2026 Taiwan Balloon Festival (Jul 4–Aug 20) · Luye, Taitung · 2-Day Tour

In summer, the entire sky over Luye lights up.

The Taiwan International Balloon Festival is Asia's earliest and largest hot air balloon gathering. In 2026 it runs from July 4 to August 20, with more than 30 balloons rising together over Luye Highland (鹿野高台) — drifting up off the grass one by one at 5:30 in the morning, then transforming into glowing sculptures at night during the "Night Glow" concerts. This year, for the first time, the festival has partnered with the beloved character Chiikawa (吉伊卡哇) to launch limited-edition balloon designs.

This 2026 Luye Hot Air Balloon Festival 2-day package takes you right into the heart of the festival — not just as a sightseer, but as someone who actually stays in Luye: up at 4 a.m. to watch the balloons rise, an evening stroll through the rice fields of Chishang (池上), and stories told by Indigenous villagers after dark.

2026 Taiwan International Balloon Festival · Officially Confirmed Details

• Dates: July 4 – August 20, 2026 (closed every Tuesday)
• Opening day: Saturday, July 4 — mass launch of hundreds of balloons at 05:30
• Location: Luye Highland (No. 46, Gaotai Road, Yong'an Village, Luye Township, Taitung County)
• 2026 highlight: Chiikawa (吉伊卡哇) collaboration balloons — Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi designs (ground display only, not available for rides)
• Daily sessions: morning 05:30–07:00, evening 17:00–18:30
• Tethered ride: roughly NT$ 500–650 per person (2026 online pre-sales open May 27; subject to official announcements), about a 5-minute ascent
• Free flight: NT$ 9,000–12,000 per person, requires booking at least 7 days in advance
• Admission: free to watch the balloon launches and Night Glow concerts
• Official website: Taitung County Tourism Department · Taiwan International Balloon Festival

2026 Night Glow Concerts (8 sessions)

Date	Time	Location	Lineup
Sun, Jul 5	19:00	Luye Highland	Pets Tseng, 831
Thu, Jul 9	19:00	Taitung City International Landmark	Wang Yen-wei, Sam Lee
Thu, Jul 16	19:00	Luye Highland	Nam Min-jung & Lee Hao-zhen, Bii
Thu, Jul 23	04:00	Taimali Sunrise Park (sunrise session)	—
Thu, Jul 30	19:00	Luye Highland	GENBLUE
Thu, Aug 6	19:00	Chishang Dapo Pond	—
Thu, Aug 13	19:00	Taitung City International Landmark	Claire Kuo, Van Fan
Thu, Aug 20	19:00	Luye Highland	Hsu Wei-hsiang, Crowd Lu

Day 1 — Luye · The Festival

• 14:00 Pickup at Taitung Station, heading north to Luye along Provincial Highway 9
• 15:30 Check in at the Luminous Hot Spring Resort (鹿鳴溫泉酒店) (a 5-minute drive from the highland)
• 17:00 Enter Luye Highland for the evening balloon launch
• 18:30 Dinner in Luye: a local tea-house restaurant, paired with Red Oolong
• 20:00 (held on a fixed weekly schedule during the festival) Night Glow concert — balloons glowing like lanterns in the night sky, set to a live musical performance
• 22:00 Back to the resort to rest up for the early start

Day 2 — Highland · Rift Valley

• 04:30 Wake up and head up to Luye Highland in the dark
• 05:30 The golden hour — more than 30 balloons rise together, turning the whole highland into a park of colorful sculptures
• 07:00 (optional) Tethered ride — a 5-minute ascent with views stretching from the Pacific to the Central Mountain Range
• 08:30 Breakfast on the highland: a traditional morning meal at a local eatery
• 10:00 Exploring Chishang (池上): Brown Boulevard (伯朗大道), the Takeshi Kaneshiro Tree, and a Chishang lunchbox
• 13:00 Lunch: Chishang home-style cooking
• 15:00 Red Oolong tea experience at a Luye tea estate
• 17:30 Drop-off at Taitung Station

What's Included

• Private 6-seat vehicle and local guide throughout
• 1 night at the Luminous Hot Spring Resort (鹿鳴溫泉酒店) (breakfast included, a 5-minute drive from the highland)
• 1 breakfast + 2 lunches + 1 dinner
• 50g of Luye Red Oolong tea as a gift to take home
• Festival shuttle and parking arrangements
• Travel liability insurance

What's Not Included

• Tethered balloon ride fee (roughly NT$ 500–650 per person; 2026 online pre-sales open May 27; your guide will help with on-site ticket purchases)
• Free flight fee (NT$ 9,000–12,000 per person, requires booking one week in advance)
• Paid Night Glow concert sessions (if not a free session)
• Personal expenses and souvenirs

Good to Know

• Balloon launches depend on the weather: sessions are cancelled if wind speed exceeds 3 m/s or it rains. We can't guarantee the balloons will rise — and that, too, is something Taitung teaches you.
• The pre-dawn temperature swing at Luye Highland is significant, so bring a jacket.
• Accommodation in Luye is in extremely high demand during the festival — please book at least 4 weeks ahead.
• Balloon rides are not recommended for infants; children aged 6 and over may ride once a parent signs a consent form.
• Free flights land wherever the wind dictates that day, possibly in a field 1–2 kilometers away; we'll arrange the shuttle.
• The exact 2026 festival schedule and Night Glow concert times are subject to announcements from the Taitung County Tourism Department.

Plenty of people come to see the balloons, but few actually stay in Luye and wake up there to watch them rise.

Why Choose This Trip

• ✅ No commute: you stay in Luye, wake at 4:30 a.m., and walk 5 minutes up to the highland — no rushing in by car from downtown Taitung.
• ✅ Beat the crowds: arriving for the 5:30 a.m. golden hour vs. rolling up to the highland at noon makes all the difference in how the launch feels.
• ✅ More than just balloons: we weave in the rice fields of Chishang and a Red Oolong tea estate, so you experience the whole Rift Valley in one trip.
• ✅ Stress-free transfers: pickup from Taitung Station to Luye, plus help buying tickets and queuing for the tethered ride.

Who It's For

• First-time visitors to Taitung who want to see its most iconic landscapes
• Mature couples, or any pair who'd rather skip the crowds and head to Zhiben for a leisurely hot spring soak after the launch
• Families with children (especially well-suited to kids aged 6 and up)
• Photography lovers (the golden hour is the golden hour for shooting, too)
• Travelers who want to lock in a booking before the summer 2026 crowds arrive

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Want a more refined version? See the Luminous · Balloons × Starry Skies × Hot Springs flagship 3-day journey — staying throughout at the Luminous Hot Spring Resort (11.3 hectares, with in-room hot spring baths).

This itinerary is illustrative. The actual restaurants, guides, and the exact 2026 festival schedule will be confirmed with you point by point before departure. We don't sell what you can't see.

Festival information is drawn from public data published by the Taitung County Tourism Department. Specific sessions, times, and fees are subject to official announcements.