TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Some of the highlights of the 2023 Taiwan Lantern Festival were revealed on Monday (Dec. 19) as the light showcase returns to Taipei after a 23-year hiatus.
The annual festival is the culmination of the Lunar New Year holiday, the most important holiday in Taiwan. Themed “Light up the Future,” the 2023 edition will take place Feb. 5-19, centered in the east of the capital.
A press event held by the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism offered a peek at some of the 16 installations to be put up in the “Beacons of Light” zone located in the East District commercial area. This is one of the four major display zones, the three others being the Fount of Light, Lights of the Future, and the Central zones.
Among them is a display of lights in a splash of colors at Liugong Park by Mexican visual artist Lua Rivera that celebrates the city’s embrace of inclusivity. Brazilian-American artist Oscar Oiwa, whose works have been featured in the renowned Setouchi International Art Triennale, will also grace the festival with his “Light Rabbit.”
Businesses have played a role in the city-led showcase. Far Eastern SOGO, a leading department store in the district, is sponsoring luminous rabbit exhibitions at the squares of the Fuxing and Zhongxiao branches. Next year is the Year of the Rabbit on the lunar calendar.
More than 300 artworks will light up Taipei during the two weeks of the event. The twelve administrative districts will hold 53 activities that incorporate their unique cultures.
Visit the website of the Taiwan Lantern Festival in Taipei for more information.
Artist's impressions of the light installations to be featured in the lantern festival. (Taipei City Government images)
