TAIPEI (The China Post) — Get ready to fall for Taiwan this autumn at WISH, the island’s first-ever sustainable sky lantern festival taking place this October.
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.
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.
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.
The event has a big focus on sustainability and will use eco-friendly sky lanterns (designed by Bank of culture) 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.
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 coal mining 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.
