A record number of sky lanterns will be released into the sky during the final evening of the upcoming Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, New Taipei City officials said Jan. 5.
“The annual Pingxi festival, now in its 14th year, is a symbol of warmth and of our hopes for the future,” said Deputy Mayor Li Si-chuan at a news conference. “We expect over 100,000 visitors to take part in the festivities this year.”
The festival is slated to take place over four evenings—Jan. 26, Jan. 28, Feb. 4 and Feb. 6—during which a total of 5,800 lanterns will be distributed free to visitors, Li added.
An enormous sky lantern, inscribed with good wishes and nearly seven meters tall, will be unveiled Feb. 4.
On the evening of Feb. 6, 1,000 sky lanterns will be released simultaneously and set floating into the darkness of night, officials said, noting that the previous record was 500.
Pingxi District, located in eastern New Taipei City, is a former coal-mining town known for its scenic railroad tracks and lantern-making traditions.
It is also the only site in Taiwan where sky lanterns can be released legally, sources said.
The sky lantern spectacle in Pingxi has been featured in Discovery Channel’s “Fantastic Festivals of the World.” (HZW)
Write to Kwangyin Liu at kwangyin.liu@mail.gio.gov.tw