to the 1990s with TURBO hits like ‘Twist King’ and the crowd favorite ‘Loveable’, which reminded us of him with his Running Man co-runners.
Are there any IZ*ONE fans out there? Worry no more, as two of its former members, Lee Chaeyeon and Kwon Eunbi, made their Philippine stage debut at Waterbomb Manila 2025. Lee Chaeyeon delivers the ‘Summer Heat’ with her performances of ‘LET’S DANCE’ and ‘KNOCK’. But there’s more: Lee Chaeyeon did a dance cover medley of hit IZ*ONE songs ‘La vie en rose’, ‘Violeta’, ‘FIESTA’, ‘Secret Story of the Swan’, and ‘Panorama’. The queen of Waterbomb, Kwon Eunbi performed her songs ‘DOOR’ and ‘Underwater’ for the first time in the Philippines. She also performed Ariana Grande’s “Problem.” STAYC made their third visit to the country and performed ‘RUN2U’, ‘SO BAD’, ‘Teddy Bear’, ‘Bubble’, and ‘ASAP’. They also announced that they will make a comeback in March with their fifth single album [𝐒].
The night got even more wet and wild with two of the hottest artists performing on night one of Waterbomb Manila 2025. Baekho had the audience screaming as he sang the official theme song of Waterbomb Manila, ‘Wet & Wild’, and it became even wilder when he performed ‘Elevator’ and ‘Nutty Nutty’. MAMAMOO’s Hwasa wowed the audience with her hottest songs ‘Chili’, ‘I Love My Body’, ‘TWIT’, and ‘Maria’ before cooling it down with ‘Don’t’. Hwasa’s stage performance will not be complete without performing MAMAMOO hits such as ‘Décalcomanie’, ‘Egotistic’, ‘Dingga’, ‘HIP’, and dances to Tyla’s ‘Water’.
The Waterbomb Manila 2025 highlights amazing Hip-Hop artists such as EPIK HIGH, making their third visit to the Philippines and performed songs like ‘Burj Khalifa’ and ‘Born Hater’. The DYNAMICDUO who are behind the hit songs ‘AEAO’, and ‘SMOKE’ have finally arrived in the country at this year’s Waterbomb Manila.
The first day of Waterbomb Manila 2025 ended with EXO’s Chanyeol and his performances of ‘Good Enough’, ‘Back Again’, ‘Ease Up’, ‘Black Out’, ‘Tomorrow’, ‘Nothin’ (by EXO-SC)’, and ‘Hasta La Vista’. He shared that he loves coming back to the Philippines.
HOT and SPLASHING Day 2
Two girl group shined bright on the second day of Waterbomb Manila. The first one is VIVIZ with their second visit to the Philippines and performed their hot tracks like ‘MANIAC’, ‘BOP BOP’, and ‘Shhh!’. Ten years in the making, but the next female group is well worth the wait, with Oh My Girl taking center stage for the first time in the Philippines since their debut in 2015. Performing hit after hit with ‘Dun Dun Dance’, ‘Dolphin’, ‘BUNGEE (Fall in Love)’, ‘Nonstop’, and ended their set with ‘Secret Garden’.
Waterbomb Manila drew loud cheers from the audience, with GRAY, Kang Daniel, and GOT7’s BamBam returning to the Philippines to perform live on stage. Their charming looks and exceptional performances had the audience buzzing. GRAY even finished his act with a shirtless look, while Kang Daniel sung songs like ‘Jealous’ and ‘Nirvana’, and BamBam sang GOT7 songs like ‘Hard Carry’ and his favorite OPM song, ‘Raining in Manila’.
The heat is on with fiery performances from Hyolyn, Sunmi, and Jessi. Starting off with Hyolyn heating up the stage with songs like ‘Dally’, ‘SEE SEA’, and a medley of SISTAR songs ‘Ma Boy’, ‘Touch My Body’, and ‘SHAKE IT’. Sunmi ignited the stage with her iconic hits like ‘Siren’, ‘pporappippam’, ‘Gashina’, and more, leaving the crowd in awe of her undeniable charisma and powerful stage presence. Jessi set the stage on fire with unstoppable performances of ‘ZOOM’, ‘Spirit Animal’, ‘NUNU NANA’, ‘Gucci’, and ‘Gum’, showcasing her unmatched energy, bold presence, and undeniable talent.
Sulreggae, Skull & HaHa, and Yang Se Chan took you to the world of reggae with their incredible stage, while Siena Girls partied with the Filipino crowd by splashing water left and right while dancing to the beat.
The Waterbomb Manila 2025 will not be complete without amazing set from different DJs such as Marvista, InsideCore, Aster & Neo, 2Spade, Apro, Kenet, ZB x ATION, DJ ROOTS, J.E.B, and DJ Raiden. Homegrown artists such as P-pop boy group BILIB, and soloists Zela, and Thea Astley kick-off the two day event with their performances on stage.
Ending each day at Waterbomb Manila 2025 with a wonderful fireworks display and a message saying “Thank you, (the) Philippines, See You Again”.
Waterbomb Manila 2025 was a fun-filled weekend full of non-stop performances from your favorite K-Pop, Hip-Hop, and EDM artists with splashes of water all day. Get ready as South Korea’s global water music festival returns this 2026 with more performances and more water fun. -HallyuLife.com
