Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival
USE paper sky lanterns made by Pingxi/Shifen shops; write wishes and release.
Your way in
Buy a lantern locally (year-round in Shifen) or join festival mass releases (festival lantern allocation rules not verified).
Release a lantern made in Shifen
Buy a paper sky lantern from a Pingxi/Shifen shop (on sale year-round in Shifen), write your wishes on it and release it, or join the festival's mass releases.
- You build or use
- USE paper sky lanterns made by Pingxi/Shifen shops; write wishes and release
- Participation
- Use
- Entry and deadlines
- Festival release slots: not verified
- Where
- Pingxi / Shifen, New Taipei, Taiwan
Dates and deadlines, Oct 2026 to Dec 2027
Usual timing: Lantern Festival (Feb/Mar). Dates are only shown where a source publishes them; everything else is marked TBC.
- Feb 2027 · date TBCPingxi Sky Lantern Festival 2027 (around the Lantern Festival)2027 dates not published (2026: 27 Feb and 3 Mar). · source
Skills you'll need
What to learn and practise before you go. Each resource is marked Official or Community-accepted and names its publisher. Difficulty and prep time are our estimate.
Preparing and releasing a paper sky lantern (writing wishes, lighting, a controlled two-person release)
Also useful:
- Knowing Pingxi's legal release zone and hours
- Fire safety around open-flame lanterns
Difficulty and prep time are Curiosta editorial estimates for a first-timer, not organiser figures.
Refresher
- Buy a lantern from a Shifen or Pingxi shop; staff usually help you write wishes on the panels and hold it during lighting.
- Two people hold the lantern upright by the edges while the fuel pad is lit, then wait until the hot air makes it lift on its own before letting go. Never throw it up.
- Release only in calm conditions and only where it's legal: New Taipei limits releases to a designated stretch of Pingxi (Shifen Visitor Center to Yikang Bridge, within 200 m of the Keelung River and County Road 106) between 6 am and 10 pm.
- Keep away from overhead wires, trees, roofs and anything flammable, and keep hair and loose sleeves away from the flame.
- Festival mass releases are run by the city in waves; follow staff instructions (allocation rules weren't verified).
Practise before you go
- Practise lettering your wishes with a brush pen (four panels) so you're quick on the day.
- Read New Taipei's release rules and pick the zone you'll use.
- Rehearse the two-person hold and release with an unlit paper bag.
Safety notes
- Release only in Pingxi's designated zone, 6 am–10 pm; fines apply otherwise.
- Never release in wind or near wires, trees or buildings.
- Tie back hair and loose clothing near the flame.
Resources
2026 Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival
Official festival dates, venues and organiser (New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department).
Publisher: Tourism Administration, Republic of China (Taiwan)
訂定新北市天燈施放管理辦法 (New Taipei sky-lantern release regulations)
Defines the legal release zone, the night-time ban and the fines for violations.
Publisher: New Taipei City Government (Fire Department as competent authority)
No official resource yet
No official how-to video for releasing a lantern yet; festival allocation rules aren't verified.
See also the skills guide: Lanterns & floating lights → · All skills guides
What we could and couldn't confirm
Before you book
- Festival lantern allocation and release-slot rules are not verified.
- 2027 dates are NOT published yet (2026: 27 Feb and 3 Mar).
- Costs are not listed on buildwith. Check them, and the latest dates, on the official site.
Official and source links
All links open in a new tab. Every fact on this page is logged in sources.md.
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