2026 Taiwan Lantern Festival: Pingxi, Taipei, Chiayi & Other Events

The Lantern Festival (2026 date: March 3, Year of the Horse) is my favorite of Taiwan’s many festivals. The annual festival includes a variety of activities in every city and county in the country, some of which last for several weeks.

The hottest activities associated with the festival include:

• Pingxi Lantern Festival: Mass sky lantern releases, held on two days. In 2026 it will be on Feb. 27 in Pingxi and Mar. 3 in Shifen.
• Taiwan Lantern Festival (national event): In 2026, this will be hosted by Chiayi, near Chiayi HSR station, from Mar. 3 to 15.
• Taipei Lantern Festival and other cities: Every city in Taiwan will have their own display somewhere. Expect lots of horse lanterns this year!
• Other Lantern Festival events like Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival, Bombing of Master Handan, Bombing the Dragon, Bombing of Tudi Gong, and Baiming Festival.

In this article, I’ll introduce each of the above festivals, their dates and locations in 2026, and how best to enjoy them.

When Is the Lantern Festival in Taiwan?

The date of the Lantern Festival is tied to the Lunar Calendar. It takes place on the 15^th day of the 1^st month of the Lunar Calendar (in other words, the 15^th day of the Lunar New Year).

You could say that the Lantern Festival is an extension of Lunar New Year celebrations (see my guide to Lunar New Year in Taiwan and what’s open or closed during the holidays).

The date of the Lantern Festival usually falls in February or early March. In 2026, the Lantern Festival date is March 3.

However, most Lantern Festivals events in Taiwan takes place for several days or weeks. The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival takes place on the two different days around Lantern Festival. The national event and regional lantern displays take place for several weeks, but the dates are different in every city.

Small events like Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival, Bombing of Master Handan, Bombing the Dragon, Bombing of Tudi Gong, and Baiming Festival only take place for one day, on the actual Lantern Festival day.

Fun fact: Locals celebrate Lantern Festival by eating yuanxiao (元宵), a kind of tangyuan, or little gooey sticky rice balls stuffed with black sesame or peanut sauce and served in a sweetened hot water. This is why the Mandarin name of the holiday is yuanxiao jie (元宵節). Read other facts about Taiwan.

Pingxi Lantern Festival

When people hear “lantern festival in Taiwan”, the image that first comes to mind is of dozens of illuminated lanterns floating up to sky in unison. That would be the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival.

Pingxi is a district of New Taipei City. Travelers usually access it by riding the Pingxi Line, an 11-stop railway line which was first built by the Japanese to access coal mining towns in the area.

Today, a few towns on this train line are some of Taiwan’s most popular tourist attractions, including Shifen Old Street (where visitors set off sky lanterns on the train tracks every day of the year and walk to Shifen Waterfall), Houtong Cat Village, and Ruifang (the main city on the line, with connections to Taipei and Jiufen Old Street).

The tradition of setting off sky lanterns (天燈 or tian deng) goes back to Fujian province in China, where most of Taiwanese’ ancestors came from. In the mid-1800s, villagers in Pingxi sometimes did it to inform others that an area was free of bandits.

Later, people started writing their wishes to the gods on the lanterns before sending them up, a tradition which tourists continue today.

For the Pingxi Lantern Festival, 100-150 lanterns are released at the same time. This is done in 20-minute intervals (9 releases in total per night) from 6 to 9 PM, for a total of 900 lanterns (first night) and 1350 lanterns (second night).

Because space is limited in these tiny villages, and the event has become so popular (and crowded!), it is now spread over two different days, with usually the second one being on the actual Lantern Festival Day.

Each of these two days is at a different location in Pingxi area. In recent years, Shifen and Pingxi villages usually host the events, but not on the train tracks where tourists usually set off sky lanterns throughout the year.

Rather, the events are held in a large square, school grounds, or parking lot near those villages.

Please be aware: Many environmental groups have spoken out against sky lanterns. The lanterns eventually fall back to the ground, getting stuck in trees, releasing toxins, or even starting fires. Find out how to buy eco-friendly lanterns in my Shifen guide.

2026 Event Info

Here’s everything you need to know for attending or participating in the 2026 Pingxi Lantern Festival. Usually they will make a brand new website for the event (instead of keeping the same one every year, because that would make too much sense), but the 2026 has not been made yet.

Dates and Locations

Day 1: At Pingxi Junior High School (平溪國民中學, see location), about 15 minutes’ walk from Pingxi station. Releases are usually every 20 minutes from 6 to 9 PM, with 100 sky lanterns per release, for a total of 900 sky lanterns. This will be on Friday, February 27 in 2026 (note: this will be a national holiday due to 228 Day the next day).

Day 2: At Shifen Sky Lantern Square (十分瀑布停車場, see location), which normally serves as the parking lot for Shifen Waterfall, about 20 minutes’ walk from Shifen station. Releases are usually every 20 minutes from 6 to 9 PM, with 150 sky lanterns per release, for a total of 1350 sky lanterns. This will be on March 3 in 2026 and is the slightly bigger of the two events.

Getting There

There are four main options for getting to Pingxi Lantern Festival: by organized tour, train, bus, or self driving.

This organized tour here on Klook will include an afternoon stop in Jiufen following by the Sky Lantern event. Make sure to choose the date you want to visit (and preferred language). This tour usually sells out very quickly, so book your spot ASAP!

By train, take a local train from Taipei to Ruifang (45 minutes, swipe EasyCard). At Ruifang, change to Platform 3 and catch the Pingxi line to Shifen or Pingxi. Make sure to swipe out when you arrive. If you go this way, expect the trains and stations to be absolutely packed, with extra waiting time to get on a train.

You can search the Pingxi line times on the Taiwan trains website and read my guide to riding trains in Taiwan.

Going by bus is a better option, with the following route choices:

• Bus 795 from this stop at Muzha MRT (one stop before Taipei Zoo and Maokong Gondola)
• Lantern Festival shuttle buses from this stop at Taipei Zoo (I recommend this option)
• Bus 846 from this stop in front of Ruifang train station
• Take the lesser-known shuttle bus from Keelung train station to the event. It has much shorter lines that the buses from Muzha or Ruifang. Keelung is a 45-minute train ride from Taipei.

The normal bus riding time from Muzha/Taipei Zoo to Pingxi area is 1 hour and 15 minutes. From Ruifang to Pingxi area it is about 1 hour.

Buses will be running to the event from around 9 AM to 7 PM, and back from the event from around 9:40 AM to 11 PM.

When you arrive at the event, because the crowds are so huge, you’ll have to walk up to 20 minutes from the bus stop to the event venue. Unless you come hours before the event starts, you won’t be able to get very close to the actual spot where they release the lanterns, because it will be surrounded by thick crowds of thousands of people.

The final option is to drive to the event. However, I don’t recommend driving because the small highways to these villages will be very crowded and closed after a certain point (including for scooters). Any paid parking lots will be packed and far away from the event venue, so you may have to take a shuttle or walk very far from the parking lot the event.

How to Participate

The Pingxi Lantern Festival is free to attend and watch. Casual visitors can also buy a sky lantern and release it whenever you want around the train tracks at Pingxi or Shifen station, like on any day of the year. However, you need to be more careful than usual because the Old Streets will be very crowded all day and especially in the evening.

However, to participate in one of the Sky Lantern Mass Releases, you’ll need to show up early in the day and register. They’ll start handing out tickets at the lantern release venue at 10:30 AM – you’ll want to be there and in line before that time to have any chance of getting a ticket.

The tickets are free and they will provide the lantern. One lantern can be shared among 2 to 4 people. If you manage to score a ticket, then you can explore the area for the day and make sure to be back at that spot before the time marked on your ticket (keep in mind there will be major crowds when you come back in the evening!

I don’t suggest you go too far away from Pingxi region while you wait – for example, I wouldn’t go as far as Jiufen Old Street, because it could be very hard to come back on time due to the masses of people trying to get to Pingxi/Shifen.

Some visitors report when they arrived around the start of the event, they couldn’t get anywhere near the sky lantern release spot due to the thick crowds. The closest they could get is 100 to 200 meters away from it.

Staying Near the Event

There are very few accommodations in Shifen or Pingxi and they will likely be booked a long time in advance. In Pingxi, there’s this one and this one. In Shifen, try Very Happy Homestay (Booking / Agoda).

Many people have the idea of doing sightseeing in the general region before going to the Pingxi Lantern Festival. So places like Jiufen Old Street, Houtong Cat Village, and the whole Pingxi train line will be much busier than usual all day.

It may also be harder to get rooms in Jiufen or Ruifang around the festival. See my recommended guesthouses in Jiufen here.

Taiwan Lantern Festival National Event

Every year, one city in Taiwan hosts a national Lantern Festival event. This event usually features displays of beautiful lanterns in a few different locations in that city.

At the main venue, there will usually be a stage with talks, concerts, and fireworks or light and drone displays at night. There is also usually one especially massive lantern (I’m talking like several stories tall) shaped like that year’s zodiac animal.

This event is usually crowded, but not quite as bad as the Pingxi Lantern Festival because there’s more space and its spread over several days. Note that there are no sky lanterns at the national event – those are illegal everywhere in Taiwan except for Pingxi.

Personally, I went to this event once and it wasn’t my favorite, mainly due to the constant noise from the stage. You can see similar displays of lanterns (without the noise) in every city in Taiwan (see next section below). But the huge lantern of the zodiac animal is pretty cool!  

2026 Event Info

Here’s everything you need to know for attending the Taiwan Lantern Festival National event in 2026.

Dates and Location

The 2026 National Taiwan Lantern Festival event will be hosted by Chiayi city from March 3 to 15. Read my guide to Chiayi for everything you need to know about visiting this city (which happens to be my wife’s hometown!)

While the event location hasn’t been announced yet, it’s likely to be at Chiayi HSR station and the nearby Southern Branch of National Palace Museum, which by the way, is a fantastic museum and better than the one in Taipei (in my opinion!)

Getting There

Getting to the Chiayi event will be a breeze, since it will most likely be near Chiayi HSR station. Book your HSR tickets very early, though (see my HSR booking guide).

If the HSR tickets sell out, which is pretty much guaranteed, you can still always show up at any HSR station, but a non-reserved ticket on the spot, and squeeze onto the next one (cars 10-12 only). It’s a 1.5 hour HSR ride from Taipei to Chiayi (or only 30 minutes from Kaohsiung).

Staying Near the Event

There are few hotels around Chiayi HSR station. If you want to stay in the city, it’s better to head to the city center.

There is a bus from Southern Branch of National Palace Museum and Chiayi HSR station to Chiayi station in the city center (30 minutes). The shuttle is free if you show an HSR ticket for that day. There will also be additional shuttles to the city in place for the duration of the event.

See here for my hotel recommendations in the Chiayi city center. If you sleep in Chiayi after the event, then consider heading to Alishan the next day, but it’s likely going to be busy as many others may have the same idea.

Taipei Lantern Festival and Other Cities

Taipei and every major city in Taiwan host their own lantern festival every year. These events usually involved a collection of beautiful lanterns on display somewhere in the city.

These are like a smaller version of the national event, and minus the noisy stage and concerts. Therefore, I highly recommend them!

Most of these take place for several weeks or up to a month, often starting well before the actual Lantern Festival or going for weeks after it. To make matters more complicated, the dates are different in every city and the venues may be the same or change every year.

2026 Event Info for Each City

Only a few of the 2026 city lantern display dates have been announced so far. I’ll update the below info once they are released (usually 1-2 months before). I’ll leave the 2025 dates up for now to give you an idea (keep in mind that in 2025, Lantern Festival was on February 12).

• Taipei Lantern Festival 2026: In 2026, there will be lantern displays in two locations in Taipei: Yuanshan Park (here) and Ximending (along Zhonghua Road here and Chengdu Road here). The displays will be open from February 26 to March 15 from 5 to 10 PM on weekdays and 2 to 10 PM on weekends and hoplidays.

• New Taipei City Lantern Festival 2026: As usual, the Lantern Display for New Taipei City will be in New Metropolitan Park (新北大都會公園) in Sanchong district (access: Sanchong station on the Taipei MRT, roughly here), from February 20 to March 8. Note that the Pingxi Sy Lantern Festival is also in New Taipei City but is a totally different location and event.

• Taoyuan Lantern Festival 2026: This year, Taoyuan city’s lantern event will be at Hutoushan Park (虎頭山公園, here) from February 25 to March 8.

• Hsinchu Lantern Festival 2026: In 2026, Hsinchu’s lantern event will last for 23 days, from February 14 to March 8 at several locations in the city, including East Gate (東門城), Moat area (護城河), and Hsinchu Park (新竹公園). The event mascot is Rody, a bouncing horse. See my Hsinchu guide.

• Taichung Lantern Festival 2026: Taichung’s 2026 Lantern display is confirmed and will be held from Feb. 15 to Mar. 3 at Taichung Central Park (中央公園, here) in Xitun District, not to be confused with Taichung Park in the Taichung city center. See my Taichung guide.

• Tainan Lantern Festival 2026: Tainan always has several smaller events or lanterns set up in many places, including: Puji Temple Light Display (台南四聯境普濟殿, February 12 to March 7) in the city center, Yuejing Harbor Lantern Show in Yanshui district (台南市鹽水區月津港, February 7 to March 8), and Huxingshan Park (虎形山公園, Dec 25 to March 1) in Longqi district. Tainan also has the Yanshui Fireworks Festival (see below).

• Kaohsiung Lantern Festival 2026: In 2026, Kaohsiung will host the Kaohsiung Lantern Festival and Winter Wonderland (高雄燈會／高雄冬日遊樂園) from February 7 to March 1 at the Love River Bay (愛河灣, here) and Piers (高雄港16–18號碼頭), including a giant floating Ultraman in the bay. Pier 2 Art Center nearby usually has lit-up art installations, too.
  
  Foguangshan Monastery in Kaohsiung will host the Festival of Lights and Peace, with various lanterns and decorations, from February 17 to March 18.
  
  Qishan Old Street (about 1.5 hours from Kaohsiung city center by public transportation) also usually has some cute lanterns around this time.

• Taitung Lantern Festival 2026: Taitung’s 2026 event is called the Taitung Lantern Blessing Carnival (臺東好神元宵祈福嘉年華) It will take place from February 26 to March 7 at Taitung Seaside Park (臺東海濱公園), with activities also at Taitung City Office Square (臺東市公所廣場). Taitung also has the Bombing of Master Dan event on the same night as the Lantern Festival.

• Hualien Lantern Festival 2026: Hualien’s Lantern event will be called Hualien Pacific Ocean Lantern Festival (花蓮太平洋燈會) and will take place along Sunrise Boulevard (日出大道, here) near Dongdamen Night Market from February 7 to March 8.

• Yilan Lantern Festival 2026: Yilan’s smaller Dongshan Old River Port Lantern Festival (宜蘭冬山舊河港燈節) will take place from January 17 to late February around Dongshan train station and the nearby Dongshan Old River Port (冬山河舊河道, here).

• Nantou Lantern Festival 2026: Not many visitors make it to Nantou city in Central Taiwan, but Nantou’s event will be at Nantou County Exhibition Center (南投縣會展中心, here) from February 14 to March 8.

Other Lantern Festival Events in Taiwan

There are several smaller folk festivals in Taiwan which also happen to fall on the same day as the Lantern Festival (March 3, 2026).

Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival, Tainan

Often considered the most dangerous festival in the world, Yanshui Beehive Fireworks festival involves tens of thousands of bottle rockets being shot directly at the participants. They are shot out from large racks or beehive-shaped structures on the street.

The event takes place in Yanshui district of Tainan city on the same night as the Lantern Festival

Why exactly do they do this? Well, it goes back to a cholera epidemic in the late 1800s. To drive out the evil spirits causing the disease, locals paraded a statue around while setting off firecrackers and bottle rockets at it. Over time, brave locals even started purposely getting hit by the rockets, too, and an annual tradition was born.

My father and I participated in this event several years ago. Yes, it was crazy, and yes, there were injuries. Read all about it in my Yanshui Fireworks Festival guide!

Bombing of Master Handan, Taitung

Over in Taitung, another wild event takes place on the same day, called Bombing of Master Handan (台東炸寒單). In this case, firecrackers are thrown at one (live, human, half naked) volunteer who is paraded around town. Participants and passersby may also be struck by firecrackers.

The volunteer represents Master Handan, the god of money. By bombing him, the locals hope to have a prosperous year.

Find more info about the event here.

Bombing the Dragon, Miaoli

As if that weren’t enough, there’s yet another “bombing” event in Taiwan around Lantern Festival. This one is called Bombing the Dragon” (火旁龍) and it is organized by Hakka people in Miaoli.

This ritual has origins in China and the Hakka people brought it over to Taiwan. It’s associated with the dragon dance normally performed at Lunar New Year. Except with a fun twist – locals toss firecrackers at it (and the guys carrying it) to kill the evil spirits of the past and welcome in the new year.

This usually takes place on the same day as Lantern Festival, but in 2025, the main event of the multi-day festival seems to be taking place on on a earlier day.

Read more about it here and here.

Bombing of Tudi Gong, Taipei

Even Taipei has its own bombing event on the same day ads Lantern Festival, called Shezi Island Night Lane Tudi Gong (社子島夜弄土地公). Despite being in the capital, this one is actually the least known because it is smaller (but no less noisy!) and takes place in a remote corner of the city, Shezi Island (社子島).

For this one, local factory owners set up long strings of thousands of firecrackers. These explode as a statue of Tudi Gong, the Earth God, is paraded over them, again to ask for wealth in the year to come.

See pictures of the event here.

Baiming Festival, Matsu Islands

Last but not least, the Matsu Islands (see my Matsu Islands travel guide) host a Lunar New Year event called Baiming (擺暝) on the same night as the Lantern Festival.

Baiming is a word in the Hokkien language referring to temple carnivals/procession. For this one, the locals will parade deities to the various villages and temples around the island, to ward off evil spirits, ask for protection, and so on. The festival lasts for several days and culminates on Lantern Festival.

It’s similar to the many temple fairs which can be seen around Taiwan on gods’ birthdays and other events tied to the lunar calendar.

Like most of Taiwan’s offshore islands, Matsu Islands aren’t ideal to visit in winter, so very few foreign visitors make it to this one. It’s better to visit Matsu islands in spring and early summer so you can experience the Blue Matsu Tears (blue phosphorescence in the sea).

Read more about the event here.

More Lantern Festival Pictures

Here are more images I’ve shot at past Lantern Festivals.