Dozens of sky lanterns will rise for love!“The 2016 Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival” kicks off during the Lunar New Year

▲ The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival will be held during the Lunar New Year period. (Photo / Provided by New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Bureau)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

“2016 New Taipei City Pingxi Sky Lantern Festivalwill be held on February 11, 14, and 22. In addition to announcing traffic control and shuttle bus information for those three days, the New Taipei City Government Tourism Bureau has also unveiled the brand-new giant “Heart to Heart” main lantern, standing at 20TN in height, which will be launched on Valentine’s Day, February 14.

The New Taipei Tourism Bureau stated that the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival has been hailed by foreign media as a must-visit celebration in a lifetime and one of the top ten best winter travel destinations in 2016. It is also an important annual event during Taiwan’s Lantern Festival, attracting countless domestic and international visitors every year.

▲ Scenes from the 2015 Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival. (Photo / By reporter Hsu Wen-bin)

The New Taipei Tourism Bureau also announced the shuttle and traffic control plans for this event. On the day of the three-day festivities, comprehensive motor vehicle, motorcycle, and bicycle traffic control will be in effect from 9:00 AM to midnight. Shuttle buses will be arranged—fares are NT$50 when boarding in Muzha, NT$30 when boarding in Shiding District, Keelung, or Ruifang District, and NT$15 when boarding within Pingxi District. Return rides on the shuttle buses are free of charge. Except for the Keelung line, all shuttle bus routes will, for the first time this year, accept electronic ticketing, making it more convenient for visitors to ride without needing cash.

For railway travel, the train schedules for the Pingxi Branch Line of the Taiwan Railways Administration on event days differ from regular times. The public can check the official TRA website or refer to onsite announcements.

▲ The heart-shaped sky lanterns to be released on Valentine’s Day. (Photo / Provided by New Taipei Tourism Bureau)

This year’s Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival coincides with Western Valentine’s Day. The New Taipei City Tourism Bureau has specially created a giant 20TN “Heart to Heart” main lantern, which will be launched on Valentine’s Day. Additionally, through an online love story collection campaign, the bureau selected 33 lucky couples or pairs of spouses to release 99 heart-shaped lanterns together with their family and friends on Valentine’s Day, symbolizing everlasting love.

For those who wish to release sky lanterns for blessings while also embracing environmental awareness, the Jing Tong Sky Lantern Police Office, in conjunction with the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, is offering a special promotion for one month starting February 1. The regular price of NT$150 for releasing an electronic sky lantern is discounted to just NT$100 per lantern. Furthermore, those presenting the “2016 New Taipei City Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival” event flyer can enjoy an additional NT$10 discount on drinks in the venue.