Only 5 days remain until the 2026 Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi! To allow people from around the world to participate more closely and experience Chiayi County’s unique passion and vitality, and to welcome the upcoming 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) series, the General Association of Culture and the Chiayi County Government will jointly host the “TEAM TAIWAN Grand Parade” on March 7. A press conference held today (26th) officially unveiled the full details of this year’s largest nighttime parade.

The parade will be divided into four themes: “Illuminating Taiwan, Lighting Up Chiayi,” “Chiayi Lantern Stage,” “Cheer for Taiwan,” and “Make Friends with the World.” Leading the parade will be Paper Windmill Theatre with its iconic “Rain Horse” and the Puzi Prince Dragon Lion War Drum Troupe. They will be followed by Chiayi’s outstanding performance groups, local revitalization and community arts organizations such as the Alishan Tsou Tribe Bagpipe euvuvu Performing Arts Group and Sanmaido Creative Puppet Team.

To align with the core of “TEAM TAIWAN,” the parade incorporates sports themes that unite people and bring joy. Mascots “Q-Bao” and “Frog-Bao” from the National High School Games, Chiayi City Cheerleading Team, National Taiwan Sport University Performing Arts Group, Chiayi County Street Dance Training Team, Chinese Professional Baseball League cheer squads, and local sports clubs of all ages will join together, echoing the spirit of “全民運動” (National Sports for All).

This lantern festival also echoes the General Association of Culture’s “2026 Taiwan-Japan Friendship: Aomori Nebuta Comes to Chiayi” series. Famous Nebuta masters from Aomori have been invited to Chiayi to create Taiwan-exclusive Nebuta lanterns, which will join the parade once completed. They will perform alongside Bloco Força Brazilian Percussion Group, Proving Happiness Cultural Exchange Dance Group, BMG Bami Arts Group, Li Wan-Ru Middle Eastern Cultural Arts Group, Nishikawa Toshimi Dance School, and Tokushima Awa Dance Association, turning the Taiwan Lantern Festival into the largest international cultural exchange platform.

Chiayi County Magistrate Weng Chang-liang stated that the “TEAM TAIWAN Grand Parade” will create the climax of the festival’s mid-stage. He emphasized that the parade also aims to cheer for Team Taiwan as they prepare to compete in the World Baseball Classic starting March 8, while allowing Chiayi’s groups to perform alongside international teams.

General Association of Culture Secretary-General Li Hou-ching noted that this is the first time in Taiwan Lantern Festival history that such a grand parade will attract more people to attend. He stressed that the lantern festival is no longer just a static exhibition, but through the parade, lights and passion will dance together.

Masafumi Oku, Director of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Kaohsiung Office, remarked that the Nebuta Festival is a source of pride for the people of Aomori and all of Japan. He said it is deeply meaningful that this traditional and historic festival can be showcased in Taiwan.

The “TEAM TAIWAN Grand Parade” will begin at 6:45 PM on March 7, departing from Bo’ai Road in the lantern festival area, looping along Xinyi 1st Road and Prince Avenue. The parade route is nearly one kilometer long, featuring 30 groups and over 1,000 performers. The teams will give fixed-point performances at the intersection of Bo’ai Road and Xinyi 1st Road, while the grand finale Nebuta lantern will stop at the intersection of Xinyi 1st Road and Prince Avenue for photo opportunities with the public.

For those unable to attend in person, the parade will also be broadcast online:

Facebook: Weng Chang-Liang, Q Chiayi, ETtoday

YouTube: Weng Chang-Liang, Q Chiayi, General Association of Culture