The splendid 2018 Penghu International Ocean Fireworks Festival attracted more than 20,000 visitors to watch the fireworks show
Press Section
2018-04-19
1341
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“Five, four, three, two, one!” 20,000 spectators attended the much-awaited 2018 Penghu International Ocean Fireworks Festival, which sent gorgeous fireworks in the pristine night sky to kick off the year's tourism season on April 19th.
This year saw the 16th edition of the “Penghu International Ocean Fireworks Festival,” a summer feast that always attracts numerous tourists. As one of the classic tourism events among the counties and cities of Taiwan, more than 400,000 people have joined the festivities in recent years. More than 1,150,000 tourists visited Penghu last year, further boosting the county’s flourishing tourism sector.
At 18:40 the warm-up to the party, sponsored by PROFOND Co., Ltd. and Discovery Hotel Co., Ltd., started with Air Force brothers flying four Ching-kuo Indigenous Defense Fighters from Xiying Rainbow Bridge to give a breath-taking show overhead. At 19:10 the rhythmic drums and dancers of the Wuhongguan Lion Dance Troupe spectacularly opened the show, followed by Anna aka “the strongest, strangest newcomer” and rock and roll band The Last Day of Summer / 831, who took the mood to new heights. There was also a PROFOND lucky draw with fantastic prizes, and the crowd was going wild.
At 20:59, county magistrate Chen Kuang-fu led the VIP guests and the 20,000 spectators in a count-down to the first fireworks exploding in dazzling color across the night sky. In an innovation from past editions, this year's fireworks display involved a series of floating platforms connecting Xiying Rainbow Bridge and the sea barriers, creating one kilometer of high-speed, high-power pyrotechnic wonders including magical three-dimensional fireworks that combined traditional fireworks with modern special effects that defied gravity. The novel visual effects were stunning and kept the spectators cheering and applauding throughout the 20-minute pyrotechnic spectacle.
Chen Kuang-fu stated that, with its stunning scenery, sumptuous seafood, friendly people, wonderful accommodation, and convenient connections and local transportation, Penghu is very much worth visiting. This year's Penghu International Ocean Fireworks Festival included international pyrotechnic teams from Spain, Bulgaria, Belgium, and Mainland China. Lying on the beach, watching the fireworks and the stars is a wonderful experience. He thanked and welcomed all people that love Penghu. In August Penghu will host the annual meeting of the Club of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World. Concurrently the county government will host a series of events including the Iron Man International Triathlon, a yacht show, an International Harbor Forum, a beauty pageant, culinary events, etc. to which everyone is warmly invited.
President of the Legislative Yuan Su Jia-chyuan, who has attended the Penghu fireworks festivals for many years, said that Penghu is a great place to unwind. Under the leadership of county magistrate Chen, the fireworks festival has grown in scale and scope and has become a signature event for Penghu. Unlike the fireworks on Taipei 101 on Taiwan proper for National Day and New Year's Eve, only Penghu offers fireworks on the ocean, which is unique in Taiwan. It’s wonderful to feel the hope and warmth when gazing at the fireworks holding hands with friends and family – those are the true magic sparks of these fireworks.
The Tourism Office stated that the 2018 annual meeting of the Club of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World will be held in Penghu towards the end of the year. This year's Penghu International Ocean Fireworks Festival, themed “Dazzling Penghu, Shiny World,” will run through 21 June, with 25 shows held on every Monday, every Thursday, and the Saturdays of 28 April, 5 and 12 May, and 9 June, plus Wednesday 23 May and Tuesday 12 June. The firework shows will rotate along five villages and Magong City on Penghu. More than 500,000 visitors are expected, which would be a new record.
The Penghu County Temple Palanquins Association also contributed to the opening of the fireworks festival through a street procession titled “Brilliant Palanquins Meet Dazzling Fireworks 2018.” At 18:40 President of the Legislative Yuan Su Jia-chyuan, county magistrate Chen Kuang-fu, and VIP guests fired cannon to kick off a parade of neon-lit wujiao temple palanquins from Xindian Road along Tonghe Road, Zhonghua Road, and Zhiping Road to County Hall Square. A percussion band Mingyuan Kindergarten, a cymbal and drum troupe of Huxi Community, and parasol dance groups of various temples gave entertaining performances. After the fireworks show, county magistrate Chen Kuang-fu and County Council Speaker Liu Chen Chao-ling fired a horse cannon to send the parade back from County Hall Square along Zhongzheng Road to Shihu Square. Residents and visitors took selfies with the palanquins and parading groups, and the streets of Magong City were abuzz with happy crowds deep into the night.
After county magistrate Chen and VIPs opened the 2018 Penghu International Ocean Fireworks Festival, county magistrate Chen and President of the Legislative Yuan Su Jia-chyuan fired the cannon, and rock and roll band The Last Day of Summer / 831 took the stage, fireworks were lit in the streets, and gaudy palanquins were paraded about.
