By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, reported and compiled by Chen Guan-xin
Asia’s only and largest “Dream Mall Giant Balloon Parade” will take place at 1:30 PM on December 14 on Kaohsiung’s Era Boulevard. In addition to the OPEN family and the Pleasant Goat family, there will be new additions such as “OPEN-Z,” cartoon stars “SNOOPY,” and “Pickle + Pog” – nearly 30 groups of cartoon-themed balloons will parade together. This year also marks the first-ever nighttime display of the giant balloons. Minister of Information Lau Ray-long invites children and adults across the nation to experience the incredible warmth of winter in Kaohsiung this weekend.
This year’s Dream Mall Giant Balloon Parade will once again feature Pleasant Goat and Grey Wolf on Kaohsiung’s Era Boulevard. (Photo provided by Kaohsiung City Government)
Lau Ray-long stated that this year marks the eighth edition of the balloon parade, with the cartoon-themed balloons being beloved by both children and adults, attracting families from all over the country every year. This year, not only has Grey Wolf – who ran away last year – returned, but the Pleasant Goat family is also back, joined by the full OPEN family lineup including OPEN Xiaojiang, Xiaotao, LOCK Xiaojiang, PLEASE Meimei, Barcode Cat, as well as SpongeBob. Additionally, the most popular cartoon stars “SNOOPY” and “Pickle + Pog” will make their first appearance in the giant balloon parade. Lau said that this star-studded lineup of cartoon balloons will be on display for the first time during the nighttime event from 8:00 PM to midnight on the day of the parade.
Besides the eye-catching cartoon balloons, the ground performance groups are equally spectacular. This year, the Kaohsiung City Mounted Police will lead the way, with city officials handing out small balloons to attendees. This will be followed by the thrilling appearance of American-style motorcycles, a costume show featuring live actors dressed as OPEN family characters, tattoo-decorated Itasha cars, the Pleasant Goat and Grey Wolf Christmas train, a VW Beetle, cosplay performances, marching band shows, and cheerleading squads – totaling 15 performance groups joining the parade to create a one-kilometer-long carnival.
The adorable giant balloon parade will bring joy to children and adults alike this weekend. (Photo provided by Kaohsiung City Government)
To extend the fun, an OPEN RUN balloon road race will be held at 7:00 AM on Sunday, December 15. OPEN family mascots will accompany runners as they enjoy the exhilaration of the race.
To ensure the smooth running of the event, Era Boulevard (between Zhongshan Road and Chenggong Road) will be closed to traffic from 7:00 AM on December 10 until 12:00 AM on December 15. On December 14, the balloon parade’s expanded control zone will include: Chenggong 2nd Road (between China 5th Road Lane 939 and Old Kaisyuan 4th Road), China 5th Road (between Zhengqin Road and Old Kaisyuan 4th Road), and the southbound lane of Zhongshan 3rd Road (between Guanghua 3rd Road and the KMRT Kaisyuan Station on China 3rd Road) from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM. On December 15, the OPEN RUN balloon road race control zone from 4:00 AM to 12:00 PM will cover China 5th Road (between Zhengqin Road and Old Kaisyuan 4th Road). Participants are advised to take the MRT to Exit 3 of Kaisyuan Station to reach the venue. Holders of an EasyCard can ride buses for free throughout December.
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The balloon road run will involve traffic controls along surrounding roads. (Photo provided by Kaohsiung City Government)