TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tainan City Government held a press conference to announce the annual Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival will begin on Friday (Feb. 23).
The event starts at Emperor Guan Temple as a palanquin carrying the deity (關公) departs with citizens showering the procession with fireworks. This year, city officials said it received 273 applications to set up “firework castles,” rack-like structures laid horizontally with bottle rocket or "beehive" type fireworks, per UDN.
Tainan City Fire Bureau Commissioner Lee Ming-feng (李明峯) said random inspections of 20 fireworks castles began today with no violations found. He said the number of applicants increased over previous years, ensuring ample firepower.
Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival demonstrates safety equipment. (Tainan City Government photo)
Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) urged visitors to pay attention to personal safety when attending the event. Huang referred to an example of appropriate safety equipment worn by one individual at the press conference.
On Saturday (Feb. 24), the main day of the Lantern Festival, activities move to Yanshui Junior High School playground. At this location, four main firecracker castles will fire directly into the audience.
According to local legend, the festival began 150 years ago when a plague affected the community. To cleanse the area, the God of War (關公) was paraded through the city streets with fireworks to drive away evil spirits.
The city government will deploy extra police and firefighters to provide first aid and put out any fires. Emperor Guan Temple advised first-time visitors to wear protective equipment and maintain a safe distance of at least 5-10 meters from each fireworks castle.
The route of the palanquin will be divided into five sections: A, B, C, D, and E. By scanning a QR code, citizens can instantly determine the location of the palanquin procession.
