Where is the government when it’s too noisy? No fireworks in Taitung after 10 PM during Lantern Festival

Tourism Center / Taipei Reporting

In 2010, during the Taitung Lantern Festival, after the parade had concluded, County Magistrate Huang Jianting received a petition through the County Residents’ Mailbox. A young mother wrote that her one-year-old child had been unable to sleep all night due to the noise of firecrackers and had been crying incessantly. She asked, “Magistrate, where is our government?”


▲Taitung Lantern Festival – A traditional folk event of blessing parades was held for two consecutive days in downtown Taitung starting today (24th). (Photo / Provided by Taitung County Government)

The long-standing Taitung Lantern Festival—a traditional folk event of blessing parades—was held for two consecutive days in downtown Taitung starting today (24th). In response to past criticisms about excessively long, disorganized, and disruptive performances by parade troupes, County Magistrate Huang Jianting specifically held a press conference to appeal and advise all 64 participating groups to refrain from setting off fireworks after 10 PM and to conclude street parades after midnight.

According to statistics from the Fire Bureau, there are approximately 12 fire incidents each year during the Lantern Festival, along with an increase of about 10 tons of firecracker debris and garbage. Over the past decade or so, the annual Lantern Festival parades have become an event where parents wait in vain for their children to come home, teachers wait for students who never arrive at class, police and firefighters face immense pressure, and the public complains about traffic chaos, air pollution, and an overwhelming amount of noise and trash.

In recent years, public attitudes have shifted, with residents and visitors frequently expressing concerns that nighttime fireworks are disturbing and affect their quality of life. To accommodate the feelings of the majority, all participating temples, performance troupes, and parade groups are urged to stop setting off fireworks after 10 PM and to conclude their parades after midnight.