Head to Tainan for a Spring Festival getaway: Seven great itineraries featuring lantern festivals and flower viewing to welcome the New Year

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Team
 
As the Lunar New Year approaches, have you decided where to go for a spring outing during the 9-day holiday to welcome the new year? Here’s a “Tainan Holiday Travel Guide” for the New Year period, inviting everyone to celebrate the Year of the Monkey in Tainan, experience various Spring Festival events, and enjoy the unique festive atmosphere of this cultural ancient capital from before New Year’s Day to the Lantern Festival.

●2016Tainan Flower Festival (February 4–25)
The Tainan Flower Festival will be held from February 4 to 25, with colorful blooms spread across six locations: South District’s Shuiping Park, South District’s Shuijiao She Park, Xinying District’s Nanying Green Heart Park, Liujia District’s Multi-functional Sports Park, Jiali District’s Zhongshan Park, and Xigang District’s Central Park. This year, themed “Journey to the West” to match the Year of the Monkey, the festival showcases Tainan’s cultural charm through the storyline of Journey to the West, creating a joyful festive atmosphere. Visitors are welcome to explore this garden city during the New Year period and experience Tainan’s diverse festive spirit.

●2016Moon Lake Harbor Lantern Festival (January 31–February 28)）
The much-loved Moon Lake Harbor Lantern Festival this year features the creative theme “Moonlight Treasure Box, Illuminating Jin Today.” Art installations under the moonlight showcase the charm of Yanshui, sparkling like treasure boxes. The lantern displays combine riverside settings, local settlement environments, and the cultural characteristics of Yanshui, making for a spectacular sight. This year, 45 artists from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and the Czech Republic were invited to collaborate, presenting 40 art lanterns and planning 60 main lantern installations—the largest number in the festival’s history—offering a 30-day visual feast.

● Yanshui Beehive Rockets (February 21and 22)
Yanshui Beehive Rockets were once selected by Australia’s Get Lost magazine as one of the “Top 10 Best Festivals in the World.” Experience the explosive power of the rockets at least once in your life—the fiery baptism is believed to bring increasing good fortune in the coming year.