Where do the lanterns go after the Taiwan Lantern Festival? Visit these 3 spots to keep enjoying the displays

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

The 2016 Taiwan Lantern Festival set 21 firsts, and its creative lanterns and light shows remain fresh in the public's memory. After the festival, various organizations competed to host the lanterns. Here are 3 locations where you can still see some of the Taiwan Lantern Festival lanterns—whether you're nostalgic about this year's event or missed out on its highlights, you can visit these spots to experience the charm of the diverse lanterns and light sculptures.

▲ The world’s first glass lantern art piece, “Cosmic Tower.” (Photo / Reporter Chen Ruizhong)

1. Changhua – Taiwan Glass Museum
The “Cosmic Tower,” standing approximately 10 meters tall, is the world’s first glass lantern art piece, created by 28 glass manufacturers across Taiwan in 12 days using 1,000 pieces of glass. Under changing lights, it presents a magical light sculpture that takes you into the vast galaxy, leaving a lasting impression on many visitors.

After the Taiwan Lantern Festival, the Cosmic Tower was transported to the Taiwan Glass Museum for assembly, which was completed on March 31. Trial lighting began on the 26th, and it is now lit on a permanent basis, becoming one of the most beautiful night scenes in Lukang.

2. New Taipei City – Ruifang Civic Plaza
After the lantern festival, the Ruifang District Office requested the organizers to relocate the “Monkeys Playing with Sandiao” lantern to Ruifang Civic Plaza, where it is now lit nightly for visitors to take photos and create memories.

▲ 500 palace lanterns from the Taiwan Lantern Festival have become new decorations on Jiufen Old Street. (Photo / Reporter Chen Ruizhong)

3. New Taipei City – Jiufen
The red lanterns that once hung along the Zigzag Street in Jiufen had been there for 10 years but had become worn and damaged over time. After the lantern festival, the Ruifang District Office secured 500 palace lanterns to replace all the old ones. When lit at night, the red lanterns create a serene and nostalgic atmosphere, like stepping into a time tunnel of the past.

▲ All the lanterns on Jiufen Old Street have been replaced. (Photo / From the Ruifang District Office official website)

The organizers of the Taiwan Lantern Festival also stated that to extend the festival’s impact, they have established a lantern preservation and utilization policy. Lanterns eligible for preservation are made available to relevant organizations for long-term use. In addition to the aforementioned locations, eight traditional smaller lanterns—including the sub-lanterns “Birdsong and Floral Scents” and “Prosperity in Abundance”—will be relocated to Kagawa Prefecture in Japan and Hong Kong respectively for exchange exhibitions, promoting Taiwan’s unique lantern art.