2026 Xiluo Lantern Festival – Mani Shining Xiluo

The project takes the cultural foundation of the Lantern Festival as its starting point, integrating local festive memories with the city’s tourism development strategy to create a light art festival with an international perspective.
The 2026 theme, “Mani Shining Xiluo,” is built upon three key design axes: the Year of the Horse, the carousel amusement park, and the European plaza fountain. Together, they shape a dreamlike celebration that blends traditional symbolism with contemporary light aesthetics.
The Pegasus-themed main lantern symbolizes freedom, speed, and the breaking of boundaries, carrying the city’s vision of moving toward the future. As such, the traditional lantern festival is reinterpreted not merely as a festive display but as a narrative of hope and movement.
As night falls, the entire site transforms into a luminous dreamscape. The Pegasus main lantern hovers in the air, captured mid-flight within a trail of light, while its colors shift in rhythm with music, creating a dynamic visual cadence. Below, the carousel lantern installations rotate slowly, drawing visitors into a cyclical journey of childhood memories.
Rather than treating the festival as a static display, the design incorporates kinetic structures and light control systems, allowing the main lantern, the sea of lights, and sound to interact in harmony. The butterfly light field spreads across the ground like breathing illumination, subtly responding to human movement.
The carousel serves not only as a nostalgic symbol of childhood but also as a focal point for photography and family interaction. Through layered immersive experiences, visitors are encouraged to engage directly with the lantern installations, creating a light festival that resonates across all age groups.