The 2025 Central Taiwan Lantern Festival featured the “Chrono Ecstasy” lantern zone, meticulously curated by the Taichung City Government’s Construction Bureau, which received international recognition with four gold awards. These honors include the Gold Award in the Experiential & Immersive category at the 2025 MUSE Design Awards, the Gold Award in the Conceptual Design category at the 2025 French Design Awards, the Gold Award in the Lighting Design category at the 2025 Rome Design Awards, and the Gold Award in the Experiential & Immersive category at the 2025 London Design Awards. Today (19th), Construction Bureau Director Chen Ta-tien, together with his team, presented these awards to Mayor Lu Shiow-yen, expressing gratitude to the international award organizations for their high recognition of Taichung City’s achievements in large-scale event space design, curatorial innovation, and the dedication of its design teams.
According to Director Chen, “Chrono Ecstasy” was curated with “parallel universes” as its core concept, featuring four themed lantern zones designed to evoke an immersive light-and-shadow environment filled with futurism and imagination. During the festival, it was met with enthusiastic responses from both citizens and visitors. Winning four prestigious international gold awards not only highlights Taichung’s strengths in light art, visual design, and environmental integration, but also underscores the importance of immersive storytelling and experiential design, including interactive technology, atmospheric creation, and audience engagement. These strengths successfully brought the Taiwan Lantern Festival onto the international stage in a brand-new format, fully showcasing the creativity and cultural vitality of Taiwan’s design.
The Construction Bureau noted that in 2023, the Lantern Festival has introduced themed zones such as “Avatar” and “Magic Box World”. In 2024, it created novel atmospheres with “Dragon Gate Inn” and “Dragon’s Dimension”, while in 2025, it continued the immersive outdoor curatorial approach with “Parallel Time and Space” and “Chrono Ecstasy”, complemented by live performing arts teams that guide visitors through extraordinary spaces blending reality and fantasy. With annual innovation and consistently stunning experiences, the festival has received widespread acclaim from audiences and continues to enhance the international visibility and brand value of the Lantern Festival in Taichung.
The Construction Bureau added that planning and design for the 2026 Central Taiwan Lantern Festival have already begun. The next edition aims to push the boundaries of creativity and sensory experience, inviting both residents and visitors nationwide to look forward to even more spectacular, immersive themed lantern zones. Detailed information on the awards received is as follows: 2025 MUSE Design Awards - Gold Award (https://reurl.cc/Om5vg3), 2025 French Design Awards - Gold Award (https://reurl.cc/koMXWd), 2025 Rome Design Awards - Gold Award (https://reurl.cc/2Q6LOE), and 2025 London Design Awards - Gold Award (https://reurl.cc/Om5vo3).