Pingxi Lantern Festival boasts photography contest, prayers for the world

2024-01-19

Pingxi Lantern Festival is almost here! The annual celebration of light will take place over two days this year, with some extra special events. On Feb. 17, revelers can head to Pingxi Junior High to watch lantern releases and live performances. On Feb. 24, which is Lantern Festival on the lunar calendar, the festivities will be at Shifen Square. Some of the special events this year include a photography contest, and a ceremony to release prayers for the world, from 100 guests of different nationalities.

A group of cheerleaders, is here in New Taipei to shoot an advert for the sky lantern festival. They walk the famous suspension bridge, check out the stalls on Shifen Old Street and Pingxi Old Street, and of course set off a lantern with prayers. One of the three is CTBC Brothers cheerleader Sammie, here to encourage visitors to attend the festival.

Yang Tszung-min
New Taipei Tourism Department head
There will be a magnificent spectacle here on Feb. 17 and 24. We have a drumming performance from local schools - junior high and elementary students – and we also have well-known singers.

Sammie
CTBC Brothers Cheerleading Team member
We will give a dance performance onstage in Shifen Square on Feb. 24. We’ll perform individually and then as a group.

Pingxi Lantern Festival has been dubbed one of the best lantern festivals in the world by international media. Now entering its 26th year, it’s offering seven major events, including a photography competition, and a simultaneous release of 100 prayer lanterns by guests of different nationalities.

Chen Chun-ching
Deputy mayor of New Taipei
We have two brand-new events this year. One is the photography competition. The other is that we sought out 100 people from around the world, who gave us 100 wishes in writing. We’re taking those messages and write or paint them on the sky lanterns. That will be the special event this year, and it’s a prayer for the whole world.

The festival is also partnering with Taiwan Railway for the first time this year, to release a limited edition of commemorative bento boxes. If you’re on a railway around the festive season, watch out for a way to bring the lanterns into your meal.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

平溪天燈節邁入第26年　推七大亮點活動

2024-01-19

一年一度的新北市平溪天燈節，將於2月17日於平溪國中及2月24日元宵節當日十分廣場登場。市府推陳出新，推出攝影比賽，邀情民眾投稿拿獎金，還跟台鐵首次聯名合作推出限定便當，而形象廣告找來三位中華職棒啦啦隊成員來拍攝，其中一名啦啦隊女孩”短今”，也在活動記者會現身，邀請民眾一起來平溪放天燈祈福！

青春洋溢的啦啦隊女孩，來到新北市拍攝天燈節形象廣告，走訪吊橋、十分老街、平溪老街，當然少不了放天燈祈福。三名女孩當中，其中一名職棒啦啦隊成員短今，也在活動記者會現身，邀請大家來看表演。

[[新北市觀旅局長楊宗珉]]
“2月17號跟2月24號這兩天，一定有精彩的活動，包含我們跟在地的，在地學校，國中，國小來做鼓藝的表演，另外，也有知名的歌手”

[[職棒中信啦啦隊成員短今]]
“我們是2月24的時候會在十分廣場，我們會表演舞蹈，我們會有單獨的表演，然後，也會有合體的表演”

平溪天燈節被國際媒體稱為是全球最佳節慶之一，今年邁入第26年舉辦，推出七大亮點活動，包括攝影比賽、百人國際心願升空，邀請不同國籍的旅客一起放天燈祈福。

[[新北市副市長陳純敬]]
“有兩個新的活動是往年所沒有的，第一個就是我們天燈的攝影比賽，第二個就是我們要蒐集國際友人，超過100個以上的心願，在文字上面提供給我們，然後我們就把它寫在，或者是畫在我們的天燈上面，來成為我們今年的特色，也是對全世界來祈福”

今年天燈節首度和台鐵聯名合作，推出限定便當，要讓民眾出遊也能吃飽飽。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週日至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00