Taiwan Hot Air Balloon Festival 9 hot air balloons take off from Luye Gaotai

By the MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Team

 

The summer highlight of Taitung, the “2014 Taiwan Hot Air Balloon Festival,” will kick off at Luye Gaotai from May 30 to August 10. Taitung County Magistrate Huang Jian-ting noted that the 2014 Taiwan Hot Air Balloon Festival is the world’s longest-running and Taiwan’s largest-scale hot air balloon event. This year, there will be a total of nine licensed hot air balloons and ten pilots. The only and most anticipated passenger-carrying hot air balloon sightseeing tour in Taiwan will also officially begin its year-round, uninterrupted flights starting June 14. As long as weather permits, flights will take off at dawn and dusk every day, offering visitors the joy of a 360-degree panoramic view of Taiwan’s beauty. Online and telephone reservations will open starting May 15.

The 2014 Taiwan International Hot Air Balloon event offers an especially rich program, with even more comprehensive surrounding activities. In addition to hot air balloon tethered rides, light and shadow music concerts, grassland singing shows, aerial flight performances, and food and cultural creativity streets, this year sees the first-ever promotion of the Hot Air Balloon Walk-in experience — for just NT$100 per person, you can uncover the mysteries of hot air balloons. There’s also grass sledding, and a Taitung-local-flavored children’s fun zone where you can personally try out indigenous activities such as bamboo cannon shooting, archery, and weaving. This year also continues to feature the only “aerial tour” in Taiwan where you can enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view from the sky. Reservations are expected to open on May 15, with flights beginning June 14. Experience the thrill of flying with the wind and admire the beauty of the Huatung Valley. Additionally, during the event period, at Taitung City’s international charm hub (Iron Flower Business District), there will be more related activities: the Hot Air Balloon Painting Festival (June–August), the Fierce Wind Band Music Festival (late July–late August), and the Taitung Picnic Lifestyle Festival (late June–mid-September), all unfolding in sequence. These additions make the carnival more diverse, deeper, broader, and of higher quality, allowing visitors to enjoy a well-rounded recreational experience both day and night. The opening ceremony and the first light and shadow music concert of this year’s Hot Air Balloon Festival will take place on May 30 at Taitung’s new attraction — the shining international landmark — sparkling brilliantly.

 

In addition, this year, apart from Taiwan Railways increasing stops at Luye Station during the hot air balloon event period, taxi carpooling and friendly driver tour transportation services have also been introduced. Considering that the event draws tens of thousands of visitors daily during the summer vacation or light and shadow nights, leading to congestion upon dispersal, this year sees the launch of shuttle buses within the venue for the first time, which will help alleviate crowd and traffic flow. The carnival has also specially partnered with hotel operators to launch the “Tied for June – Double the Fun” campaign, where guests staying for two consecutive nights at designated hotels in June can receive a free hot air balloon tethered ride. At the same time, paid reservation shuttle buses are provided for the “Zhiben Line” and “Chihshang Line.”

 

 

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