Taiwan Lantern Festival lights up Tainan with 15 million visitors in its sights

Taiwan Lantern Festival lights up Tainan with 15 million visitors in its sights

The 2024 Taiwan Lantern Festival lit up Tainan on Saturday to mark the beginning of the 14-day festival of lights, Taiwanese culture, national peace and much more.

The mega festival, originally a Tiapei-based folk festival launched in 1990, showcases over 300 lantern art pieces this year to up to 15 million tourists. To give tourists a nudge, the Taiwanese Government is giving all international independent travellers who visit the festival a complimentary 2024 Year of the Dragon lantern, a limited-edition souvenir and an event ticket, provided they show their passport on entry.

The Taiwan Lantern Festival sign (Author’s image)

Alongside the enormous array of lanterns for bright-eyed visitors to gaze upon, the Taiwan Lantern Festival includes over 170 performances throughout the program – six of these being international performances – and brought 110 foreign media to Taiwan for the festival.

The first night of the festival saw Tainan’s mayor, Huang Wei-che, speak alongside Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, just before the lighting of the main lantern, ‘Dragon Comes to Taiwan,’ (featured image) which is based on this year’s Chinese zodiac sign. ‘Dragon Comes to Taiwan’ stands at a total of 22 metres tall and became engulfed with luminescence on Saturday evening with its combined abstract and figurative elements wowing festival attendees.

Travel Weekly was on the scene at the festival to discover the festival and heard from Director General Chou Yung-hui on the importance of arguably Asia’s largest lantern festival at a press conference beforehand.

“It’s about branding Taiwan, branding our culture through the lantern festival,” Yung-hui said.

The Director General highlighted the festival’s role in supporting environmentally conscious tourism, spotlighting Taiwan’s Indigenous people and catering towards business travellers exploring their bleisure opportunities.

Taiwan Lantern Festival displays (Author’s image)

The festival is also an opportunity for Tainan, a city known for its solar energy industry, to showcase this via the main lantern with materials such as EVA and sustainable green elements like carbon 60.

This year’s festival includes rituals such as seat-setting ceremonies, alongside traditional processions featuring whistles, drums, and large gongs before the lighting ceremony. The lanterns integrate traditional customs and folklore to portray a vibrant and colourful spectacle through a combination of traditional practices and modern technology.

Alongside the festival, visitors enjoyed the 23rd World Orchid Conference in Taiwan at the International Convention Centre Tainan where florists and flower enthusiasts alike came together to enjoy some of Asia’s best floristry.

The Lantern Festival has been recognised by Discovery as one of the “World’s Best Festivals”.

Featured Image: ‘Dragon Comes to Taiwan’ – Author’s Image

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

Taipei taiwan

Latest News

  • Aviation

Low-cost Indian carrier SpiceJet continues to burn cash

It’s not just low-cost Australian carriers that are facing hardship. SpiceJet, India’s version of Bonza, recently announced a 72 per cent reduction in its net loss versus last year. But, despite this improvement, the airline has posted losses for six straight years. But it has secured board approval to raise up to INR 30 billion […]

  • Attractions

SAKA Museum recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places 2024

AYANA Resort Bali’s newly-opened cultural and events centre, SAKA Museum has been recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places list for 2024. Part of AYANA Bali’s resort destination, the museum integrates Bali’s rich history with state-of-the-art facilities, making it the centrepiece for the island’s spiritual and cultural heritage. TIME magazine’s inclusion of SAKA Museum in […]

  • Cruise

Silversea taps Barbara Biffi as senior vice president for global sales

Ultra-luxury and expedition cruise travel brand, Silverseas, has announced Barbara Biffi as its new senior vice president of global sales. Biffi joined the company in 2007, holding numerous positions and gaining a deep understanding of the brand, the preferences of its guests and its strategic goals, the company said. An Italian national with a wealth […]

  • Technology
  • Travel Agents

Amadeus welcomes FCM Travel as new reseller partner of Cytric Easy

Cytric Easy, the travel management tool embedded in Microsoft Teams, is to be integrated into FCM Travel portfolio. Amadeus and FCM Travel have extended their Cytric distribution agreement to include Cytric Easy. With this new agreement, global travel management company FCM Travel, becomes a reseller of the innovative travel management collaboration solution embedded into Microsoft […]