[Weekend Fun in Taiwan]Sand Sculptures, Fireworks, and Mother’s Day – Celebrate a Warm and Lively Weekend

Weekend is here, and it also happens to be Mother’s Day this Sunday. Bring your mom and family along for a fun trip together and check out this week’s popular events and travel tips.

2014 Fulong International Sand Sculpture Art Festival

 

From May 3 to June 30, the festival will take place on Fulong Beach. This year, 30 sand sculptors from 17 countries including the U.S., Canada, France, Ireland, Australia, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Russia, the Czech Republic, India, West Africa, Portugal, Bulgaria, Latvia, Singapore, and Taiwan have been invited to join the international invitational competition. They are currently creating their artworks on Fulong Beach. The sculptures will present an “Incredible Journey of Wonders,” allowing visitors to travel through time and space on Fulong Beach — journeying with Marco Polo along the Silk Road, following

 

※ It is recommended to take any TRA (Taiwan Railways Administration) train to Fulong Station, then walk about 5 minutes to reach the event venue.

2014 Donggang Black Furuno Fish Cultural Tourism Festival

 

The Black Furuno Fish Festival will run from May 3 to June 30 in Donggang, Pingtung. In addition to integrating agricultural and fishery specialties with cultural tourism, the event has evolved toward refinement and diversification. Visitors can enjoy local delicacies such as Donggang black furuno fish, sakura shrimp, and oilfish roe (the “Three Treasures of Donggang”), and choose one- to three-day tour packages based on their preferences and schedules to explore Pingtung’s beautiful landscapes, enjoying a high-quality cultural tourism experience.

During the event, cultural and artistic performances will be held every Saturday and Sunday at Donggang Riverside Park and Huaqiao Market. The 440-meter-long Jinde Bridge, when illuminated, will also complement the Black Furuno Fish Festival by lighting up every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM, turning the riverside, music, and light art into an exceptional outdoor performance space.

 

This year’s Donggang is truly stunning. The Tourism Bureau has meticulously decorated six key sites—Zhenghai Temple, Hai’s Wu, the Donggang River embankment, the Donggang Fishing Port Fishery Products Direct Sales Center (Huaqiao Market), as well as the Japanese-style wooden bridge and Safety Island Park on Guangfu Road—to create a romantic atmosphere throughout the town. Visitors can pick any three of these six spots to take photos, collage them into one image, and upload it to the “I Pingtung~Love Pingtung” Facebook fan page with the message “I Love Pingtung - 2014 Pingtung Black Furuno Fish Cultural Tourism Festival” to receive a “Traveling with Love” luggage tag (limited quantity, while supplies last).

2014 Penghu Fireworks Festival

 

The main fireworks event takes place at the Xiyang Rainbow Bridge seawall in Guanyin Pavilion Park, Magong City. The event runs from 7:30 PM to 9:20 PM, with the fireworks display occurring from 9:00 PM to 9:20 PM. Both the event and the fireworks are subject to weather conditions and may be canceled due to poor weather. Fireworks dates are: 5/12 (Monday), 5/15 (Thursday), 5/19 (Monday), 5/22 (Thursday), 5/26 (Monday), 5/29 (Thursday), 6/2 (Monday), 6/5 (Thursday), 6/9 (Monday), 6/12 (Thursday), 6/16 (Monday), 6/19 (Thursday)—a total of 22 shows. Additional special shows are scheduled for 5/10 (Saturday) and 5/24 (Saturday), with events running from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM and fireworks from 9:00 PM to 9:15 PM.