By／MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Team
The summer highlight of Taitung, the "2014 Taiwan Hot Air Balloon Festival," will take place from May 30 to August 10 at Luye Gaotai. Taitung County Magistrate Huang Jian-ting stated that the 2014 Taiwan Hot Air Balloon Festival is the event with the longest duration in the world and the largest scale in the nation. This year, there will be nine legally certified hot air balloons and ten pilots. The only and most anticipated hot air balloon passenger free-flight aerial tour in Taiwan will also officially begin on June 14, operating year-round without interruption. As long as weather conditions permit, flights will take off every morning and evening, carrying visitors up into Taitung’s beautiful skies to enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view of Taiwan. Online and phone reservations will open starting May 15.
The summer hot air balloon spectacular is about to kick off at Luye Gaotai in Taitung. (Image source / from the Taiwan Hot Air Balloon Festival - Taiwan Balloon Festival Facebook page)
The 2014 Taiwan International Hot Air Balloon event features especially rich activities and better-planned surroundings. In addition to hot air balloon tethered rides, light and shadow music concerts, grassland karaoke shows, aerial flight performances, food and cultural creativity streets, this year also introduces the Hot Air Balloon Walk-in experience for just NT$100 per person, allowing you to explore the secrets of hot air balloons. There’s also grass sledding, and a local Taitung-themed children’s play area where you can try out indigenous bamboo cannons, archery, and weaving for fun. This year continues to offer the only “aerial tour” in Taiwan where you can experience a 360-degree panoramic view from the sky. Reservations are expected to open on May 15, with flights beginning on June 14, offering the thrill of flying with the wind and admiring the beauty of the Huatung Valley. Additionally, during the event period, more related activities will be held at Taitung City’s international attraction hub (Iron Flower Business District): the Hot Air Balloon Painting Festival (June to August), the Fohn Band Music Festival (late July to late August), and the Taitung Picnic Lifestyle Festival (late June to mid-September), all unfolding in sequence. These additions make the carnival more diverse, profound, broad, and high-quality, providing visitors with a comprehensive day-and-night recreational experience. The opening ceremony of this year’s Hot Air Balloon Festival and the first light and shadow music concert will light up the new iconic attraction of Taitung — the dazzling international landmark — on May 30.
In addition, this year, apart from Taiwan Railways increasing stops at Luye Station during the hot air balloon event period, taxi ride-sharing services and friendly driver tour transport options have also been introduced. Considering that during the hot air balloon event period—especially during summer vacation or light and shadow nights—tens of thousands of visitors flock to the venue daily, causing congestion upon dispersal, shuttle buses within the park are being introduced for the first time this year to help alleviate pedestrian and vehicle traffic. This year’s carnival has also specially partnered with hotel operators to launch the “June Lovebirds Double Stay, Double Fly” campaign: guests who stay for two consecutive nights at designated hotels in June will receive a free hot air balloon tethered ride experience. Paid reservation shuttle services are also available for the “Zhiben Line” and “Chihben Line.”
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