One of the highlights of my trip to the Penghu Islands was getting to see the annual Penghu Fireworks Festival 澎湖花火節! Happening every year in summer, this is one of the events that draws the crowds to these Taiwan offshore islands. I put together a little guide to help you plan your Penghu trip and know what to expect for this event.
Looking for more Penghu posts? Check out my Penghu guide post to plan your trip and some Penghu hidden gems to add to your itinerary.
What is the Penghu Fireworks Festival 澎湖國際海上花火節?
The Penghu Fireworks Festival is an annual event that takes place every summer. It started in 2003 and has been a staple event that draws crowds to the islands every year since.
Back then in 2002, there had been a plane crash that affected tourism to Penghu, and the Penghu Fireworks Festival conceived in the following year was one of the ways that the local government used to drum up interest in the islands again. Fancy fireworks show accompanied by music and live performances, what’s not to love?
The 2024 Penghu Fireworks Festival will be a treat for One Piece fans! Show dates have been released on Facebook.
Where does the Penghu Fireworks Festival take place?
The main venue of the Penghu Fireworks Festival happens on the main island of Magong at Guanyin Pavilion Park or Guanyinting 觀音亭. There are some special days where fireworks can be seen on other Penghu islands, but the bulk of shows take place in Magong.
During the day, Guanyinting is a recreational park where people can walk around or go for a swim. Lots of people also come here to take sunset photos with the picturesque Xiying Rainbow Bridge 西瀛虹橋.
But during the fireworks festival, the Xiying Rainbow Bridge is closed to the public as the fireworks are launched from the bridge itself. A large stage is also set up in the park with some seating and there are live performances and other activities here at night.
If you’re planning to drive to Guanyinting, note that they will block off the surrounding roads in the late afternoon in the lead up to the fireworks festival.
If you’re on a scooter, you can pop down earlier to park your scooter nearby before the road blockage and go have dinner, but I highly suggest you park some distance away from the park regardless – there are a ton of people walking out of the park after the show and trying to weave through that human traffic is pretty hellish.
When does the Penghu Fireworks Festival happen?
Typically the Penghu Fireworks Festival happens for 3 months in summer. In 2023 when I attended, the fireworks season was from May to July with some test runs in April.
The fireworks shows take place in the evenings on Mondays and Thursdays and usually start at 9pm. There may be cancellations, amendments or postponements depending on the weather.
Recap: Penghu Fireworks Festival 2023
I spent 4 nights in Penghu and watched the 2023 Penghu Fireworks Festival over a Monday and a Thursday in May. 2023 had a Disney theme to celebrate 100 years of Disney which was reflected in the music used and the drone show segment which featured some familiar Disney characters.
I livestreamed and filmed the Penghu Fireworks Festival for Taiwan Tourism Bureau Singapore’s facebook audience on both nights. You can see the videos + links in this post – I didn’t use anything fancy to film, just my iPhone 14 Pro on 0.5 wide angle mode with my DJI Osmo 4 gimbal for stabilization. There was no room for a tripod stand so I held the gimbal the entire time, but I think the videos came out pretty well.
Day 1: too windy, no drones, fireworks only
The first night that I watched the show was particularly windy – ferries had been cancelled that afternoon and it wasn’t certain if the fireworks festival would happen that night. Just as I was heading down to the town area, my guesthouse owner informed me that while the fireworks would happen, the drone show would most probably be cancelled as they can’t fly the drones when there is too much wind.
I parked near the Festival Market before roads were blocked off and had dinner nearby before heading over to the park. I’d somehow misread the timings and got there earlier than expected, but it turned out to be a good thing because it was getting crowded. I did end up with a couple standing in front of me unfortunately but otherwise the view was pretty good.
I plonked myself down on the sloping Guanyinting sign as the park filled up around me. Because of the weather, the barrier was also set a distance away from the water’s edge. That night I livestreamed the show for Taiwan Tourism SG and did a bit of a Q&A about Penghu while waiting for the show which you can see here or watch below.
There were no drones for this show, instead we just enjoyed about 10 minutes of fireworks.
Day 2: good weather, full show
The second night had much better weather – clear skies all day and very little wind, so I got to watch the full show. I had made a friend the day before who happened to be a Taiwanese tour guide, and she joined me to catch the show.
Instead of going early like before, we arrived just a little before the show started, and she told me it was better to position yourself a little further back instead of being by the water’s edge. It was less crowded standing on this end of the stage, and while we spent the whoel show standing, I think this view was less prone to blockage and required less neck craning.
I recorded this for Taiwan Tourism’s Facebook as well, or you can watch it in the embed below.
The show kicked off with the drones flying out from the right side of the bridge and featured familiar Disney tunes as well as characters like Mickey Mouse, Finding Nemo, Star Wars and more! It was pretty fun watching and guessing what characters would pop up. The drones took about 20 minutes, and were followed by 10 minutes of fireworks afterwards.
The end of the show involves the crowd spilling out of the park into the surrounding area. Me and my Taiwanese friend picked up some supper and some limited edition Penghu Fireworks Festival beer by Taihu Brewing and headed to the waterfront to sit, sip and sup like the locals do!
Other ways to watch the Penghu Fireworks Festival
If you don’t want to squeeze with the crowds at Guanyinting, here are some other options to watch the Penghu Fireworks Festival. Note that the links may not be active until closer to the festival dates, but you can browse around on Klook’s Penghu page for more options.
By cruise
One other option if you want a different view is to take a boat ride out in the harbour and watch the Penghu fireworks show from the sea. You’ll be watching the show from the ‘back’ so any words might be in reverse, but otherwise it’s a fun option if you don’t get seasick. Some cruises even serve dinner.
Book a Fireworks Cruise on Klook [affiliate link]
By SUP
For something even more unusual, you can paddle out into the bay and sit on a SUP board to watch the fireworks! Definitely an unusual experience~
Book a SUP board Fireworks experience on Klook [affiliate link]
Updates on Penghu Fireworks Festival
The best way to stay updated is by following the Penghu Fireworks Facebook Page. It usually releases notices of promotions as well as weather-related updates so you’ll know if the show will happen on that night or not.
Have you watch the Penghu Fireworks Festival? Share your experience and tips in the comments below.
Planning a visit to Penghu? Check out all my Penghu posts or see some other Taiwan offshore islands posts for more.
