2024 Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival (平溪天燈節)
The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is an annual folk festival that occurs in congruence with Lunar New Year. In Chinese culture, the larger holiday is called Shangyuan Festival (上元節) and is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year (usually sometime in January, February, or March), marking the final day of traditional new year’s celebrations.
In Taiwan, Lantern Festival events are held in cities across the country and the Pingxi celebration happens to be one of the most elaborate and meaningful ones. During the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, thousands of locals and visitors flock to the small rural district to write their wishes for the new year on paper lanterns that they then send floating into the night sky.
This year, the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is held over two weekends with celebrations on Feb 17, 2024 and Feb 24, 2024 so you should definitely stop by to partake in the festivities and enjoy the mesmerizing sight of thousands of lanterns floating simultaneously through the dark night sky.
2024 Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival Event Details:
Date and Time:
Day 1: Saturday, February 17, 2024 at Pingxi Junior High School (平溪國民中學). Releases happen every 20 minutes from 6PM to 9PM. Registration and tickets begin selling at 10:30am.
Day 2: Saturday, February 24, 2023 at Shifen Sky Lantern Square (十分瀑布停車場). Releases happen every 20 minutes from 6PM to 9PM. Registration and tickets begin selling at 10:30am.
Price:
Free to attend but you have to purchase a lantern if you plan on releasing one!
You can also book all-inclusive tours via Klook, Viator, or Trip Advisor if you’d rather not deal with the logistics. Just make sure that it’s specifically for the festival and not for a general day trip because lantern releases still happen every other day. It’s just not an organized event.
Official Website: https://skylantern.ntpc.gov.tw/
How To Get To There:
By Train (1.5 hrs - 2 hrs):
Take the local train from Taipei to Ruifang (45 minutes) and then transfer to the Pingxi line on Platform 3 and take the train to Shifen or Pingxi (depending on which weekend you choose). There should be shuttles running from Ruifang to the event grounds but they haven’t released any information on it. I’ll update this when it’s ready so make sure to check back for any changes!
You can check train schedules or book tickets here.
The trains are definitely going to be packed to make sure that you allocate some extra time for waiting.
By Bus (roughly 2 hrs):
Bus 795 from Muzha MRT Station
Lantern Festival shuttle buses from Taipei Zoo MRT Station
Bus 846 from Ruifang Train Station
There are also a lot of local routes that start from Keelung or run through Pingxi District that you can look into.
Again, with the amount of people attending the event and the traffic on the roads, you can definitely expect delays so take that into account when planning your trip!
By Driving (1.5 hrs - 2 hrs):
To steer clear of crowds, opt to drive or motorbike to the event. Be prepared for challenging traffic conditions and road closures starting in the afternoon. You can expect packed parking lots and should prepare yourself to walk a bit to reach the event venue.
By Taxi (1.5 hrs - 2 hrs):
If you’re willing to splurge, you can take a taxi directly to Shifen or Pingxi. A one way trip will cost you roughly 1,000 NTD but might run a little higher due to traffic. There are also plenty of taxis around the event grounds for when you’re ready to leave.
How Does The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival Work?
The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is free to attend and watch! However, if you want to participate in the mass release event that occurs from 6 - 9PM, you have to show up early in the day to register.
Registration begins at 10:30am at the release venue. You can’t book your tickets beforehand (unless you go with a tour group) so make sure that you line up bright and early.
Tickets are free and include a lantern. Each lantern can be shared among 2 - 4 people.
They’re only handing out 900 lanterns the first weekend and 1300 lanterns the second weekend so again, make sure you get there early!
When you get your ticket, they’ll also assign you a release time. Just make sure that you’re back at the venue before the time marked on your ticket, so that you can fully participate in the event. Keep in mind that the streets will be extremely crowded so give yourself plenty of travel time.
What if they run out of tickets before you get there?
Don’t stress! You can still release lanterns around the train tracks; you just won’t be able to participate in the mass release session. Pingxi and Shifen are known for their lucky lantern releases so you can buy one from any of the vendors around and send your new year’s wishes on their way!
Coordinate your plans by connecting with the best eSIMs in Taiwan.
Staying Near The Event:
Pingxi District is fairly rural with only a handful of accommodations around. If you plan on staying overnight either before or after the event, try to book your stay a few weeks or months beforehand. Otherwise, you can stay in Taipei, Jiufen, or Ruifang and just commute on the day of the event
Hotels Near Pingxi:
Hotels Near Shifen:
Hotels Near Ruifang:
What Can You Do Around Pingxi?
If you decide to show up early to receive a lantern, you’re going to have plenty of time to kill before the actual launch. So, what can you do around Pingxi?
Pingxi District is a popular tourist destination as it’s a quick day trip away from the main city of Taipei. It’s best known for Jiufen, a picturesque town built into the mountain, and Shifen, another scenic town with one of the widest waterfalls in northern Taiwan and a strong lantern culture.
Here are some ideas for how you can spend your day around the region:
Shop for souvenirs and take photos at Pingxi Old Street or Shifen Old Street
Eat street food: rice stuffed chicken wings (雞翅包飯), river shrimps, deep fried cuttlefish, and cilantro peanut ice cream wraps
Explore the winding alleys of Shifen town
Take a coffee break at Tag Cafe or 十分柑ma店-(橘白貓店長-咖啡廳Café+美味下午茶)
Visit Shifen Waterfall
Go for a hike through some easy nearby trails
Visit Wanggu Waterfall
Take a trip to Jiufen (but make sure you have plenty of time to get back)
Visit Houtong cat village (but make sure you have plenty of time to get back)
Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival Background and History
The Pingxi region has a long tradition of releasing sky lanterns. It originally started in the 1800s when Pingxi was a remote but affluent district that dealt with frequent raids.
The majority of the villagers were unable to protect themselves so during the winter months (when the attacks were most frequent), they would leave to hide out in the mountains. Only able-bodied men were left behind to defend the village. After the worst of the winter months passed, the women would release lanterns to signify that it was safe for everyone else to return.
At the end of the 20th tradition, the practice of releasing sky lanterns gradually transitioned to be the celebratory event that we know today.
Environmental Impact Of The Sky Lantern Festival
As you probably guessed, releasing thousands of lanterns into the sky at one time is pretty bad for the environment. Not only do the lanterns cause air pollution but when they fall, they also pollute the surrounding forests and rivers as well. Floating lanterns also have the potential to begin forest fires which can be dangerous for wildlife and residents living in the area.
Countless environmental groups in Taiwan have actually spoken up about it (examples here, here, and here) and there are often citizen-lead cleanup groups that take the initiative to reduce the harm. But still, change is slow to happen.
That’s why I chose to only look and take photos of the event. I think it’s a happy medium between honoring the tradition and participating but still minimizing the harm that we do.
What’s exciting is that there are more and more shops offering eco-friendly alternatives. 藝巧傳統天燈工藝社 (location here) sells completely handmade lanterns created from bamboo and paper pulp. They burn up in the sky and leave minimal residue (in comparison to a full frame that conventional lanterns leave behind). Bank of Culture is also working on a solution that can hopefully be produced in scale.
The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is only one way to celebrate the Lantern Festival in Taiwan. As I mentioned earlier, there are festivals that occur in cities all across the country including the 2024 Taiwan Lantern Festival held in Tainan this year. For a more extensive list of celebrations, check out the official website of the Taiwan Tourism Administration.
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