Only two in Asia selected! The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival has been included in "Top 10 Best Winter Travel Destinations Worldwide"

▲2015 Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival (Photo by reporter Hsu Wen-bin)

Reported by Tourism Center / Compiled from various sources

The latest "Top 10 Best Winter Travel Destinations Worldwide"list released by National Geographichas featured New Taipei City’s Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival. It is one of only two events in Asia—apart from those in the United Arab Emirates—to receive this global recognition.

The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in New Taipei City is set to kick off on February 11. Chen Shen-hsien, Deputy Mayor of New Taipei City, stated that now in its 18th year, the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival has become a significant celebration during Taiwan’s Lantern Festival. Not only has it been selected by the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications as one of the international representative events on the "Taiwan Tourism Calendar," but it was also once rated by the renowned American travel channel Discovery as the "World’s Second Largest Festival Carnival." The American news network CNN recommended it as one of the "52 Things to Do Before You Die," and the world’s largest travel publishing company Fodor’s listed the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival among the 14 classic festivals worldwide that are “a must-experience in a lifetime.” It attracts countless domestic and international visitors every year.

▲2015 Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in New Taipei City. (Photo provided by New Taipei City Government)

The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival will take place over three colorful days on February 11 (the fourth day of the Lunar New Year), February 14 (Valentine’s Day), and February 22 (Lantern Festival), with each session themed around "Childhood Fun with Fingerprints," "Hearts United," and "Traveling the World."

First Session:February 11 — “Childhood Sky Lanterns, Fingerprints in Jingting”— the main "Childhood Fingermark Sky Lantern" incorporated fingerprint designs contributed by both children and adults.
Venue: Jingting Elementary School (No. 45, Jingting St., Pingxi District, New Taipei City)

Second Session:February 14 — “Hearts United, Love in Pingxi”— coinciding with Valentine’s Day, this session will feature the romantic “Love Unlimited!” collection campaign, culminating in the launch of the heartfelt 20TN “Hearts United Sky Lantern.”
Venue: Pingxi Junior High School (No. 295, Section 2, Jing’an Rd., Pingxi District, New Taipei City)

Third Session:February 22 — “Traveling the World, Happiness in Shifen”will be the grand finale at Shifen Square, where the 16TN “Traveling the World Sky Lantern” will carry images of global landmarks and scenic spots from Taipei and New Taipei as it rises into the sky.
Venue: Shifen Square (No. 136, Nanshanping, Nanshan Village, Pingxi District, New Taipei City)