Over 20 festivities in major cities and small towns alike will turn Taiwan into a carnival before the dawn breaks on 2011 and the ROC centennial.
In the capital, around 750,000 people are expected to flock to Taipei City Hall Square for the Taipei 101 fireworks and 5-hour-long rock concert.
The 288-second pyrotechnic wonder is choreographed by mainland Chinese artist Cai Guoqiang and the New York-based Fireworks by Grucci, according to the Taipei City government.
In Dajia Riverside Park a special gala with music, dance, technology and more fireworks will kick off the new year.
A concert at the Xinbei City Hall will feature popular singer “Little Fatty” Lin Yu-chun as well as Taiwanese, Hakka and aboriginal performers. Taichung City will be serenaded by winners from the TV talent show “Avenue to Stardom,” while in Tainan City a major pyrotechnic display at City Hall will rival the Taipei 101 spectacle.
Celebrations in Kaohsiung City will feature Taiwanese puppetry and folk deities as well as the de rigueur fireworks and music.
Scenic areas across the island will also join the bandwagon of celebration. In central Taiwan’s Nantou County, fireworks will light up Sun Moon Lake, while a concert of jazz, blues and rock ’n’ roll will bring up the heat in Nantou City.
The Central Weather Bureau has advised warm clothing for partygoers as temperatures on New Year’s Eve could drop as low as 5 degrees Celsius. (THN)
Write to Kwangyin Liu at kwangyin.liu@mail.gio.gov.tw