Looks like the 28th Feb is the date for the main lantern release. Anyone going?
28th is too far ahead to plan, but what time do they release them??? I’d love to go. We have driven to Pingxi but will you be taking the train??? Around when??
Sorry too many questions, but then I’d get a general idea of how to plan the day- for the KIDDOS!!!
I think they start releasing around 6pm and go on until 10. Not sure how we’ll get there - maybe a bus or taxi from Muzha.
oh cool. Thanks. 6 seems like a decent hour. Thanks, we’ll probably drive down and waste hours to find a place to park :loco:
Yep, train, but with exchange.
They add buses from Zoo Station, so you can take MRT then switch to buses.
Traffic restrictions that day. Only way to get there is shuttle bus from Muzha or the Pingxi railway line, which will be overcrowded as hell.
We took the shuttle to the firework festival a few months ago. NEVER AGAIN!!! :no-no:
We took the shuttle to the firework festival a few months ago. NEVER AGAIN!!! :no-no:[/quote]
It’s different. That was a one time, badly planned event. This Pinxi thing, there is transportation by train or bus, plus it is a week long, so crowds spread out a bit more evenly.
And they have big buses for the visitors.
The last time I went I met up with BelgianPie, we drove early that day to the first exit on freeway 5, parked the car there and took the shuttle from there (lived in Longtan at that time, so had to come with car to Taipei anyway…).
We were really early and took planty of shots in the village that day too. There are lots of things going on before it gets dark, people buying their own bit laterns and than writting their wishes on, etc.
There are also great shots possible when the village fills with people, basically people walking on the train line and than when a train comes they splitt and the train just rolls with walking speed through the crowd, kind of what you see on documentaries about India… 
We also headed off a bit earlier and didn’t wait till the very last start, so we had a comparable easy ride back, got out with the car without problems too than.
here one of the lucky shots I took that time…
Not sure how I will have time this year.
I would love to go! Question : coming from Kaohsiung what would be the easiest, cheapest and quickest way to get there? Much more importance on easy and cheap.
Bus or train to Taipei, MRT to Zoo Station, shuttle to Pingxi.
I would love to go to Pingxi for the lantern festival! Does anyone know the actual times for the buses by chance? Or maybe a website where you can find more information in English (my Chinese is pretty bad)? Thanks! 
Unfortunately, the official Web site for the Pingxi sky lantern festival doesn’t have any English this year.
But as for the buses, there will be lots of them … because there will be lots of people.
We have a photographers group meeting at 1pm at the zoo MRT if anyone wants to join us.
And then you’ll head for Pingxi or later???
Yes, we’ll head out there then and get out there early. Come along.
Thanks. Will do.
I thought the sky lanterns were illegal now?!?
i thought the pingxi high school release wasnt until 3/6?
Only in restaurants.