2015 Kaohsiung Lantern Festival will project the “Eye of Kaohsiung” on a water screen in the middle of the Love River

Reported by You T-Ru / Comprehensive report

The 2015 Kaohsiung Lantern Festival will be held along the Love River and at the City Light Gallery from February 21 to March 15. The Kaohsiung City Government Tourism Bureau continues the main theme of “Love & Happiness” and takes “Overflowing Happiness” as the theme to create a series of artistic lantern displays. It has also introduced the eye-catching “Eye of Kaohsiung” water theater that incorporates technological elements, as well as a light projection show set against the backdrop of the century-old landmark Taiwan Bank Building. The festival will run for 23 days.


▲The 2015 Kaohsiung Lantern Festival will kick off on February 21. (Photo / Provided by Kaohsiung City Government)

This year’s Kaohsiung Lantern Festival has invited artists to design 16 large-scale themed lanterns based on four themes: “Harbor Mambo,” “Play of Water and Light,” “Prayers for Peace,” and “Go with the Flow.” These lanterns are arranged according to local culture, historical background, and integrated with geographical landscapes, turning the Love River into a stage for illuminated artistry. This year also introduces a new “Lantern Display Competition,” issuing a call to artists nationwide with a total prize pool of up to NT$1.8 million to encourage the creation of outstanding lantern artworks.

The specially designed “Eye of Kaohsiung” for the festival will stand 20 meters from the shore in the middle section of Ershui Road along the Love River. It combines flame effects, high-altitude spotlights, water dance nozzles, LED color-changing lights, special effect fireworks, water screen projections, and water screen lasers. Together with the fireworks and water dance over the Love River, it projects beautiful images of Kaohsiung onto a water screen, creating an unprecedented spectacular performance in Taiwan.

To match the festive spirit of the Year of the Sheep, the 2015 Kaohsiung Lantern Festival has specially designed a cute little sheep lantern holding a bunch of Kaohsiung’s specialty fruit — lychees. Named the “Lively Lychee Sheep,” it represents Kaohsiung’s vibrant energy and joyful welcome to 2015. The small lanterns will be distributed on March 5, the day of the Lantern Festival, at the Love River service desk, and additional distributions will take place along the parade route on March 7 during the “Love & Happiness Lantern Parade.”