Taipei Lantern Festival 2025 Guide + Photos

Taiwan lantern festivals are always amazing, and the 2025 Taipei Lantern Festival returns from 2 February 2025 to 14 February 2025.

Taking place in the Ximending District, the Taipei Lantern Festival 2025 is easily accessible from Beimen MRT Station or Ximen MRT Station.

Better still, the Taipei Lantern Festival is free to visit and one of our favourite things to do in Taipei at night.

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We were lucky enough to visit the last Taipei Lantern Festival and the huge illuminations and large-scale light displays were magical!

Please note the Taipei Lantern Festival 2025 is different from the Taiwan Lantern Festival, which this year takes place in Taoyuan on 12–23 February 2025. This is the national Taiwan Lantern Festival (the 36th anniversary in 2025) which rotates around different Taiwan cities each Lunar New Year – last year was Tainan which we visited; it was amazing!

Check out our guide to the 2025 Taiwan Lantern Festival in Taoyuan here >

You might like – Our 1 day Taipei highlights itinerary or our 3 day best of Taipei itinerary

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Taipei Lantern Festival dates 2025

Celebrated after Lunar New Year, the Taipei Lantern Festival runs from 2 February 2025 until 16 February 2025 – no tickets or admission is required.

The Taipei Lantern Festival usually lights up nightly from dusk and runs until the early hours – many of the lantern displays get turned off around midnight.

In Taipei this January 2025 for Lunar New Year? Check out our guide the Dihua Street Lunar New Year Market, Taipei’s biggest Lunar New Year Market that runs from 13 January 2025 to 26 January 2025.

You might also like – Our guide to the best January 2025 Taipei and Taiwan events or our pick of the best February 2025 Taiwan events

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Where is the Taipei Lantern Festival held?

A short walk from both the Beimen and Ximen MRT Stations, the Taipei Lantern festival 2025 runs from outside Beimen MRT Station all the way to Nishi Honganji Temple in Ximending, Zhongzheng District, along Zhonghua Road.

The vast majority of Taipei Lantern Festival illuminations take place on the east side of the road, parallel to the Ximending entertainment district.

A few other lanterns and light displays sometimes also pop up on the side-streets and foot bridges along Zhonghua Road.

When we visited the festival last time in February 2024, one of the main footbridges had been turned into a tunnel of lights – it was a popular selfie spot and had a small queue to go up the steps.

You might like – 40+ things to do in Ximending, Taipei >

How to get to the Taipei Lantern Festival

The Taipei Lantern Festival is located in Taipei’s Wanhua District by Ximending – it has its own MRT Station (Ximen station) located on the blue Bannian Line and the Green Songshan Xindian Line.

Once you get to Ximen MRT station, take exit 6 for the main Ximending entertainment district and walking street or exit 1 to head towards The Red House.

Or alternatively, you can alight at Beimen MRT and take exit 1 to start at the north side of Taipei Lantern Festival.

Check out our Taipei neighbourhoods guides:
Beitou >
Dihua Street and Dadaocheng >
Tamsui >
Xinyi >
Zhongshan >

Also check out our guide to the best neighbourhoods in Taipei >

What to expect

Launching 2 February 2025, the Taipei Lantern Festival welcomes over a million visitors each year and is another great reason to visit the Ximending area of Taipei, a fantastic place to see the best of Taipei at night.

Although both Ximending and the Taipei Lantern Festival are very busy (welcoming tourists from all over the world), this is one of the biggest and best free events in Taipei in February 2025 (and each year).

There are usually 20 to 30 large scale illuminations and lanterns as part of the Taipei Lantern Festival. As the 2025 Lunar New Year is the year of the snake, expect to see a serpent themed lantern or two. Don’t worry – they (probably) won’t bite.

Many of the Taiwan lanterns at the Taipei Lantern Festival will feature local Taipei landmarks like Taipei 101 and Jiufen’s tea houses recreated in lantern form.

The famous Formosa bear, Oh Bear, also features heavily amongst the lantern displays, as the annual Taipei Lantern Festival is organised by Taiwan Tourism.

There may also be lanterns from other cities and countries, who partner with Taiwan Tourism to install their own large lanterns and lightscapes.

As well as lanterns, there are lots of light tunnels which you can walk through – plus there are so many other distractions and things to at.

You might like – Things to do in Taipei with kids >

Light Show

As well as static lanterns, Taipei Lantern Festival usually has a light show which takes place at regular intervals right next to Ximen station exit 6.

In 2024, we watched the Taipei Lantern Festival a few times as our hotel was only a short walk away (we were staying very close by at the CitizenM Taipei North Gate – a great hotel with amazing views).

The light show consists of lasers, lights synchronised to music plus a huge dragon head that lit up with fire and smoke effects plus bubbles – all quite trippy but fun. It was OK for a free display (but nothing special).

Other Taiwan / Taipei Lantern Festival events in 2025

Taipei Lantern Festival isn’t the only Taiwan lantern event in February 2025 or after Lunar New Year.

Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival & Mass Release 2025

We love exploring the Pingxi line, especially Shifen waterfall and Houtong Cat Village.

Every year, a mass lantern release takes place along the Pingxi line (usually in Shifen at the Shifen Lantern Release Square or Pingxi Junior High School).

The 2025 Pingxi Lantern Festival and mass lantern release dates are confirmed as Saturday 8 February 2025 (at Pingxi Junior School) and Wednesday 12 February (at Shifen Square, near Shifen Waterfall).

Here at the Pingxi Lantern Festival 2025, thousands of lanterns are released across both nights and the whole Pingxi sky lights up in unison. You can write messages of good luck, prosperity and wishes on your lanterns before watching them whoosh into the sky.

Book your 2025 Pingxi Lantern festival tickets with KK Day here >

December 2024 update – there is very limited KK Day availability and one of the dates has already sold out. More tickets may be released.

Please also note you can release lanterns on the Pingxi railway line along Shifen Old Street every day of the year but it is not a mass release and it does not take place at night.

Check out our guide to the Pingxi Line and its lanterns here >

Book your day-time Shifen Old Street lantern release with KK Day and Klook (over 10k booked).

You might like – Our guide to more major Taiwan events in February 2025 >

Taiwan Lantern Festival 2025 – Taoyuan, 12 to 23 February 2025

The Taipei Lantern Festival 2025 is different from the Taiwan Lantern Festival, which this year takes place in Taoyuan on the 12–23 February 2025 (a 20 minute high speed rail ride away from Taipei).