Taipei Travel

The 2026 Taipei Lantern Festival Ximen Area has partnered with internationally renowned designer toy brand ''POP MART'' to present five lantern installations centered on Year of the Horse limited editions of six popular IP characters. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an officially illuminated the Ximen Area this evening (Feb. 26).

The 8-meter-tall ''Baby Molly'' main lantern gradually lit up amid dazzling special-effect light beams, surround electronic tickers, and more than 20 sets of varied lighting effects. Rainbow-colored lights and floating bubbles filled Ximen with a sweet and dreamy atmosphere. The public is invited to enjoy the lantern displays throughout the festival while exploring nearby commercial districts, temples, and attractions—discovering the city by day and capturing brilliant lantern scenes by night to experience the vibrancy and splendor of the 2026 Taipei Lantern Festival.

In his remarks, Mayor Chiang noted that the Ximen Area officially opens with today's lighting ceremony. He said the Baby Molly main lantern is charming for photos during the day and especially enchanting at night. As the World Baseball Classic (WBC) approaches, a ''WBC Bravo'' lantern installation has also been introduced to invite the public to cheer for Team Taiwan. In addition, lantern installations created by artists and local temples showcase Taipei’s diverse and inclusive urban character.

Mayor Chiang shared that his personal favorite is the ''Twinkle Twinkle'' lantern installation, featuring a distinctive blue-and-white porcelain design with adorable little horses reflected in its eyes. In addition to bringing his second and third sons to admire the six popular character lantern installations, he plans to return with his wife. Joking that, as someone born in the Year of the Horse, friends had reminded him to appease the Tai Sui deity, he added that ''appeasing his wife'' is even more important. He concluded by wishing everyone success, swift achievement, and happiness in the Year of the Horse.

The Department of Information and Tourism stated that all six major IP lantern installations in the Ximen Area are presented in exclusive Year of the Horse editions. The 6-meter-tall blue-and-white porcelain-themed ''Twinkle Twinkle'' installation is located above Exit 6 of MRT Ximen Station, creatively integrating the artwork with the surrounding landscape. Along Chengdu Road toward Zhonghua Road, the ''Hirono'' and ''LABUBU'' installations invite visitors into a world of childlike wonder and imagination. The “SKULLPANDA” and ''DIMOO'' installations incorporate Taipei-exclusive details, including the rotating Maokong Gondola, the colorful Ferris wheel of Taipei Children's Amusement Park, and landmarks such as the Taipei Performing Arts Center and Dahu Park, allowing visitors to relive familiar Taipei memories while enjoying the displays.

In addition to trendy IP-themed installations, the Ximen Area also features traditional lanterns, locally themed displays, and artist-designed works. Nearly 100 traditional lanterns from the national competition are exhibited at Zhongshan Hall Plaza. Local temples and enterprises have also participated by presenting themed lantern installations, adding rich and vibrant visual highlights to the entire area.

As the Taipei Lantern Festival coincides with the WBC World Baseball Classic, the Department has also launched the ''Home Run for Dreams'' lantern installation in the Ximen Area. For a limited time, a cheering wall has been added, where Bravo, dressed in the Team Taiwan uniform, invites visitors to show their support and cheer for Team Taiwan.

Beyond the festival's main attractions, surrounding commercial districts are offering limited-time promotions and festive decorations. Highlights include Easy Wallet spending discounts in the Ximen Commercial District, the ''Stroll Market'' event in Rong Ting Commercial District, the Colorful Lantern Festival in Yuanling Street Commercial District, a Taipei Lantern Festival Photography Competition hosted by North Gate Camera Street, a social media check-in prize draw along New Zhonghua Road Audio-Visual and Electric Street, and the ''Lanterns Lighting Monga: 2026 Horse Year Lantern Festival'' in Wanhua Commercial District.

The Department added that the 2026 Taipei Lantern Festival runs from February 25 to March 15 for a total of 19 days. Exhibition hours are 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM on weekdays and 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM on weekends. Lanterns are illuminated daily from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM. The ''Baby Molly'' main lantern show begins on February 26 and runs from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, with performances every 20 minutes.

The Department kindly reminds the public that smoking is prohibited within the Ximen Area and surrounding areas to ensure a comfortable viewing experience; those who wish to smoke should use designated smoking areas. During the event period (February 25–March 15), partial traffic control will be implemented at certain times on Hanzhong Street, Youyang Street, and Xiushan Street. As no parking is available at the venue, visitors are encouraged to use public transportation. MRT Ximen Station provides direct access to the Ximen Area for convenient and hassle-free travel.