The theme of this years lantern festival revolves around the 12 year Chinese zodiac cycles year of the pig. It's round shape symbolizes wealth and good fortune and is believed to bring good luck. Local public transportation hubs are often swamped by the event. The station staff at Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall Station do an excellent job of crowd control but lines for the subway can still be hours long and very exhausting. A sudden rain storm on Sunday night (March 4)caused a mass exodus of people to head for the station prompting lines that backed up into the street. The ccommuting crowds can be avoided however by walking from NTU Hospital Station or Shandao Station. Both of these stops are only about a 20 minute walk from the event and have no crowds at all. If you really want to avoid the crowds, definitely avoid the weekends. Wait until the fourth or fifth day of the festival when the crowds will have dwindled. I visited the festival on Saturday night, the opening night, and there was literally a sea of people in the square. I went back the next Tuesday night and there was almost no one there . Just a few stray photographers taking advantage of the unimpeded views of the lanterns. The festival runs through March 11 this year.
The theme of this years lantern festival revolves around the 12 year Chinese zodiac cycles year of the pig. Its round shape symbolizes wealth and good fortune and is believed to bring good luck. Local public transportation hubs are often swamped by the event. The station staff at Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall Station do an excellent job of crowd control but lines for the subway can still be hours long and very exhausting. A sudden rain storm on Sunday night (March 4)caused a mass exodus of people to head for the station prompting lines that backed up into the street. The commuting crowds can be avoided however by walking from NTU Hospital Station or Shandao Station. Both of these stops are only about a 20 minute walk from the event and have no crowds at all. If you really want to avoid the crowds, definitely avoid the weekends. Wait until the fourth or fifth day of the festival when the crowds will have dwindled. I visited the festival on Saturday night, the opening night, and there was a sea of people in the square. I went back the next Tuesday night and there was almost no one there , just a few stray photographers taking advantage of the unimpeded views of the lanterns. The festival runs through March 11 this year.
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