Tens of thousands of red lanterns are hung high everywhere！ The “Pacific Lantern Festival” in Hualien will warmly begin on the 13th

▲ This year’s highlights will stretch all the way from Hualien Railway Station to the Golden Triangle commercial area, and then extend to Ji’an Evening Market.(Photo／Schematic diagram of the 2014 Pacific Lantern Festival, provided by Hualien County Government)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

As Lunar New Year approaches, bringing a strong festive atmosphere, extravagant lantern festivals held across the regions will also kick off one after another from the eve of the Spring Festival in various parts of Taiwan.The 2015 Hualien Pacific Lantern Festival will take place from February 13 to March 15, using tens of thousands of large red lanterns to once again light up the main roads of 13 townships in Hualien, allowing tourists and returning locals to feel the festive vibe as soon as they step out of the train station！

In addition to continuing last year’s festive lights covering the streets, the 2015 Pacific Lantern Festival has been expanded, with a main lantern area set up in the Phase VI Redevelopment Zone of Hualien City, showcasing five large themed lanterns centered around the Year of the Sheep, reflecting the imagery of the sheep year and local characteristics of Hualien. Most notably, these five lanterns will be created by inmates from the Taiyuan Skill Training Institute under the Ministry of Justice’s Correctional Institutions Administration, the Ziqiang Open Prison, and the Hualien Prison, providing prisoners the opportunity to learn a second skill under the guidance of lantern-making masters.

In addition to the main lantern area, this lantern festival also features a student lantern zone, displaying over 500 hand-painted lanterns, as well as large and small handmade creative lanterns, open for students from elementary school to university level across the nation to paint and create, showcasing the creativity of students and adding to the joyful atmosphere of the traditional festival.