Northern, Central, and Changhua’s Dragon Year Main Lights Compete for Attention – Kaohsiung Hosts the Only Waterfront Lantern Festival

Article by Liu Jiawen, compiled and reported

 

As we welcome the Year of the Dragon, lantern festivals across Taiwan are gearing up for a spectacular showdown. In addition to the grand Taiwan Lantern Festival held in Lukang, Changhua, Taipei and Taichung have rolled out distinctive main lights incorporating cutting-edge technology, while Kaohsiung is presenting a waterfront lantern festival to join the festivities. The Taiwan Lantern Festival in Lukang, Changhua, will light up on February 6 (Lantern Festival) and continue until February 19. This event encompasses major attractions in Lukang, including the main lantern at Lukang Sports Park, the Zhongshan Road charm lantern area connecting Tianhou Temple, Public Hall, Folklore Museum, and Longshan Temple, and the South Lantern Area featuring Wenchang Temple, Hugan Temple, and Dizangwang Temple, allowing visitors not only to enjoy the lantern displays but also explore Lukang. The 20-meter-long, over-40-tonne main lantern of the Year of the Dragon, “Soaring Dragon Amidst Glorious Clouds,” claims to be the largest of its kind in Taiwan. It soars above the sea of clouds and waves, surrounded by thousands of illuminated sailing boats around the stadium, along with a “Thousand-Mile Dragon Corridor” formed by nine golden dragons linked into a giant auspicious dragon – a breathtaking sight rarely seen.

This year’s Taipei Lantern Festival runs from February 2 to February 12, featuring dual main lights set up at the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and Civic Plaza. The large main light “HAPPY Dragon” at the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall stands 21 meters tall, making it the tallest lantern structure in Taiwan’s festival history. During the festival, it will combine water screen video, 3D animation, and full-color lasers, offering the public the ultimate fusion of art and technology. The 3D auspicious dragon theater main light in front of City Hall has also attracted much attention, utilizing innovative technologies such as “Diamond Tower Floating Projection” and “3D Floating Projection Gauze Screen” to create an outdoor naked-eye 3D virtual main light, projecting the image of a dragon galloping before your eyes at night.

Held from February 1 to February 12 at Taichung’s Wenxin Forest Park, the Central Taiwan Lantern Festival this year features a main light “Cloud Soaring Dragon” that is 40 meters long and 15 meters high, setting a record for the longest main light in the history of Taiwan’s lantern festivals. Unlike traditional rotating designs, this dragon-shaped main light sways naturally as if alive, enhanced by colored mist and sound effects, creating the illusion of dancing through the clouds — a truly eye-catching spectacle. The site also includes an International Lantern Area, showcasing large lantern displays from Hong Kong, Zigong in Sichuan, Xiamen, and other regions. Among them, the Hong Kong lanterns feature six differently styled themed dragons representing the city’s diverse character. The Hong Kong Tourism Board has also set up a booth at the festival, collaborating with Mandarin Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, and 20 travel agencies to offer promotional deals, headlined by Hong Kong package tours starting from just 8,888 TWD (tax included), along with daily lucky draws for flight tickets — 20 lucky winners in total. Additionally, in support of the lantern festival, an Art Week event will be held from February 3 to 8 at the Fengyuan District Office Arts Square in Fengyuan, featuring a massive two-story-high ink-painted lantern co-created by 20 painters.

The Kaohsiung Lantern Festival is the earliest to kick off nationwide, running from January 27 to February 6. It is also Asia’s only waterfront lantern festival. In addition to featuring the country’s only harbor water dance and fireworks show, visitors can listen to the festival theme song “Water Lantern Love Song” by the Love River, release water lanterns, and savor the newly launched water lantern feast. Moreover, this year marks the first time a maritime art gallery has been set up at Glory Pier, displaying large-scale installation artworks. The festival activities will rotate and open in three zones: Qishan (1/27), Gangshan (1/28), and Glory Pier & Love River (1/29), featuring events such as Naked Dragon Blessing, Fortune-Turning Light Car, Flying Dragon in the Sky – Twin Dragons Bestowing Auspiciousness, and Romantic Love River Water Lantern Blessing. The water lantern feast, developed using local Kaohsiung ingredients and created with renowned chefs, will be available in limited quantities daily at Kaohsiung True Love Pier during the event period.

Lantern Festival Event Overview:

 

Region	Dates	Venue	Highlights	Lantern-Giving Information
Kaohsiung Lantern Festival Inquiry Website: www.2012khl .com	1/27～2/6	Qishan & Gushan Parks	Naked Dragon Blessing	Starting at 3 PM on 1/27, 15,000 high-rise dragon-head lanterns will be given out, 2 per person.
	1/28～2/6	Gangshan Riverbank Park	Fortune-Turning Light Car	Starting at 3 PM on 1/28, 15,000 high-rise dragon-head lanterns will be given out, 2 per person.
	1/29～2/6	Glory Code Head, along Love River Bank	Listen to love songs, release water lanterns, enjoy water lantern meals	Starting at 3 PM on 1/29, locations include the Glory Pier Main Service Desk, Hedong Zhongzheng Service Desk, and Hexi Wufu Service Desk. Each service desk will distribute 10,000 high-rise dragon head lanterns, with a limit of 2 per person.
Taichung Lantern Festival	2/1～2/12	Wenxin Forest Park	Large overseas-themed lanterns	Will be distributed starting at 6 PM every evening from 2/1 to 2/6.
	2/3～2/8	Fengyuan District Office Cultural Arts Square	Giant ink-wash handcrafted lantern display	Distribution begins at 6:30 PM from 2/3 to 2/8.
Taipei Lantern Festival Inquiry website: www.2012taipei-lantern-festival.com	2/2～2/12	National Father Memorial Hall, Civic Square	High-tech physical and virtual dual main lantern shows	Small lanterns will not be handed out at the festival site this year. Instead, they will be distributed simultaneously across Taipei’s 12 administrative districts at 1 PM on 1/31.
Taiwan Lantern Festival (Changhua Lukang) Inquiry website: 2012taiwan lantern .net	2/6～2/19 (Temple lantern displays start from 1/22, South Lantern Area test lighting on 1/29, and Charm Lantern Area lighting on 2/4, offering early viewing opportunities)	North Lantern Area (main Lights) - Lukang Sports Park; Zhongshan Road Charm Light Zone – Tianhou Temple, Guild Hall, Folk Culture Museum, Longshan Temple; South Light Zone – Wenwu Temple, Hugan Temple, Ksitigarbha Temple	The light zones are combined with attractions, allowing visitors to enjoy lanterns while exploring Lukang	Distribution locations include the Happy Light Zone, Jianguo Road Intersection, Longshan Temple, and Wenwu Temple. Distribution runs from February 5th to February 19th, starting at 3 PM each day until supplies last, with a limit of one lantern per person.