TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Taipei Lantern Festival (台北燈節) runs from Wednesday (Feb. 25) to Sunday (March 15), featuring Pop Mart's Baby Molly and Transformers installations across two exhibition areas. The festival showcases six themed installations in partnership with Pop Mart, including an 8-meter-tall (approximately 26-foot-tall) Baby Molly as the main lantern. It transforms Ximending (西門町), a popular shopping and entertainment district, and the Taipei Expo Park (圓山花博) at Yuanshan (圓山) into exhibition hubs.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) described the festival as an annual must-attend event for international visitors, emphasizing its global appeal and economic potential. He said he hopes the dual intellectual property format will invigorate surrounding business districts and attract tourists. The Ximen exhibition area, covering the Red House (紅樓), a historic venue, Ximen MRT Station, and Zhonghua Road (中華路), offers visitors lantern displays along the city's axis. A sleeping horse adorns Baby Molly's head, while the Twinkle Twinkle installation hovers above the MRT's Exit 6.
Characters including Labubu, Hirono, and DIMOO create a youthful atmosphere for festival-goers. The Taipei Expo Park exhibition features a Transformers theme, with Optimus Prime standing 10 meters (approximately 33 feet) tall as the centerpiece. Bumblebee and Megatron also appear at the site, accessible via Yuanshan and Zhongshan Elementary School (中山國小) MRT stations. The festival distributes limited-edition Optimus Prime lanterns from Sunday (March 1) to Tuesday (March 3) at the Ximen and Expo Park exhibition areas.
This initiative aims to draw visitors to various parts of the city, enhancing the festival experience. The event seeks to attract both locals and tourists to Taipei for the celebration of light and culture. ◼