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The Shimen Reservoir Hot Air Balloon Carnival takes place after being canceled for two consecutive years due to COVID-19. (Facebook, Hsu Maomao p... The Shimen Reservoir Hot Air Balloon Carnival takes place after being canceled for two consecutive years due to COVID-19. (Facebook, Hsu Maomao photo) Rose Gold

Dinosaur-shaped hot air balloons take off at north Taiwan carnival | Taiwan News | 2022-06-18 10:35:00

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After being canceled for two years, the Taoyuan Shimen Reservoir Hot Air Balloon Festival made a comeback and began on Saturday morning (June 18), featuring dinosaur-shaped hot air balloons.

During the event, which is scheduled to run from Saturday to June 26, hot air balloon rides are offered every day from 5:30-7:30 a.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m., with each trip lasting approximately five to seven minutes. As each two-hour session accommodates only 100 people, visitors must pre-register for the event online, then pay and collect their tickets after arriving at the venue.

ETtoday reported that when the first round of registrations opened on Monday (June 13), the 800 spots on hot air balloon rides scheduled between Saturday and Tuesday (June 21) were filled within three minutes. The second round of registration, which includes the remaining 1,000 spots scheduled between Wednesday (June 22) and June 26, will open on Monday (June 20) at 10:30 a.m.

Tickets for the hot air balloon rides are priced at NT$500 (US$16.83), while residents of Taoyuan get 20% off with their "citizen" cards.

Aside from hot air balloon rides, the carnival also features activities such as the hot air balloon pack-up, in which visitors work as a team to squeeze out the remaining warm air from the balloon; hot air balloon walk-in, which allows visitors to get an inside look of a blown-up balloon; the hot air balloon museum, which answers visitors’ questions about hot air balloons; and light sculpture and fire shows during evenings on weekends.