Spring Outings, Lantern Festivals & Flower Fields: A Handy Guide to Events Across Taiwan

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Department, compiled and reported
 
The new year has just begun, and exciting events are being held all over Taiwan, kicking off the year in the most beautiful way for travelers. Whether it’s the lantern festivals prepared for the Lantern Festival or the stunning flower fields, they all give us a great reason to head out for outings, gatherings, and quality time together. Below is a compilation of Lantern Festival events and spring flower viewing information across Taiwan. With consecutive holidays arriving, spend your days wandering through beautiful flower fields and your evenings soaking up the lively and adorable lantern festivals to welcome a wonderful new year.

Lantern Festivals
● Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival
The 2016 New Taipei City Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival kicks off with a bang on February 11, 14, and 22 ! This year breaks from previous visual designs, with the main visual inviting an illustrator to create in a purely hand-drawn style, specially incorporating fingerprint painting to evoke the warm and joyful imagery of sky lanterns. The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival has always been a major event of Taiwan's Lantern Festival, and has recently been selected by National Geographic as one of the “Top 10 Winter Travel Destinations Worldwide,” and rated by the renowned American travel channel Discovery as the “World’s Second Largest Festival Carnival.”
Event dates: 02/11, 02/14, 02/22
Event locations: Jing Tong Elementary School, Pingxi Junior High School, Shifen Square

● Taipei Lantern Festival
The 2016 Taipei Lantern Festival takes place from February 20 to 29, featuring an unprecedented main lantern in the form of an irregularly curved light sculpture, the “Fortune & Prosperity Monkey,” created by internationally renowned multimedia art master Mr. Shu-Min Lin. It also incorporates 12 distinctive themed lantern zones across Taipei’s 12 administrative districts, transforming the entire city into a wonderland of lights.
Event dates: 02/20 – 02/29
Event location: Taipei Expo Park (Yuanshan)

● Taoyuan Taiwan Lantern Festival
The 2016 Taiwan Lantern Festival is held in Taoyuan, taking place from February 22 to March 6 around the THSR Qingpu Station area. The festival grounds are divided into 6 major lantern zones and feature a 26-meter-tall main lantern of the Monkey King crafted with LED lights. The festival also debuts a large creative lantern installation made primarily of glass, “Universe Tower,” standing 11 meters tall and covering 160 pyeong, which puts on a 4-minute rotating light show every half hour, becoming one of the highlights of the Taiwan Lantern Festival.
Event dates: 02/22 – 03/06
Event location: Surrounding areas of THSR Qingpu Station in Taoyuan

● Central Taiwan Lantern Festival
The 2016 Central Taiwan Lantern Festival shines bright from February 17 to 29 at three locations: Taichung Park, Qingshui Port Art Center, and Fengyuan Huludun Park, kicking off a 13-day lantern art feast. With the theme “Play in Taichung,” the event collaborates with international brand Paul Frank (Big Mouth Monkey), and lantern displays across all three venues will create a stunning sea of lights, showcasing the youthful and lively image of Taichung City.
Event dates: 02/17 – 02/29
Event locations: Taichung Park, Qingshui Port Art Center, Fengyuan Huludun Park
● Nantou Lantern Festival
The Nantou Lantern Festival takes place from February 6 to 29 in Jiji Township, Nantou County, inviting 13 local farmers’ associations to showcase their signature products — including rice, wine, and plums — using creative ideas to highlight the vitality of each township and make the lantern festival even more engaging. In line with the Year of the Monkey, the festival features the main lantern “Monkey Luck in Nantou,” along with 11 other zones: Auspicious Monkeys Greeting Guests, Light Avenue, Glory Sky, and Lantern Art Town. Additionally, three train stations — Jiji, Zhuoshui, and Checheng — are also decorated with lights for everyone to enjoy.
Event dates: 02/06 – 02/29
Event locations: Jiji Township Holiday Plaza & Jiji, Zhuoshui, and Checheng Train Stations
Main lantern location: Wuchang Temple, Jiji
● Chiayi New Year’s Eve Light Festival
To celebrate the opening of the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum, the Chiayi County Government launched the “Palace Museum Opens Chiayi Gates, Enjoy the Art and Lights” light festival on December 19, 2015, running for 66 days. The festival site was divided into two main sections: “Light Display Zones” and “Performances.” The “Light Display Zones” were set up in front of the Chiayi County Government and along the 1-kilometer-long Crown Prince Boulevard, featuring eight major themed light zones. These primarily highlighted Chiayi’s local specialties and cultural landscapes, incorporating elements of Asian art and culture to showcase modern art and environmental sustainability. The zones included the Bell Tower Light Zone, the 3D Light Sculpture Zone at the County Government, the Joyful Light Zone, the Agricultural Light Zone, the Themed Story Light Zone, the Religious Light Zone, and more.
Event dates: December 19, 2015 – February 22, 2016
Event location: In front of the Chiayi County Government, Crown Prince Boulevard, and the surrounding area of the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum