Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival: When to Go and What to Expect
最終更新日: 2026年5月15日
The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is held in the mountain town of Pingxi, New Taipei City, during the Lunar New Year period, with two official mass-release events scheduled for February 27 and March 3, 2026. This guide covers when to go, how to get there, what it costs, the rules you have to follow, and what to actually expect on the ground.
Last updated: May 15, 2026
When the 2026 Festival Happens
The New Taipei City government runs the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival as a two-night event tied to the Lunar New Year season. For 2026, the official mass releases are:
- February 27, 2026 at Pingxi Junior High School
- March 3, 2026 at Shifen Sky Lantern Square
The March 3 event at Shifen runs mass releases every 20 minutes from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., with 150 lanterns per release, for a total of 1,350 lanterns across the evening. Crowds at the mass-release sites can exceed 80,000 visitors per night, so timing your arrival and departure matters.
If you cannot make those two specific dates, you can still buy and release a lantern in Shifen on most other days of the year, subject to local rules covered below. The town itself becomes the experience: glowing paper lanterns drifting up over the valley, food stalls, and a working single-track railway threading through the middle of the action.
The festival was first held in 1999 and is now Taiwan's most internationally recognized folk event. It usually coincides with two larger separate events worth knowing about:
- 2026 Taiwan Lantern Festival (the national event, 37th edition): March 3 to 15, 2026, hosted in Chiayi near the Chiayi HSR station.
- 2026 Taipei Lantern Festival: February 25 to March 15, 2026, in Ximending. Free admission. Lighting hours are 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
- New Taipei City Lantern Festival 2026: February 20 to March 8, 2026, at New Metropolitan Park in Sanchong district.
These are static ground-based lantern displays, not sky lantern releases. They pair well with a Pingxi day trip if you have a few days in northern Taiwan.
Getting to Pingxi and Shifen
Pingxi is about 40 km east of central Taipei, reached most easily by a combination of TRA mainline train and the historic Pingxi branch line. Driving is heavily restricted on event days (see below), so public transport is the realistic option.
By train
- Take a Taiwan Railway (TRA) local train from Taipei Main Station to Ruifang Station. Journey time is 30 to 40 minutes; the fare is approximately NT$76.
- At Ruifang, transfer to the Pingxi Line, a 12.9 km branch built by Japanese colonial authorities in 1921, with 8 stops ending at Jingtong.
- Get off at Shifen for the main festival venue, or Pingxi for the junior high school venue.
Fares and tickets:
Option | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Pingxi Line single ride | NT$15 to NT$30 | Depends on stations; EasyCard accepted |
Pingxi Line one-day pass | NT$80 | Unlimited hop-on/hop-off; sold at Taipei Main, Ruifang, Houtong, Sandiaoling, Shifen, Pingxi, Jingtong |
First train from Ruifang | 05:07 | |
Last return from Jingtong | 20:29 | Plan your exit before this |
The one-day pass is almost always the right call if you plan to stop in Shifen, Pingxi, and Jingtong.
By bus
- Festival shuttle buses run on event days only, starting at 9 a.m., from Taipei Zoo, Keelung Station, Shuangxi Station, and other points. One-way fares are NT$15 to NT$50 depending on the route; the return leg is free.
- Bus 795 from MRT Muzha Station runs to Shifen and Pingxi for roughly NT$45.
Driving (not recommended on event days)
On February 27 and March 3, 2026, traffic controls are in force on City Route 106 and the Shifen section of Provincial Highway 2-C from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. All vehicles, including motorcycles, are blocked except residents with valid permits and authorized lantern transport vehicles.
Releasing a Lantern: Options and Fees
There are two ways to release a lantern at the official festival, plus the everyday option of buying one from a Shifen shop.
1. Online pre-registration (official festival lantern)
- Cost: NT$200 per lantern.
- You receive an activity number that you exchange between 14:00 and 17:00 on the event day for a lantern voucher and a gift.
- One lantern is shared by 4 people.
- No refunds after payment.
2. Free on-site tickets
- Distributed at the festival service counter from 10:30 a.m. on event days.
- One lantern shared by 2 to 4 people, first come, first served.
- Quantities are limited; if you want one of these, plan to arrive in Pingxi or Shifen by mid-morning.
3. Buy from a Shifen shop (any day of the year)
- Standardized at NT$200 to NT$300 per lantern (about US$6 to US$10), depending on the number of colors and wishes you write.
- Shops provide brushes and ink, help you light the lantern, and usually take photos for you.
- Lanterns must meet New Taipei City specifications: base frame diameter 60 to 70 cm, height 130 to 140 cm, paper shell outer diameter 360 to 370 cm, weight under 300 grams, fueled by a kerosene and soybean oil mixture.
Rules You Need to Know
Sky lantern releases are regulated under the New Taipei City Sky Lantern Release Management Regulations. The rules matter both for safety and because fines are real.
- Lanterns may only be released between the Shifen Visitor Center and Shigong Bridge, within 200 m of the Keelung River.
- Releases are banned between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
- Violators face fines of up to NT$3,000 under the Fire Services Act.
- Releasing a lantern on the railway tracks is illegal. In August 2025, two YouTubers were fined NT$10,000 (about US$320) for doing exactly that at Shifen Station. Tourists routinely see photos of people lighting lanterns on the tracks; this is no longer tolerated, and enforcement has stepped up.
- Vendors who fail to affix the required certificate sticker or refuse to comply with regulations face fines from NT$3,000 to NT$100,000 based on the number of lanterns sold.
A note on the railway: Taiwan Railway Corp. temporarily lifted the lantern ban on Pingxi tracks at Shifen, Pingxi, and Jingtong stations from late November 2025 through end of January 2026 during line repair closures, but that window has now closed. Trains are running again, and releasing on active track is back to being prosecuted.
Beyond Pingxi, sky lanterns are banned outright in 10 jurisdictions across Taiwan: Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Taichung City, Kaohsiung City, Hsinchu County, Miaoli County, Changhua County, Chiayi County, Chiayi City, and Pingtung County. Pingxi District is one of the few places where releases are legal.
What to Expect on the Day
A realistic timeline for the March 3, 2026 mass release at Shifen:
- Morning (9 to 11 a.m.): Arrive in Ruifang, switch to the Pingxi Line. Get off at Shifen if you want a chance at free tickets at the 10:30 a.m. counter opening, or Jingtong if you want to start at the quiet end of the line and work your way back.
- Midday (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.): Walk Shifen Old Street, eat. Try chicken rolls, peanut ice cream rolls, sausage on a stick, and stinky tofu. The Shifen Waterfall is a 20-minute walk from Shifen Station and worth the detour before crowds build.
- Afternoon (2 to 5 p.m.): If you pre-registered online, exchange your activity number for a voucher between 14:00 and 17:00.
- Evening (5 to 6 p.m.): Get into position at Shifen Sky Lantern Square. By 6 p.m. it is packed.
- 6 to 9 p.m.: Mass releases every 20 minutes, 150 lanterns at a time.
- 9 to 10 p.m.: Leave promptly. The last Pingxi Line train back toward Ruifang from Jingtong is 20:29, and Shifen departures are similar. Missing it means a long taxi ride or an unplanned night in town.
Expect heavy crowds, slow walking pace on the old street, and limited bathroom availability. Cash is useful: many smaller stalls do not take cards or EasyCard. Pack a light jacket; February and early March in the Pingxi valley are damp and can be chilly, often around 10 to 15°C in the evenings.
Common Pitfalls
- Driving on event days. The 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. road closures on Route 106 and Highway 2-C make a private car nearly useless. Take the train.
- Missing the last train. The 20:29 last departure from Jingtong sneaks up on people. Build in buffer time.
- Lighting a lantern outside the legal zone. Releases are limited to the Shifen Visitor Center to Shigong Bridge stretch, within 200 m of the river, and outside the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. window. Shop staff in Shifen will guide you to the legal release area; do not freelance.
- Posing on the tracks. A signature Shifen photo, and a fast way to a fine or worse if a train comes.
- Assuming you can release a lantern anywhere in Taiwan. You cannot. Ten cities and counties ban them outright.
- Expecting the Taiwan Lantern Festival to be the same thing. The national 2026 event is in Chiayi, March 3 to 15. It is a separate ground-based light display, not a Pingxi sky release.
- Skipping pre-registration and then expecting a free ticket. Free on-site lanterns run out fast. If releasing your own lantern at the official event matters to you, pre-register and pay the NT$200.
FAQs
Are the lanterns environmentally harmful?
This is a real concern, and the local government has tried to address it. Sky lanterns must use approved materials, and Pingxi District runs a recovery program: elderly residents receive NT$8 per recovered bamboo frame and NT$1 per paper shell. Recovery rates are imperfect. New Taipei City is also working on a sustainable development ordinance for sky lanterns, awaiting Executive Yuan approval as of mid-2025. Check the New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Bureau for the latest figures.
Can I release a lantern any day, or only during the festival?
Any day, in Shifen, between the Visitor Center and Shigong Bridge, between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The two festival nights are special only because of the synchronized mass releases and the larger crowds.
Is Pingxi worth doing if I miss the festival dates?
Yes. Shifen Old Street, Shifen Waterfall, the Pingxi Line itself, the Houtong cat village, and Jingtong's quiet end-of-line atmosphere make a satisfying day trip from Taipei any time of year.
Where should I stay?
Most visitors base themselves in Taipei and day-trip out. A few small guesthouses operate in Pingxi and Jingtong if you want to stay overnight and see the area without the crowd. On event nights, local accommodation books out months ahead.
What about food in the area?
Shifen Old Street has the densest concentration. If you have time for night markets back in Taipei, see this guide to Taipei night markets.
Do I need to speak Mandarin?
No, but a little goes a long way. Shop staff in Shifen handle a lot of foreign visitors and can usually manage the basics in English. If you want to go deeper, a practical guide to learning Chinese is a reasonable place to start. Cantonese is not used in Taiwan, but if you are also passing through Hong Kong, here are some essential Cantonese travel phrases.
Where do I find official updates?
The New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Bureau and the official Taiwan Tourism site (eng.taiwan.net.tw) publish the current year's dates, traffic notices, and shuttle schedules. Confirm before you travel; details can shift close to the date.
If you plan to spend more than a day or two in Taiwan, picking up some Mandarin from real Taiwanese content (dramas, YouTube, food vlogs) makes everything easier, and Migaku is built for learning from exactly that kind of material.