The 2026 Pingtung Lantern Festival officially lights up this evening (January 23), with four themed lantern zones unveiled simultaneously, illuminating Pingtung's night sky. This year's festival is centered on Pingtung County Park, Wannian River, Victory Star Village, and Longjing River in Neipu, featuring more than 40 artistic lantern installations. By integrating natural landscapes, cultural memory, and light design, the festival presents Pingtung's diverse culture and urban character. The event will run through March 1, inviting visitors nationwide to come to Pingtung during the Lunar New Year period and experience the city's nighttime charm.

The Pingtung County Government stated that the Pingtung Lantern Festival has entered its fifth year and has become an important annual local event. This year continues the four-zone layout, with the Wannian River lantern zone further extended to the railway underpass on Wancang Street. Through lantern displays and light art, the zone connects waterfront spaces and showcases both natural scenery and cultural ambiance. The Wannian River zone adopts the theme “Light Racing Through the Ages,” with the main lantern “Soaring Light” depicting the image of a galloping horse leaping out of the water. A light show is staged every 30 minutes, adding dynamic energy to the nighttime landscape.

The Pingtung County Park lantern zone features the theme “Boundless Imagination,” with the main lantern “Light of the Mountains” combining forest, ocean, and land textures to create an immersive audio-visual performance. The Victory Star Village zone, themed “Victory Stars in Bloom,” presents a dialogue between historical memory and contemporary times through the imagery of flowers and stars. The Hakka lantern zone along Longjing River in Neipu, themed “Radiant Hakka,” uses the river as its core imagery to showcase Hakka cultural symbols. The county government has also arranged performances and free shuttle services to make lantern viewing more convenient for the public.