The Tainan Yuetsu Harbor Lantern Festival Kicks Off, Creating a Nighttime Art Gallery

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Team

The annual Yuetsu Harbor Lantern Festival officially kicked off on January 30. This year’s exhibition is themed “Treasure Box of Moonlight, Illuminating Today’s Yuanshui,” highlighting the elegance of YanShui, shining brilliantly like a treasure box. The lantern area covers the Yuetsu Harbor district and showcases a record-breaking 57 main lantern installations, with the participation of 45 domestic and international artists, promising a 30-day visual extravaganza.

The 2016 Yuetsu Harbor Lantern Festival spans the Yuetsu Harbor district, the Public Area 18-2 selected lantern zone, as well as historic streets and alleys including Qiaonan Old Street, Wangye Temple Lane, Yiyin Lane, Liancheng Lane, Xiude Prayer Pavilion, and the Octagonal Building. The displays are divided into four themes: “Qiaonan Moonlit Serenade,” reflecting YanShui’s past; “Moonlit Blossoms of the Heart,” resonating with the present; “Lucky Yuetsu,” connecting traditional festivals with contemporary art; and “Parting the Clouds to Reveal Yuetsu’s Colors,” symbolizing the future.

In addition, the 2016 Yuetsu Harbor Lantern Festival offers a rich array of fringe activities, including the lantern lighting ceremony, weekend musical performances and street artist shows around Yuetsu Harbor, a water lily carving exhibition and skill workshops at the Qiaonan Old Street Visitor Center, as well as paper-cutting workshops in the alleyways of YanShui and flower fields along Xinyi Road. Held annually during the Spring Festival in recent years, the Yuetsu Harbor Lantern Festival combines innovative art with local cultural elements to create a dreamy, romantic ambiance akin to a “nighttime art gallery,” making it a new highlight of Taiwan’s Lunar New Year celebrations.