By MOOK Travel Life Network, reported and compiled by Chen Guanxin
Now in its 13th year, the 2013 Kaohsiung Lantern Festival Art Festival, with the theme “Love & Happiness,” will be held from February 16 to February 24 along both sides of the Love River at Glory Pier and from the Railway Bridge to Qixian Bridge. Centered around environmental protection and technology, this year’s event combines lanterns featuring characteristics from various countries and the only harbor-surrounding fireworks display in Taiwan, offering the public a rich visual and auditory experience. Additionally, on the opening night of February 16, artists and groups such as Yoga Lin, Yen-j, Chen Meifeng, and Universe People will perform, while the closing night on February 24 will feature spectacular performances by Huang Xiaobo and Show Lo.
This year’s Kaohsiung Lantern Festival Art Festival will kick off on February 16 at Glory Pier and along both banks of the Love River in Kaohsiung. (Photo provided by Mook Editorial Department)
Having become a must-visit event for southern Taiwan residents during the New Year holidays, this year’s Kaohsiung Lantern Festival incorporates lanterns from various countries and the “Dios Mio Surprise Light and Sound Theater” on the Railway Bridge. It will also present Taiwan’s only “harbor-surrounding aerial fireworks” at Glory Pier, where over twenty sets of harbor-surrounding fire trees will encircle the pier, complemented by a fireworks display themed around Kaohsiung’s local agricultural products. Moreover, this year also features a special collaboration with Qishan, Gangshan, and Fo Guang Shan to launch the “Three Mountains Lantern Festival.” The Qishan and Fo Guang Shan events will lead off, taking place respectively on February 10, Lunar New Year’s Day, at Qishan Stadium and Fo Guang Shan, while the Gangshan Lantern Festival will light up Gangshan Riverside Park on February 13, the fourth day of the Lunar New Year.
The Fo Guang Shan Peace Lantern Festival will run from February 10 to March 11, with various lanterns expressing happiness and serenity lining the 200-meter Fo Guang Avenue. Events include costume parades and lantern-carrying gatherings, and the first 3,000 visitors who take the “Taiwan Good Going—Dashu Prayer Line” bus can receive a good-luck prayer card with their bus ticket stub.
Additionally, this year’s “Versatile Lucky Little Dragon” mini lantern, featuring glasses that symbolize wisdom and knowledge, also embodies an important totem of the indigenous Rukai and Paiwan tribes, while incorporating a kaleidoscope effect for ever-changing visuals. A total of 50,000 mini lanterns will be given out simultaneously at 4:00 PM on February 16 at Gangshan Riverside Park, Qishan Public Stadium, as well as service desks at Glory Pier on the Love River, Wufu West River, and Zhongzheng East River. For more details about the lantern festival, visit the website: 2013lantern.dchsoft.com.
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