The Kaohsiung Lantern Festival introduces a 12-meter-high spiral slide—"slide into the Love River" starting Feb. 10

This year’s Kaohsiung Lantern Festival is jointly organized with lantern festivals in Qishan, Gangshan, and Fo Guang Shan, making it the most diverse and expansive lantern event in terms of decorations and venue size.The Love River Lantern Festival is designed around the themes of the Kaohsiung Bear and the Kaohsiung Monkey, divided into five zones: Spreading Happiness, Happy Wonderland for a Great Year, "Heroic Monkey" Around the World, Starry Happiness, Wishing for Fulfillment, and Special Lantern Displays.The festival features over 100 adorable lantern installations of various designs, and Kaohsiung’s tourism ambassador, the "Kaohsiung Bear," will also make an appearance.

A renowned public art piece—a three-dimensional spiral slide—will be imported from Germany and set up at the Kaohsiung Lantern Festival site, offering visitors the thrilling experience of sliding 12 meters down toward the Love River. The grand lantern parade with tens of thousands of participants will be held before the Lantern Festival on February 20, inviting domestic and international performance troupes and elaborately decorated floats. The popular cartoon character Snoopy and his family will also join the festivities, inviting the public to join the lantern-lit street parade and create a river of lights across the city.

In addition to the Love River Lantern Festival, Fo Guang Shan will host the Kaohsiung City Peace Lantern Festival from February 8 to March 8. The Qishan Lantern Festival, from February 6 to February 14, features "Qishan’s Cute Highlights" with five distinctive lantern zones. The Gangshan Lantern Festival, from February 8 to February 13, is themed "Blessings and Longevity – Golden Monkey," and includes Taiwan’s first large-scale temple main lantern, created using magical light sculpture techniques to present various lantern designs.

This year’s popular mini lantern, the "Kaohsiung Monkey," perfectly combines the small lantern design with the city’s imagery, featuring a Formosan macaque paddling a banana boat. Besides being playful and festive, the boat, banana, and macaque are all rich in Kaohsiung symbolism. The mini lanterns will be handed out to the public at designated spots on the day of the grand parade.

2016 Kaohsiung Lantern Festival
Festival Dates: February 10 to February 22
Location: Along the Love River