Taipei Lantern Festival lights up at Expo Park; Flower Spirit Bus offers free shuttle service

By MOOK Travel Life Net’s Li Xinyi, compiled and reported

 

The 2013 Taipei Lantern Festival launched yesterday (Feb. 21) and will continue until March 3. For the first time, the festival has been relocated to the Yuan Shan and Fine Arts Park areas of Expo Park. To enhance the 2013 Taipei Lantern Festival experience, the Taipei Exhibition & Convention Foundation and the Impressions Gallery jointly curated the “Hong Yi Solo Exhibition – Animal Party” at the Pop-Up Dome and outdoor garden of Expo Park. Additionally, Expo Park has introduced a free shuttle bus service specifically for the lantern festival, operating daily from noon to 8:00 p.m. during the festival period. The bus stops include Yuanshan MRT Station, Fine Arts Park, and the Lin An-Tai Historical House, among others. Passengers can not only enjoy the lantern displays, visit exhibition halls, and explore the shopping district, but also receive free surprise gift bags and participate in a stamp-collecting activity.

The “Hong Yi Solo Exhibition – Animal Party,” displayed at the Pop-Up Dome and outdoor garden of Yuan Shan Park in Expo Park, is created by renowned Taiwanese sculptor Hong Yi. Using the hopeful and beautiful concept of an ark, he has set up an Animal Ark inside the Pop-Up Dome, crafting a joyful paradise that shares happiness and spreads love. The “Hong Yi Solo Exhibition – Animal Party” has also been invited to exhibit at the “Hakone Open-Air Museum” in Japan this year. This marks the second time in 18 years that a Taiwanese master sculptor has appeared on the stage of the Hakone Open-Air Museum since Mr. Ju Ming’s sculpture exhibition there in 1995. It is a significant milestone for Taiwanese contemporary art to enter the international art scene in recent years and symbolizes Taiwan's art moving toward globalization.

To celebrate the Lantern Festival, various street performers including those in performance art, visual art, and creative crafts are showcasing their talents in Expo Park during the festival period. These include 3D silhouette artists, chibi portrait makers, balloon sculptors, and dough figurine artists, all gathering in the Expo Park to entertain the public. Exhibition halls in the Xinxing Park area, including the Taipei Robot Museum, Future Museum, and Angel Life Museum, have extended their operating hours until 8:00 p.m. to coincide with the lantern festival (closed on Mondays). From now until Feb. 28, the Angel Life Museum is also offering a lantern festival special: a group of four visitors need only purchase three tickets, and ticket holders can also choose one of three free gifts.

 

 

● Read more: Lantern competitions, bee-bee cannon fireworks, and Han Dan parades — Taiwan celebrates the Lantern Festival in full swing

http://goo.gl/HJbvP