Chiayi Taiwan Lantern Festival expected to draw over 20 million visitors

台灣燈會在嘉義預計將吸引超過2,000萬名遊客

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tourism Administration Director Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said the Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi is expected to attract more than 20 million visitors, per Economic Daily News.

The event, opening Wednesday and running through March 15, is estimated to generate more than NT$27 billion (US$860 million) in economic output. The festival’s main lantern, “Alishan of the World,” stands 21 meters tall and was built from recycled wood to highlight sustainability.

The Chiayi County Government said it has set up a Mario-themed lantern and arranged fireworks shows and Irish step-dance performances during the festival. Taiwan’s Tech World pavilion from the Osaka Expo, which highlighted the nation’s technological strengths, natural ecology, and cultural features, is being recreated at the event.

The administration noted the festival coincides with Taiwan’s participation in the World Baseball Classic preliminaries in Tokyo. Organizers will also arrange a parade featuring “Team Taiwan” during the event.

At the opening ceremony, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳), Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) and County Magistrate Weng Chang-liang (翁章梁) lit up the main lantern.

Lai said the festival was recognized by the Discovery Channel as one of the world’s top events. He praised this year’s lantern displays as creative and showcasing Taiwan’s features.

Chiayi’s Alishan and chicken rice are key tourist attractions, Lai added. He also said the county is an important hub for Taiwan’s drone development, with the Asia UAV AI Innovation Application R&D Center attracting nearly 50 domestic companies and aiming to build a China-free UAV supply chain.

TSMC is building an advanced semiconductor packaging plant in the Chiayi Science Park. The facility will focus on chip-on-wafer-on-substrate packaging technology and is expected to become a key advanced packaging base worldwide.

Chen said the county has held its third lantern festival. During this year’s Lunar New Year holiday, hotel occupancy in the county exceeded 60%. He said he hopes the event will continue to support the local hospitality sector.