Written/Compiled and Reported by Chen Guanxin, MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network
The climax of the Keelung Ghost Festival, the Floating Lantern Parade, is set to take place today (the 20th). The entire city of Keelung will be bustling with activity as various lantern floats, flower floats, performance troupes, government units, and school parade teams all join in, turning the city into a nightlife paradise. This year, the Xie Clan Association, which serves as the chief officiating family, has combined the parade with a water dance show. The event will kick off with a procession led by heavy motorcycles guiding the Republic of China Armed Forces Demonstration Band, creating a dazzling and grand spectacle. The Keelung City Cultural Affairs Bureau has also organized the “Ghost Train of the Ghost Festival,” inviting the public to experience riding a train alongside ghosts to celebrate the festival. For the first time ever, ghosts will board a Taiwan Railways carriage, promising passengers a spooky Ghost Festival this year.
The “Ghost Train” event, part of the Keelung Ghost Festival series, will take place today (the 20th) from 15:00 to 17:30. (Image provided by Keelung City Government)
The Keelung Ghost Festival continues to innovate each year, attracting more young people to participate in this century-old traditional celebration. Building on last year’s “Ghost Travel Group” where the public dressed up as spooky characters to join the parade, this year takes it up a notch with the brand-new “Ghost Train of the Ghost Festival,” offering the public a chance to ride the train with ghosts. Art students from art colleges will dress up as a variety of Chinese and foreign ghosts, spirits, and elves, joined by the mascots of the Monster Village in Xiqu, Nantou—Kuma, Badou, and the Mountain King—who are coming to lend support. From 15:00 to 17:30 today, they will make surprise appearances on TRA commuter trains from Taipei to Keelung and in the Keelung Railway Station hall, inviting passengers to join the ghostly carnival—the Keelung Ghost Festival. In the evening, they will also join the city government’s parade team in the Floating Lantern Parade. Brave souls are welcome to hop on for the experience. Visit the Keelung Ghost Festival official website: www.rs-event.com.tw/2013kmsgf.
● Extended Reading:
Schedule for the Rubber Duck Tour in Taiwan—Arrives in Keelung on December 21
http://goo.gl/bV3t14
MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network—Taiwan’s Largest Travel Information Platform
www.mook.com.tw