Hot air balloon light show welcomes dawn; audience gasps in awe, saying it’s worth losing sleep

▲The second light and music show of the Taitung County Government’s hot air balloon festival was held at Sanxiantai in Chenggong Township. The hot air balloons shone alongside the dawn and rising sun, drawing continuous gasps from the audience. (Photo / Provided by Taitung County Government; same below)

Reported by Wang Zhaolin / Taitung

The second light and music show of the 2017 Taiwan International Hot Air Balloon Festival, organized by Taitung County Government, was held at 4 a.m. on the 8th at Sanxiantai in Chenggong Township. Five hot air balloons illuminated by the dawn and the slowly rising sun left thousands of spectators in awe, who agreed that losing some sleep was totally worth it.

Last year, Typhoon Nepartak forced the cancellation of the originally scheduled light and music show at Sanxiantai. This year, the organizing Taitung County Government was determined to go ahead, hoping to present a dazzling light show combined with the most beautiful dawn at Sanxiantai to its most loyal fans.

Starting from 3 a.m., visitors and locals began flocking to the Sanxiantai scenic area, with roads leading to the site almost fully parked, stretching all the way to Sanxian Elementary School. Some had even stayed overnight in Chenggong Township to avoid missing the spectacle. Dignitaries such as Magistrate Huang Jian-tang and his wife, Chenggong Township Chief Huang Bo-chang, and County Councilor Lin Dong-man also joined the local residents to enjoy the show. To facilitate attendance at this light and music event, Taitung County Government arranged shuttle buses departing from Taitung Railway Station and Taitung Transfer Station at 2:40 a.m. to bring attendees to the event venue at Sanxiantai, eliminating transportation worries for those wanting to witness the breathtaking dawn light show.

Huang Jian-tang stated that the venue of the dawn light show — Sanxiantai — with its magnificent scenery, has already captivated many and is a must-visit attraction for both domestic and international tourists coming to Taitung. Coupled with the seventh edition of the festival, which has attracted over 4 million visitors to the hot air balloons, as well as the renowned Sanxiantai dawn, he believes this experience will be unforgettable.

The theme of this Sanxiantai dawn light and music show is "Ocean and Hope." Five hot air balloons erected on the pebbles of Sanxiantai, together with the warm sunrise rising from the sea level, exuded vitality. Against the backdrop of the Eight-Arch Cross-Sea Bridge, and together with the passionate crowd, they created a wonderful marine fairy tale. The most perfect dawn light show moved the audience to the point of speechlessness.

The county’s Tourism and Travel Division stated that this year’s hot air balloon festival will continue until August 6. Every day at Luye Gaotai, there will be two time slots where visitors can see a variety of hot air balloons from both domestic and international sources, as well as experience tethered hot air balloon rides. The time slots are from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. In addition to today’s dawn show at Sanxiantai, there will be four more spectacular light and music performances at different locations, which balloon enthusiasts definitely shouldn’t miss.

Tethered hot air balloon experiences are one of the highlights of the annual Taiwan International Hot Air Balloon Festival. Tickets to witness the balloons up close and feel the thrill of floating above the ground are always in high demand. This year, the festival has opened online reservations. By downloading the “Journey on旅途中” app, you can book your high-altitude adventure for this summer. So far, 1,400 group reservations and nearly 400 individual reservations have been made.

Taitung County Government’s “Kick It (TTPush)” and Alley Tech’s “Alley” have teamed up to offer a special activity: catch a hot air balloon and win Taitung gold coins.

Tethered hot air balloon experience times: July 1 to August 6, 2017. Morning session: 5:30 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. | Ticket sales start at 5:00 a.m. Afternoon session: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. | Ticket sales start at 4:00 p.m.

2017 Taiwan Hot Air Balloon Festival Light and Music Show Schedule: 7/15 (Sat) 20:00: Chihshang Township – Dapo Pond

7/22 (Sat) 04:30: Taimali Township – Taimali Dawn Park (dawn light show)

7/29 (Sat) 20:00: Beinan Township – Zhiben Hot Spring Area

8/06 (Sun) 20:00: Luye Township – Luye Gaotai (closing event)

2017 Taiwan International Hot Air Balloon Festival Transportation Info: Refer to official event shuttle info at: http://balloontaiwan.taitung.gov.tw/zh-tw