TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taipei Lunar New Year (LNY) Festival has returned but will come with a few adjustments to reflect the “new normal” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The festival, which is one of the largest street events in Taipei, will take place from Jan. 15-30 and include the city’s ten commercial districts. No additional stalls will be set up and no sampling is allowed to reduce the risk of infection.
At the center of the event is Dihua Street, which will offer a great variety of merchandise, including dried foods such as nuts and seafood, as well as snacks often associated with the LNY despite not hosting a grand street bazaar as in previous years.
Other highlights in the historic block of Dadaocheng, where Dihua Street is located, will include a huge auspicious tiger balloon installation symbolizing wealth, a paper lantern making activity, and a street studio featuring live shows by Taiwan’s well-known podcasters in the largest podcaster mixer in the country, according to the organizer.
Meanwhile, in an effort to help brick-and-mortar stores adapt to people’s fast-evolving shopping habits, the Taipei LNY Festival will connect with e-commerce giant Shopee and TV shopping channel ETMall.
Shopee has a special section for the event, providing up to 40% discounts for LNY products from 60 businesses in the Dihua Street district and holding raffles with prizes totaling a value of NT$10 million (US$362,078). A live TV shopping show by ETMall will be held on Jan. 21 in the area, with Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Deputy Mayor Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊) attending as special guests.
Other commercial districts participating in the fest include Taipei City Mall, the rear entrance of Taipei Main Station, Huayin Street, Yuanling Street, Yongkang Street, Siping Street, Rongbin Market, Ningxia Night Market, and Bangka Night Market.
Visit the website of the 2022 Taipei Lunar New Year Festival and Facebook page of the Office of Commerce to learn more.
(Facebook, Office of Commerce photos)
