With 2023 just around the corner, CNA has compiled a list of countdown parties and fireworks displays from around the country to help you choose where to celebrate the arrival of the new year.
Celebrities, singers, and dancers will entertain New Year’s revelers around Taiwan to say goodbye to 2022 with a blast.
Taipei
The New Year’s Eve countdown party and Taipei 101 fireworks display in the capital will be celebrated with performances by around a dozen celebrities and groups from 7 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 1 a.m. Jan. 1.
Korean singer Hyolyn, nicknamed “Korea’s Beyoncé,” will headline Taipei’s New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Other performers who will appear, according to Taipei’s Department of Information and Tourism, include female singers Tanya Chua, Rene Liu, 9m88, Julia Peng and Abao, as well as male solo acts such as WeiBird and Henry Hsu.
The Bestards, Flesh Juicer, Bisiugroup Amazing Show and Nine one one are among the groups set to take the stage.
This year’s annual Taipei 101 countdown fireworks display will be themed “Taipei is the Future” and celebrate the return of the Taiwan Lantern Festival to Taipei for the first time in 23 years.
It will last five minutes and fire off 16,000 fireworks and be accompanied by light displays on all four sides of the skyscraper to mark the beginning of the New Year.
The light show will emanate from a brand-new mesh screen or T-Pad, moving light beams, laser lights, animation and music, and feature a variety of patterns, including peace pigeons, smiley faces and the tree of life.
New Taipei
In New Taipei City, a 13 minute, 14 second fireworks show will be promised by the city government.
The city said it will launch fireworks simultaneously from Tamsui’s Danjiang Bridge and Fisherman’s Wharf as well as Bali’s aquatics center to create a visual spectacle on and above the area’s waters.
The show has also been touted as the earliest celebration around Taiwan, set to begin at 8:22 p.m. on Dec. 31.
Keelung
The tourism department of Keelung announced on Dec. 15 that the northern port city will rock its way into 2023.
As per tradition since 2017, Keelung has enlisted the participation of indi-bands to perform at the city’s New Year’s countdown event, with seven bands set to perform throughout the night at Guomen Square starting at 7:20 p.m.
The city also highlighted as a major attraction an 18-meter tall LED tree with a meter-high star of Bethlehem put up through the efforts of the city’s religious congregations.
The fireworks display for the city’s countdown event will be seven minutes long, the city said.
Taoyuan
Taoyuan’s “Show Taoyuan” countdown event will begin with a performance by two members of the Japanese music and dance troupe Exile — Akira, the husband of Taiwan’s super model Lin Chi-ling, and Shokichi.
The Kpop phenomenon will also hit Taoyuan, with South Korean girl group Viviz performing as the featured act of the “Show Taoyuan” extravaganza.
Also set to appear is the queen of Taiwanese drama themes, Della Ding Dang, who will be performing a medley of her TV songs, and other popular local acts.
To draw revelers to the Taoyuan event, being held in the square outside the high-speed rail Taoyuan Station, Taoyuan Deputy Mayor Li Hsien-ming (???) said the city government has arranged two free shuttle bus routes to take people to the city’s A21 Huanbei metro station, where they can continue their commute to the A18 Taoyuan HSR Station for the celebration.
The shuttle buses will be available from 6 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 2 a.m. Jan. 1, and connect the Huanbei metro station with the Taoyuan Train Station on one route and the Taoyuan Bus Zhongli Station on the other.
The city’s metro system will remain operational for 41 consecutive hours, Lee said.
Hsinchu County
The countdown performance will start in front of the Hsinchu County government offices in Zhubei at 5:30 p.m. and feature Taiwanese solo acts Bii and Eric Chou and a 180-second fireworks display.
Taichung
Taichung’s countdown celebration will be held at Taichung Central Park for the third year in a row.
A six-hour concert will go from 7 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 1 a.m. on Jan. 1, featuring popular Taiwanese band 831.
South Korean musician Shaun will also be performing at the event.
For those who are more into fireworks and lightshows, the Lihpao Land theme park and resort is another option for Taichung locals.
The theme park will put on a 330-second fireworks display paired with a light show highlighting the park’s famous Ferris wheel.
Sun Moon Lake
An 8-minute fireworks show over Sun Moon Lake will welcome in the new year in Nantou County. The fireworks will frame the lake’s beautiful setting and waters by setting off fireworks simultaneously from Shuishe Wharf and Ita Thao Pier at the stroke of midnight.
There will be no shuttle service to get people to the lake, and organizers urged visitors to try to get to the lake as early as possible to avoid traffic congestion.
Yunlin County
One of the longest New Year’s fireworks shows in central and southern Taiwan will be held in Yunlin County at the famous Janfusun Fancyworld theme park.
The theme park said it will deploy 400 drones in the sky near its Ferris wheel to create a light show lasting 13 minutes and 14 seconds.
Tainan
Tainan’s celebration, meanwhile, has been going on since Dec. 3 as a part of a month-long celebration in conjunction with Christmas.
Of the 20 groups of performers that will take the stage on Dec. 31, the headliners are Japan’s seven-member idol group Fruits Zipper and South Korea’s eight-member boy band Epex, who promise to bring younger revelers out to the city’s countdown bash.
Aside from the Japanese and South Korean groups, local acts will include Aaron Yan, Waa Wei and Eve Ai.
Kaohsiung
The port city of Kaohsiung has promised “back to back” spectacles. The city will first launch a celebration at 7 p.m. on Dec. 31 at the flagship Dream Mall.
The performance stage has been engineered to be an open theater where singers, dancers, and program hosts can interact with more of the audience.
The stage will be centered between two roads, enabling the celebration to pack in double the amount of attendees compared to years past.
A 180-second fireworks show will blast off at midnight to celebrate the arrival of 2023.
On New Year’s Day, the Kaohsiung Music Center will hold a second celebration at 8 p.m.
Aside from the staple musical performances, the featured attraction will be a fireworks show at 12 a.m. on Jan. 2.
The center said fireworks will be set off at Kaohsiung Harbor Piers No. 3 to No. 10, promising a visually stunning sight for people looking for a second night of New Year’s celebrations.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel