After Taiwan's major COVID-19 outbreak last summer, many large public events were put on hold. Now that the situation is under control again, it's time to bring out the fireworks and make up for the skipped celebrations.
Fireworks explode across the sky in Penghu, lighting up the water surrounding the island. It's a special event that crowds haven't seen in almost two years: the Penghu International Fireworks Festival.
Last year’s festival was postponed due to COVID-19, but it's finally set to kick off on April 25 and will continue on until the end of June. The festival has become a tradition since the first event in 2003, and it's one of Penghu's most important tourist attractions.
However, this year will bring some new surprises, including a light show made up of 500 drones and various musical performances. The 2022 lineup includes Hokkien pop singer Henry Hsu and Singaporean singer Boon Hui Lu.
There are a lot of shows to look forward to outside of Penghu as well. One of them is the Yilan Green Expo, which opens this weekend and runs until May 8.
This year's expo features a wide array of magnificent flowers and other plants, spread across multiple greenhouses. Event coordinators have also designed a new performance stage for the expo to highlight the beauty of Yilan's marine life.
Yilan County Magistrate Lin Zi-miao says she hopes the event will inspire visitors to protect Taiwan's beautiful wildlife.
Whether it's fireworks or flowers, there's a lot popping up in Taiwan this spring.