Taiwan Today
Date: March 4, 2016
The 2016 Taiwan Lantern Festival wraps up March 6 in Taoyuan City, bringing
Eye-catching colors combined with cutting-edge technology are helping boost the popularity of this year’s Taiwan Lantern Festival in Taoyuan City. (CNA)
the curtain down on a monthlong islandwide celebration of the Lunar New Year.
Held for the first time in the northern Taiwan metropolis, the annual event features a 26-meter-high main lantern modeled after the Monkey King from the classic Chinese novel “Journey to the West.” The design was selected to celebrate the Year of the Monkey in the Chinese zodiac.
Enthusiastic response for the festival staged on a 32-hectare site surrounding the high-speed rail station at Taoyuan bumped up single-day visitor numbers to 3.69 million—a record in the festival’s 27-year history—and is expected to push overall attendance above 20 million.
Celebrated at the first full moon of the Lunar New Year, the event marks the final day of traditional festivities. It also underscores Taiwan’s cultural vibrancy, as evidenced by a wide range of activities hosted around the nation.
Highlights include lantern exhibitions and firework displays organized by Taipei and Kaohsiung cities in the north and south of Taiwan, respectively. The events attract millions of visitors from home and abroad each year. [FULL STORY]
