Taipei 101 is a landmark skyscraper located in the upscale Xinyi District in the capital city of Taiwan. The building was the world's tallest from 2004 to 2010, until the opening of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. In July 2011, Taipei 101 became the tallest and largest green building in the world. It was awarded LEED Platinum certification, the highest award in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.
Since 2004, New Year’s Eve fireworks have been going off at Taipei 101. The shows are spectacular as the fireworks shoot off from the building in a variety of colors and designs. It is always very crowded around the building with more than a million people watching nearby.
From its beginning in 2005 to 2008, the fireworks shows have grown longer and featured more fireworks each year. The 2008 show was 188 seconds long and featured some 12,000 rockets. Sponsors ended the show with a display, in lights, of a heart over the word “Taiwan”.
Following two more modest shows in 2009 and 2010, the show again extended to 288 seconds to ring in 2011. That year’s display was designed by Cai Guoqiang, the artist who designed the fireworks for the Beijing Olympics and World Expo Shanghai.
The show that ushered in 2012 was shortened to 202 seconds but featured the largest number of rockets launched to date, totaling 30,000. The 2013 show was designed by France’s Group F, who designed the fireworks for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and also for the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The display was accompanied by the music of Igor Stravinsky.
This year’s fireworks show is expected to last 218 seconds. It will be the first to incorporate Taiwanese folk songs.