By Liu Jiawen, compiled and reported
The 2012 Kaohsiung Lantern Festival Arts Festival will open on Friday, January 27, ushering in the first wave of excitement for lantern festival events across Taiwan. The event will run until February 6, the Lantern Festival. In addition to the Love River and Glory Pier, the festival will also hold its opening ceremony in Qishan and Gangshan for the first time, featuring activities such as collective blessings for the Year of the Dragon, the "Flying Dragon in the Sky" fireworks show, and the "Fortune Turning Lantern Car." Additionally, 60,000 complimentary "Soaring Dragon" wearable lanterns will be given out to allow the public to celebrate the festive season.
The 2012 Kaohsiung Lantern Festival Arts Festival will open on January 27 (Friday) and offer 60,000 wearable lanterns for free to the public. (Photo provided by Kaohsiung City Government Tourism Bureau)
To allow the public to experience the joyful atmosphere of the Lunar New Year festivities, the Kaohsiung Lantern Festival is holding opening events in three locations for the first time. On January 27, at Qishan Drum Mountain Park, there will be a collective blessing and wish-writing activity; on the 28th, at Gangshan Riverbank Park, a "Fortune Turning Lantern Car" will be set up for the public to hang small blessing lanterns for good luck; and on the 29th, fireworks will be launched along Glory Pier and the Love River. In addition, this year’s lantern festival has created a first-ever "Sea Gallery" at Glory Pier, inviting calligrapher Chang Ping-huang and sculptor Wang Hsiu-chi to jointly create five maritime installation artworks.
This year’s lantern festival has created a first-ever "Sea Gallery" at Glory Pier, with installation artworks by calligrapher Chang Ping-huang and sculptor Wang Hsiu-chi. (Photo provided by Kaohsiung City Government Tourism Bureau)
Instead of the traditional distribution of handheld lanterns, this year’s Kaohsiung Lantern Festival introduces a creative wearable lantern called the "Soaring Dragon," with an expected 60,000 units available for free. From January 27 to 29, they will be available for collection daily starting at 3 PM, with a limit of two per person. Collection locations include Qishan, Gangshan, Glory Pier, and the Love River. For more information, please visit the official website of the 2012 Kaohsiung Lantern Festival Arts Festival: www.2012khl.com.