National lantern festival to start tonightILLUMINATING: The Tourism Administration is considering holding the Taiwan Lantern Festival at a fixed location in future, potentially at scenic sites run by the administrationBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporter, Chiayi CountyThe annual Taiwan Lantern Festival is to begin tonight in Chiayi County, with an opening ceremony featuring performances by the air force, as well as Taiwanese and overseas artists. A 10m tall lantern featuring Nintendo’s iconic Mario character is pictured at the Taiwan Lantern Festival’s Super Mario-themed display in Chiayi County yesterday. The festival, previously known as the Taipei Lantern Festival, was first held at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in 1990. Since 2001, the festival has been named Taiwan Lantern Festival and held in a different locality each year. Hosting the Taiwan Lantern Festival in Hualien, Taitung, Penghu, Kinmen or Lienchiang (Matsu) counties would be challenging, Chen said.

Source: Taipei Times March 02, 2026 17:12 UTC