Thousands gather for Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival ahead of Lantern Festival

New Taipei, Feb. 8 (CNA) Thousands of tourists and locals gathered in New Taipei's Pingxi District on Saturday for the annual sky lantern festival, where glowing sky lanterns, carrying heartfelt wishes, were released into the evening sky, creating a mesmerizing spectacle of floating lights that embody a cherished tradition.

The 2025 Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival features two sessions, with the first taking place on Saturday evening at Pingxi Junior High School, drawing crowds eager to participate in the tradition of releasing sky lanterns bearing hand-written blessings like "good health" and "may all things go as planned" in the run-up to Lantern Festival on Feb. 12.

Among those who sent up sky lanterns was Jesus Zafra, a student from Mexico, who said his friends in Taiwan had recommended the event to him as the festival is "an experience that I definitely cannot miss" during the Lunar New Year.

"The energy here is just great ... and the atmosphere is really fun," Zafra said, adding that both participants and staff were very welcoming. "I'm very grateful to be here and have this experience," he added.

Studying Chinese at National Taiwan Normal University, the 21-year-old added that he and his friends released sky lanterns in different colors, each carrying their wishes for academic success as they are all students in Taiwan.

Also attending the festival for the first time, Wu Chen-yu (吳振宇) told CNA that he and his girlfriend traveled from Taoyuan to Pingxi by train to witness "the sight of multiple sky lanterns rising into the air."

"It's a part of Taiwan's culture ... I wanted to see how the actual scene compares to what I imagined," Wu said, adding that not even the cold weather could stop him from attending the event.

Unable to secure tickets to release a sky lantern at the festival, the 30-year-old engineer said that if given the chance, he would write blessings for his family and friends, wishing them good health and success in their work.

First held in 1999 by Taipei County Tourism and Travel Department, the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival attracts tens of thousands of participants each year and has been recommended by numerous international travel channels and publications as a must-see event when visiting Taiwan, according to the festival's official website.

The tradition dates back to Taiwan's early development, when villagers used sky lanterns as signals to inform each other of their safety when hiding from bandits, the website notes.

Over time, the release of sky lanterns became a local custom, with villagers writing wishes on lanterns and releasing them on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, the Lantern Festival, to express their hopes for the year ahead and seek blessings from the gods for their family.

"Because of this, sky lanterns are also known as "blessing lanterns" or "peace lanterns," the website says.

With the Pingxi session concluding around 9:20 p.m. on Saturday, organizers estimated 2,000-3,000 participants were in attendance. The second session is scheduled to take place on Feb. 12 at Shifen Sky Lantern Square from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.