The 2025 Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival kicked off with two sessions: February 8 in Pingxi and February 12 in Shifen. The event welcomed 109 representatives from nine countries, including the United States, Japan, Italy, Israel, Sweden, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and Germany. Participants came together for the heartfelt tradition of releasing sky lanterns.

The session in Pingxi on February 8 featured a lantern snake shadow light sculpture show. New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih and Raymond F. Greene, Director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), jointly released the main lantern. Hou inscribed it with the words, "Clouds part, winds and waves calm; hand in hand, we move forward," symbolizing resilience and unity. Greene wrote, "U.S.-Taiwan Ever Strong," expressing hopes for continued U.S.-Taiwan relations.To further international engagement, the New Taipei City Government Secretariat arranged for over 80 AIT staff to visit Pingxi Old Street, where they helped promote the 2025 World Masters Games, held in Taipei and New Taipei City.





On Lantern Festival Day, February 12, a second lantern release took place at Shifen Square. In the spirit of Valentine's Day, the event embraced the theme "Golden Snake Spreads Love, Illuminating New Taipei." It featured the world's first 12-foot dual main lanterns—a pink snake and a golden snake—released by Mayor Hou and Kazuyuki Katayama, chief representative of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Taipei Office. Hou inscribed, "Pingxi lanterns rise to warm hearts; peace and harmony bring prosperity to all," while Katayama wrote, "Japan-Taiwan Friendship, Evergreen Through the Ages." Guests from Japan's Omitama City, Tottori Prefecture, and Mie Prefecture also attended.

This year's festival welcomed distinguished international representatives, including Marco Lombardi (Italian Economic, Trade and Cultural Promotion Office), Aznifah Isnariah Binti Abdul Ghani (Malaysian Friendship and Trade Centre, Taipei), Helena Reitberger (The Swedish Trade & Invest Council), Maya Yehudit Yaron (Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei), and Sia Ai Ching (Brunei Darussalam Trade and Tourism Office in Taipei).