Some journeys are defined by where you go. Others are defined by when you arrive.

The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in Taiwan is one of those rare moments—an annual celebration that draws travelers from around the world for a single, luminous evening. Held at the close of Lunar New Year, the festival transforms a quiet mountain valley into a shared spectacle of light, tradition, and meaning.

For guests sailing to Keelung with Seabourn on February 9, 2028, it offers a deeper way to experience the destination—through one of its most extraordinary cultural traditions.

What Is the Pingxi Lantern Festival?

The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is one of Taiwan’s most iconic cultural celebrations, known for the release of thousands of glowing paper lanterns into the night sky. Each lantern carries a written wish or intention, symbolizing hope, renewal, and good fortune.

As night falls, lanterns are released in coordinated waves—rising slowly before drifting together above the surrounding mountains, creating what many describe as a “river of light” in the sky.

It is a moment both deeply personal and profoundly shared.

A Shore Excursion Designed for the Moment

Attending the Pingxi Lantern Festival requires more than simply being in the right place—it requires access, timing, and thoughtful planning. The event draws tens of thousands of visitors each year, and participation in the lantern release itself is limited.

Through a dedicated Seabourn shore excursion, guests are seamlessly guided from ship to celebration—removing the complexity while preserving the authenticity of the experience.

Guests who book this rare shore excursion will enjoy curated exploration of the historic mountain town of Shifen.

• Before the evening festivities begin, guests explore the charming railway village of Shifen, where the tracks run directly through the heart of town.

• A walk along Shifen Old Street reveals a lively stretch of local life, lined with street food stalls, small shops, and vendors offering regional specialties. It’s an opportunity to sample well-loved Taiwanese snacks or browse for handcrafted keepsakes and lantern-inspired souvenirs.

As night falls, the experience shifts.

• Guests gather alongside travelers from Taiwan and around the world to participate in the evening’s lantern release. Messages are written, lanterns prepared, and at the signal, hundreds rise together into the sky—each one carrying a wish for hope, health, or good fortune in the year ahead.

Recognized as one of the world’s most remarkable cultural celebrations, the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is a true bucket-list experience—made seamless through a curated shore excursion designed to bring guests into the heart of the moment.

Because experiences like this cannot be recreated. They exist only at a specific place, at a specific time, shaped by tradition and collective participation.

For Seabourn guests, this is the essence of traveling right: being there when it matters most—and experiencing a destination in a way few ever do.