Taipei City Government

Mayor Ko Wen-je attended the press conference for the 2023 Taiwan Lantern Festival in Taipei on October 11. 

During his address, Ko remarked that he is glad to see the lantern festival event return to Taipei City after so many years. Unlike previous editions, the upcoming Taiwan Lantern Festival in Taipei will take the form of an “urban-style lantern festival”. He pointed out that a major goal of the event is to revitalize the commercial energy of the east district.

Ko pointed out that the 2023 Taiwan Lantern Festival possesses two major mission: 1) The last time the event took place in Taipei City was year 2000, after which subsequent editions were hosted by municipalities across the island. This is the first time for the Taiwan Lantern Festival to return to Taipei City after 23 years, and 2) As the first major large-scale international event after the easing of border restrictions, the event carries the expectations of tourism, hotel, and various local industries. 

The mayor added that unlike other host cities which pick vacant and open areas as the venue for the lantern festival event, Taipei City has selected the approach of “urban-style lantern festival” for the 2023 Taiwan Lantern Festival. The attractions will include one major lantern display, six minor lantern displays, and over 300 lantern works showcased across four major exhibition areas. Furthermore, smaller lantern zones will be set up across all 12 of Taipei’s administrative districts. 

Citing the recent Blanche Nuit event, Mayor Ko explained that while there are different opinions regarding the festivity, it nonetheless brought over 460,000 people to Shilin District and helped stimulate the local economy. The city government hopes to replicate this success with the upcoming lantern festival by attracting crowds to the east district. 

He noted that the city government has been working on preparation works for over a year’s time, and many issues – such as power supply – has been solved. Therefore, he looks forward to the event to bring crowds of people to Xinyi District – from Zhongxiao East Raod to Sun Yat-sun Memorial Hall to Songshan Cultural and Creative Park.