Yuejin Lantern Festival

Beehive Fireworks Festival may be the most acclaimed event in Yanshui, Tainan, but in recent years, Yuejin Lantern Festival held during the Chinese New Year is making a name for itself as well. The festival is split into several different themed sections and is spread out over Yuejin Port, where you can expect to see lanterns of all shapes and sizes that blend harmoniously with the surroundings defined by mansions and nature. Year after year, people from all around Taiwan flock here to celebrate this annual festive event and to enjoy a night to be remembered.

Yuejin Port used to be a center of trade in Yanshui region but now is a riverbank park where locals often hang out. In the early years when merchant trade was thriving, a wealth of Baroque architecture and quaint brick houses were put up and are still standing strong today — the lantern festival is taking place within such a nostalgic neighborhood every year. International and local artists and art students are invited to showcase their talents and ideas through the creation of these lanterns. Besides the traditional lanterns, there are also art installations combined with the landscapes and the running water in the surroundings; they can even be interactive. If you want to have a glimpse of old Taiwan, a visit to Qiaonan Old Street and Yongcheng Theatre right next to the harbor will make a perfect one-day outing.