“We are pleased so many people from home and abroad chose to take part in the event,” Taichung City Mayor Lin Chia-lung said. “There is no question that the festival is one of the biggest and most successful of its kind in the world.”
The 17-day event wrapped up with an extravaganza of light, music and sound. Highlights included a 23.4-meter sheep-shaped main lantern, the tallest of its kind in the festival’s 25-year history, as well as fireworks and performances by local groups like Dance Works and Bloco Forca.
Themed cultural city life, intelligent living and low-carbon emissions, the event was held at three venues totaling 350,000 square meters. Its lantern display was special in that it featured creations by more than 10 teams from Japan and mainland China.
“This international aspect of the display diversified the festival’s appeal,” Lin said, adding that it helped chalk up around 60,000 tourist visits from around the world and attracted more than 100 members of the foreign media.
With Taoyuan City set to host the 2016 edition of the festival, Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan accepted the traditional lantern from Lin and vowed to take the event to new heights. “Taichung did a great job and we hope to deliver an even better performance next year.” (DF-JSM)
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