On February 9th, Kaohsiung held its first test of its drone show as part of the Lantern Festival being held in the southern Taiwanese city. The synchronized drone spectacle was the largest ever held in Taiwan.
Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) took the opportunity to highlight Taiwan’s superb handling of the COVID pandemic and also to thank the international community that has helped Taiwan through efforts such as donating vaccines, when Taiwan was facing difficulties acquiring them at the beginning of the outbreak.
The Deputy Mayor of Kaohsiung, Shih Je (史哲), expressed that the show was meant to show off Taiwanese culture and art, as well as an international flare. Shih also stated that the team in charge of the drone show worked with others from around the world to create the dazzling spectacle, saying that the team worked hard in the face of difficult circumstances surrounding the ongoing COVID pandemic.
The show featured drone sculpted images of classic Taiwanese images including badminton star Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) and the Tiger Lord (虎爺), who is a Taoist god that frightens evil spirts away and is perhaps even more appropriate in the year of the tiger. The drones also flew to the very Taiwanese sounds of local metal band Flesh Juicer (血肉果汁機), who were recently nominated for multiple awards for their music video “Modern Siren”.
There are already 4 more performances planned for this drone show. They will be held on February 11th, February 12th, February 18th, and February 19th. All of the shows will begin at 9:45pm.