TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taichung City launches the 2026 Central Taiwan Lantern Festival from Saturday (Feb. 15) to Tuesday (March 3), featuring a Finland collaboration and seven exhibition areas. Deputy Mayor Cheng Chao-hsin (鄭照新) unveiled the festival at Central Park on Thursday (Feb. 5), highlighting the main light show, "The Moomins Valley Under the Aurora," as the centerpiece attraction. The event marks a partnership with the Finland Trade Office to bring the beloved Finnish characters to Taiwan.
The festival, themed "Happiness Moomin, Taichung MOOMIN ON!" in partnership with Rights and Brands Asia (RBA), features a 15-meter-high (approximately 49-foot-high) "Moomin House" as its visual focal point. Lauri Matti Raunio, representing the Finland Trade Office, expressed delight at seeing the Moomin family in Taichung and said he eagerly anticipates the festival's opening.
The event, billed as Taiwan's largest single-site local lantern festival, spans five municipal agencies and showcases Taichung's commitment to sustainable development. The Taichung City Government Tourism and Travel Bureau (市府觀旅局) noted that the Moomins' popularity has swept across Taiwan, with displays seen in various locations, including a giant Moomin at Taichung Civic Square.
Deputy Mayor Cheng said performances by the National Taiwan College of Performing Arts (TCPA, 台灣戲曲學院) will enhance the festive atmosphere during the event with traditional arts programming. Raunio noted the Moomins' origins in 1945, emphasizing their enduring values of love, courage, and inclusivity, which resonate across generations.
