The dragon-themed main lanterns in central and northern Taiwan battle for attention, but Kaohsiung hosts the only waterfront lantern festival

By Liu Jiawen / Compiled and reported

To welcome the Year of the Dragon, lantern festivals across Taiwan are going all out. In addition to the grand Taiwan Lantern Festival held in Lukang, Changhua, Taipei and Taichung have unveiled tech-infused signature lanterns, while Kaohsiung stages a waterfront lantern event, inviting the public to celebrate the Lantern Festival. The Taiwan Lantern Festival in Lukang, Changhua, will run from February 6 (Lantern Festival) to February 19, incorporating major attractions in Lukang into the lantern display areas. These include the main lantern site at Lukang Sports Park, the Zhongshan Road Charm Lantern Zone connecting Tianhou Temple, Guild Hall, Folklore Museum, and Longshan Temple, and the South Lantern Zone featuring Wenchang Temple, Huguan Temple, and Ksitigarbha Temple, allowing visitors to enjoy the lanterns and explore Lukang. The 20-meter-long, over 40-ton dragon-themed main lantern "Soaring Dragon Amidst Rosy Clouds" claims to be the largest in Taiwan, soaring above a sea of clouds and waves, surrounded by thousands of illuminated sailboats. The "Thousand-Mile Dragon Corridor," featuring nine golden dragons forming a giant auspicious dragon, presents a spectacular lantern sea rarely seen.

This year’s Taipei Lantern Festival runs from February 2 to February 12, featuring dual main lanterns at the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and Civic Square. The massive main lantern "HAPPY Dragon" at the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall stands 21 meters tall, the tallest lantern structure in Taiwan’s lantern festival history. During the festival, it will integrate water screen visuals, 3D animation, and full-color lasers, offering the public the ultimate blend of art and technology. The 3D auspicious dragon theater main lantern in front of City Hall has also garnered much attention, utilizing innovative technologies like "Diamond Tower Holographic Projection" and "3D Floating Projection Gauze Screen" to create an outdoor naked-eye 3D virtual main lantern, projecting the image of a dragon galloping before your eyes at night.

Held from February 1 to February 12 at Wenxin Forest Park in Taichung, the Central Taiwan Lantern Festival this year features the main lantern "Cloud Soaring Dragon," which is 40 meters long and 15 meters high, setting a record for the longest main lantern in Taiwan Lantern Festival history. Breaking from tradition, the dragon-shaped main lantern naturally sways lifelike instead of rotating on a base. Paired with colored mist and sound effects, it appears to tumble through the clouds, highly captivating. The venue also includes an overseas lantern zone, displaying large lanterns from Hong Kong, Zigong (Sichuan), and Xiamen. Among them, Hong Kong’s lanterns feature six differently styled theme dragons representing the region’s diversity. The Hong Kong Tourism Board has also set up a booth at the festival, collaborating with Mandarin Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, and 20 travel agencies to offer promotional deals, highlighting round-trip tickets to Hong Kong starting from NT$8,888 (tax included), along with a daily lucky draw for 20 free flight tickets. Additionally, to complement the lantern festival, an Art Week event will be held from February 3 to 8 at the Fengyuan District Office Arts Plaza in Fengyuan District, showcasing a giant two-story-tall ink lantern jointly painted by 20 artists.

The Kaohsiung Lantern Festival is the earliest lantern festival in Taiwan, running from January 27 to February 6. It is also Asia’s only waterfront lantern festival. In addition to featuring the nation’s only harbor water dance and fireworks show, visitors can listen to the Kaohsiung Lantern Festival theme song "Water Lantern Love Song" by the Love River, release water lanterns, and taste the newly introduced water lantern meal. This year also marks the first time a maritime art gallery is set up at Glory Pier, displaying large-scale installation art. The event opens in three zones—Qishan (1/27), Gangshan (1/28), and Glory Pier & Love River (1/29)—with activities including Naked Dragon Blessing, Fortune-Turning Light Car, Flying Dragon in the Sky (Double Dragons Bestowing Auspiciousness), and Romantic Love River Water Lantern Blessing. The water lantern meal, developed using local Kaohsiung ingredients and crafted by renowned chefs, will be available in limited quantities daily at Kaohsiung True Love Pier during the event.

Lantern Festival Event Overview: