Must-read before lantern viewing！9 Key Highlights of Taiwan Lantern Festival to Make You an Expert

▲ The Phoenix Crown Gate at the Taiwan Lantern Festival. (Photo / Taken from the official website of the Taiwan Lantern Festival, the same below)

Reported by Chen Rui-zhong / Taipei

The “2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival” will officially take place in Taichung from March 5 to March 15. This year, there arethree major lantern festival venues: Wuri High-Speed Rail Station, Taichung Park, and Fengyuan, symbolizing “three rams bringing prosperity.” The lantern zones in Taichung Park and Fengyuan will also open earlier on February 27.

The total area of the three exhibition areas this year reaches 350,000 square meters, and it is estimated to attract 8 million visitors. The Wuri High-Speed Rail lantern zone, where the main lantern is located, features a variety of themed lantern areas; the Taichung Park lantern zone has refurbished the 2003 sheep-year main lantern and integrated it with the features of the Lake Heart Pavilion; the Fengyuan lantern zone combines the local pastry industry and commercial district to showcase the characteristics of the hometown of pastries.

▲ Map of the Wuri High-Speed Rail lantern zone.

Among them, the Fengyuan lantern zone will light up first on February 27, the Taichung Park lantern zone on February 28, and the sheep-shaped main lantern will be illuminated at Dali Donghu Park on March 3. The main lantern “Auspicious Sheep Bringing Blessings” will be officially lit on March 5, Yuanxiao Festival, at the Wuri High-Speed Rail lantern zone, marking the grand climax of the Taiwan Lantern Festival.

To help the public enjoy the lantern displays, ETtoday News Cloud has compiled nine key highlights of this year’s festival so that everyone can experience the charm and fun of Taiwanese lanterns during the Yuanxiao Festival.

2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival Highlight 1: Main Lantern “Auspicious Sheep Bringing Blessings”
This year’s main lantern stands approximately 23.4 meters tall, the tallest in the festival’s history, and weighs about 30 metric tons. It uses new optical technology to achieve low-carbon and energy-efficient performance, and is named “Auspicious Sheep Bringing Blessings.” The design is inspired by the ancient folk tale of a sheep stealing five grains of seeds for humanity and sacrificing itself, leading to bountiful harvests and social peace. It embodies the spirit of “golden sheep bringing good fortune and abundant harvests.”
The shape of the main lantern is based on the ancient pictograph “sheep” in oracle bone script, featuring a pair of large horns, an upward gaze, and a simple body shape. The base resembles rising mountain ridges, symbolizing Taiwan’s continuous upward development as the lantern rotates. The main lantern will officially light up at 7:00 p.m. on the evening of Yuanxiao Festival, followed by hourly shows at the top and half-hour marks until the event concludes at 10:00 p.m. on March 15.

▲ The 2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival main lantern “Auspicious Sheep Bringing Blessings.”

2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival Highlight 2: Cheerful Secondary Lanterns
This year, four themed secondary lanterns have been designed: “Fish Leaping into a Dragon,” “Phoenix Frolicking in Spring,” “Auspicious Sheep Fulfilling Wishes,” and “Dreams Setting Sail.” Among them, “Fish Leaping into a Dragon” draws inspiration from the auspicious symbolism of carp jumping over the dragon gate; “Phoenix Frolicking in Spring” combines the phoenix, a symbol of peace and prosperity, with Taichung’s city flower, the mountain cherry blossom; “Auspicious Sheep Fulfilling Wishes” depicts antelopes running atop a ruyi symbol, enhanced with Atayal tribal patterns for added dynamism; finally, “Dreams Setting Sail,” led by Tourism Bureau’s bear mascot Oh Bear, symbolizes courageously embracing the future.

▲ The secondary lantern “Phoenix Frolicking in Spring,” symbolizing a time of peace and prosperity.

2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival Highlight 3: Diverse and Brilliant Lantern Zones
In the traditional lantern zone, six major themes such as Happy Lifestyle and Blue Ocean will showcase Taichung’s unique features; the Joyful Lantern Zone features lanterns designed by tourism businesses with entertainment themes; the Painting Lantern Zone includes 99 hand-painted sheep lanterns co-created by artists and citizens, along with 20 live sheep on display. Additionally, there is a creative lantern zone themed around the magical world, a competition lantern zone gathering master lantern makers, and a cultural exchange lantern zone featuring traditional Chinese lantern art for visitors to explore.

▲ The traditional lantern zone showcasing exquisite lantern craftsmanship.

2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival Highlight 4: Super Popular Mini Lanterns
This year’s mini lanterns are inspired by the famous story of the white sheep and the black sheep. Using double-sided printing on paper, two distinct mini lanterns with different color schemes, themes, and personalities were created—Xiao Ke and Bai Bai. Xiao Ke is a food-loving sheep always carrying cakes, candies, or chocolates, while Bai Bai is a stylish sheep dressed glamorously. Children can mix and match the five wool pieces on the sheep in 10 different color combinations to create either a black-faced or white-faced sheep, just like dressing up a paper doll. The handle can also be assembled for handheld use or extended into a shoulder strap, turning it into a cute little backpack.

Distribution Information:
On February 27 to March 5, 6:00 p.m., distributed at Service Station 1 of the Fengyuan Miaodong Commercial Zone Lantern Zone. Total of 10,000 lanterns.
On February 28 to March 5, 6:00 p.m., distributed at Service Stations 1 and 3 of the Taichung Park Lantern Zone. Total of 10,000 lanterns.
On March 3 to March 5, 6:00 p.m., distributed at Service Station 1 of the Dali Cultural and Creative Cluster Lantern Zone. Total of 3,000 lanterns.
On March 5 to March 15, 3:00 p.m., distributed at Service Stations 7 and 11 of the Wuri High-Speed Rail Lantern Zone. Total of 80,000 lanterns.

▲ The annually popular lantern mini lanterns, this year designed as sheep that can change colors on their own.

2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival Highlight 5: Dream Pastry House Theme
In addition to setting up a commercial light corridor along both sides of Sanmin Road and Zhongzheng Road in front of Fengyuan Railway Station, the Fengyuan Lantern Area also features a lantern boulevard named Fengguang Avenue at Xinsheng North Road, designed with an entrance shaped like a gourd, showcasing the unique characteristics of Fenggudun. It highlights the “Five Goods of Fengyuan”—clear water, rice-white color, the fragrance of pastries, dried ingredients, and the beauty of local women—transforming Fengyuan Railway Station into a dreamlike pastry house.

▲Map of the Fengyuan Lantern Area.

2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival Highlight Six: A Diverse Array of Performance Events
In addition to the planned fireworks displays during the opening and closing ceremonies, this year’s festival will feature performances by various groups, including the Jiutian Folk Arts Troupe, Fuliantang Variety Troupe, Japanese YOSAKOI performance teams from Kochi, Nagoya, Matsudo, and Hokkaido, the Ten Drums Art Percussion Group, as well as numerous folk dance performances. Additionally, every day will see different performance troupes taking the stage. The street parade event starting at 10:00 on March 5th will also feature performances by Japan’s Nagoya Shinchuo Festival, Matsudo YOSAKOI, Kochi Prefecture’s Yosakoi Soran Festival, as well as groups from Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Samba dancers, all working to create a joyful atmosphere.

▲Multiple Japanese performance groups will also take part in the lantern festival street parade.

2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival Highlight Seven: The First-Ever Cultural and Creative Industry Zone
This year’s lantern festival introduces a first-ever cultural and creative lantern area, designing a series of souvenirs related to the “Taiwan Lantern Festival,” providing diverse local cultures, features, and creativity with opportunities for added value. This initiative aims to promote Taiwan, invigorate the cultural and creative industry market, and boost tourism revenue.

▲The first-ever cultural and creative lantern area offers uniquely designed festival souvenirs. (Photo / Provided by the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications)

2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival Highlight Eight: More Convenient Public Transport
The festival venue is close to the Taichung HSR (Wuri Station), and during the festival period, all TRA (Taiwan Railways Administration) trains, including local and express services, will stop at “Xinwuri Station.” It’s just a 5-minute walk from there to the lantern area. In Taichung City, there are 35 bus routes leading to the Wuri Lantern Area. Additionally, parking areas for cars and motorcycles are set up at “Wuquan West Road & Xiangshang Intersection” and “next to Lingdong University,” with free shuttle buses running into the Wuri Lantern Area. There are also 11,000 parking spaces planned along “the south side of Wuri District’s Zhongshan Road” and “opposite Chenggongling,” with free shuttle services provided.
Furthermore, the Fengyuan Lantern Area is located around Fengyuan Railway Station and Fengguang Avenue (around Miaodong Commercial Area), just 500 meters from Fengyuan Railway Station—a 7-minute walk away. The public can also take one of the 37 bus routes passing through the lantern area, with 1,200 daily services. Moreover, three “Fengyuan Lantern Area Shuttle Buses” are available from February 27th to March 5th, operating daily from 4:00 PM to 11:00 PM. These include the “Fengyuan Boulevard Loop Line,” “Yungfengyu Parking Lot,” and “Shepi Park Parking Lot” shuttle routes. Visitors can park their vehicles at the “Yungfengyu” and “Shepi Park” parking lots and then take the free shuttle buses (with an electronic bus ticket) or regular buses to the lantern area, enjoying an 8-kilometer free ride benefit.
Around the Taichung Park Lantern Area, there are 59 bus routes with 4,000 daily services. For detailed information on bus routes and parking lots near each lantern area,please visit the 2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival official website.。

▲Besides viewing the lanterns, visitors can also plan flower-viewing trips or shopping tours in Taichung.

2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival Highlight Nine: Watch the Lanterns, Explore Taichung
This year’s Taiwan Lantern Festival has also launched35 must-visit travel routes for lantern viewers,including themes such as Wuri Strolls, Dajia Prayers, and Urban Arts. The itineraries range from 1 to 3 days, offering suitable travel options for both locals and visitors from afar.