Taiwan’s first eco-friendly lantern festival is happening this October

Fall for Taiwan this autumn with MyTaiwanTour

Get ready to fall for Taiwan this autumn at WISH, the island’s first-ever sustainable sky lantern festival taking place this October. 

(Read also: 8 questions with the creators of Taiwan’s first-ever eco-friendly sky lantern)

Sky lanterns are synonymous with Taiwanese culture and tradition and WISH is both recognizing Taiwan’s past and looking out for Taiwan’s future by using eco-friendly sky-lanterns in an effort to protect the environment. (Read also: Retrieving Sky Lanterns in Pingxi)

WISH, named in recognition of Pingxi’s local history, is a magical evening deep in the forest with live music, craft beer, local arts & crafts and a farm-to-table dining experience featuring Taiwan’s organic produce, followed by lighting up the night’s sky with eco-friendly lanterns that’ll burn up without a trace. 

farm-to-table feast (image source: Taiwan Scene)
farm-to-table feast (image source: Taiwan Scene)
Super chill live music (image source: Unsplash)

The festival is organized by local travel agency MyTaiwanTour, a company with the purpose of facilitating travel to and around Taiwan, employing local tour guides with a passion to share their nation with the world. (Read also: Ten Festivals Worth Planning your Taiwan Holiday around

The event has a big focus on sustainability and will use eco-friendly sky lanterns (designed by cultural Bank) rather than traditional ones in an effort to reduce waste. The event’s goal is to not only highlight Taiwan as a viable tourism destination, but put the spotlight on sustainable tourism as a concept and showcase ecotourism as a realistic way of traveling the world. 

Traditional sky lanterns leave waste in the forest (image source: Taiwan Scene)
Eco Sky Lantern in the air (image source: Bank of Culture)
A guest decorates her eco -friendly sky lantern (image source: Taiwan Scene)

MyTaiwanTour will be offering public transportation to reduce the number of private vehicles coming into Pingxi for WISH and part of the revenue will go towards a tree planting fund to help offset the carbon emissions produced from the burning of the lanterns. 

Music will come from the likes of GMA-winning Gina’s Can and smooth jazz outfit Lady & Knights, while there will also be the opportunity to visit the local coalmining museum to learn more about Pingxi’s mining history and take a ride on an old-school train previously used for transporting coal.

General admission tickets are US$50 and Forest VIP Passes, including the farm-to-table dining experience, are US$120. Both classes of ticket include an US$10 (NT$300) coupon for food and drinks at the venue, transportation, lantern releasing and a copy of the summer issue of Smile Taiwan magazine. For more information, visit the official WISH website.

MyTaiwanTour is also offering package deals as part of WISH.

Join them for a day tour ahead of the event or a trip to nearby Jiufen: Jiufen and Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival Tour (Limited Edition)

Enjoy an ultimate tour of Taipei then join us to light up the night’s sky with your own eco-friendly lantern: Ultimate Taipei & Sky Lantern Festival Tour (Limited Edition)