Experience authentic Taiwanese flavor – The 2017 Yunlin Lantern Festival to be the largest in history

▲At the ITF Taipei International Travel Fair Yunlin Pavilion, Yunlin County Magistrate Lee Chin-yung and Department of Cultural Affairs Director Lin Meng-yi, along with the county government team, promoted the Yunlin Lantern Festival. (Photo / Reporter Peng Huai-yu)

Reporter Peng Huai-yu / Taipei

To promote the Yunlin Lantern Festival, Yunlin County Magistrate Lee Chin-yung, Department of Cultural Affairs Director Lin Meng-yi, and other members of the county government attended the ITF Taipei International Travel Fair on the 4th. They announced that the opening ceremony of next year’s lantern festival will be themed around Yunlin’s traditional glove puppetry, featuring cosplay performances of real-life puppet shows. During the fair, interactive mini-games will be held on the stage in front of the Yunlin Pavilion, with participants having the chance to win special gifts provided by “iicak Yunlin Cake Towel Cafe” and “Rosa Rose Manor.”

The 2017 Taiwan Lantern Festival is scheduled to take place from February 11 to February 19 (with trial operations from February 8 to 10) in Yunlin. Magistrate Lee Chin-yung pointed out that compared to the 35-hectare venue of the 2015 Taichung Lantern Festival and the 36-hectare venue of the 2016 Taoyuan Lantern Festival, the “2017 Taiwan Lantern Festival in Yunlin – Ji Ming Yun Yang” will span across the two major lantern zones in Huwei and Beigang, covering a total area of 50 hectares, setting a record for the largest scale in over 20 years of the festival’s history. He also stated that the 2017 Taiwan Lantern Festival is expected to attract 10 million visitors, generating an estimated tourism revenue of NT$8 billion. Nearly 3,000 uniquely designed lanterns will illuminate the Yunlin night sky, promising a spectacular sight.

The “Yunlin Lantern Festival – Ji Ming Yun Yang” is presented around three main themes: “Friendly to the Earth, Multiculturalism, and Lantern Festival Heritage.” It will be held across two major lantern zones in Huwei (High-Speed Rail Special Zone, Agri-Expo Ecological Park) and Beigang (Zhongshan Road Commercial District, Sightseeing Bridge, and Shuidao Tou Cultural Park), showcasing Yunlin’s local characteristics through “Sustainable Living, Our Hometown, Puppetry Through the Ages, Hundred-Meter Art Carriages, Religious Blessings, and Traditional Crafts.” Beigang in Yunlin is considered the birthplace of the Taiwan Lantern Festival, preserving a traditional culture of electric lanterns that spans six decades—truly brimming with Taiwanese flavor. It is sure to ignite a wave of enthusiasm for lantern viewing across Taiwan.

2017 Taiwan Lantern Festival in Yunlin – Ji Ming Yun Yang
Duration: February 11 to February 19, 2017
Locations: Two major lantern zones in Huwei and Beigang