This year’s Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival at Shifen Square featured nine waves of lantern releases, several performances, and two eye-catching 20-foot-tall main lanterns.

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Sky lanterns floated into the sky one by one, carrying people’s wishes. On March 3, the 2026 New Taipei Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival kicked off at Shifen Sky Lantern Square, attracting a large crowd. Nine waves of lanterns were released, each accompanied by a light show, creating a festive atmosphere in the night sky.

This year, 20-foot-tall dragon and horse mythical beasts symbolizing the spirit and vitality of New Taipei City was the festival’s main attraction. New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) personally wrote a blessing on the main lantern.

The mayor explained that the blessing he wrote combined the name of Shifen Sky Lantern Square with a pun for the year of the horse, which meant “100% horsepower.”

To provide the public with the fullest experience, the organizers invited dance troupes and other groups to perform traditional dances. The boy band Infinity Youth Men and up-and-coming Taiwanese group AcQUA also performed at the event. The festival concluded with the release of a large number of sky lanterns, creating a truly spectacular scene.

Notably, this year’s lanterns utilized a fully paper structure as a base support, minimizing the burden on the surrounding forests and aiming to strike a balance between traditional culture and sustainable development.

Hanna Bilinski and Amanda Stephens, for Rti News