As the New Year looms close, anticipation of the 2017 Tainan Countdown Party is building up. On December 18, Mayor William Lai, who will host the party, held a press conference to tell the public about this and other countdown events that will take place in Tainan. He was joined on the stage by several celebrities, including Taiwan-born Miss Hawaii USA 2017, Julie Kuo.
The 2017 Tainan Countdown Party will be held in front of the city’s High Speed Rail Station. It will be compered by TV show host Hu Gua, boy band Plungon, Fun Taiwan star Janet Hsieh, and actress Sabrina Pai. The entertainment will open with a performance by actors and actresses from a famous TV drama, and will feature performances by singers William Wei, Dino Lee, Alien Huang, Yao Guo, Tia Lee, Pets Tseng, Miu Chu, Henry Hsu, Olivia Tsao, Ara Guo and Cai Jia Lin, as well as popular boy band SpeXial. In keeping with the baseball theme of this year’s party, the countdown to midnight will be led by baseball superstar Chen Chin-Feng alongside Taiwan’s top punk rock band Fire Ex.
There will also be some great prizes that everybody has a chance to win at the party. The City Government has invited local companies to support the event by donating prizes, and this has received a splendid response. Top prize is a car provided by Taiwan Suzuki Automobile Corp., while other main prizes include a motorcycle from Aeon Motor, tickets to fly between Tainan and Hong Kong from China Airlines, and an iPhone 7 from Chunghwa Telecom.
The annual Tainan Countdown Party has become one of the highlights of the year for the city’s residents and visitors, and is one of Taiwan’s best public gatherings for seeing in the New Year. After listing the glittering cast of stars who will entertain the audience at this year’s party, Mayor Lai extended a cordial invitation for everyone to come and enjoy the “No. 1” New Year countdown event.
The big countdown party is not the only event in Tainan to celebrate the arrival of the New Year, but is part of a trilogy of events which includes a sunset farewell party and a sunrise welcoming party.
The “Tainan New Year Countdown Trilogy” begins with a sunset farewell party in Beimen. The party will start at 4:00 pm on December 31, and will reach its climax when the sun sets for the last time in 2016 at approximately 5:25 pm.
The sunrise party, to welcome the first appearance of the sun on New Year’s Day, will take place at Erliao Sunrise Pavilion in Zuozhen District of Tainan. The celebration will begin at 6:10 am, and will feature a performance by the Ten Drum Art Percussion Group. The first sunlight will appear above the horizon at about 6:40 am. To prevent overcrowding, attendance will be limited to 3,000 people. Tickets can be obtained in advance from the Siraya National Scenic Area Administration. The welcoming of the sunrise will be followed by a flag-raising ceremony and a hike in the Hutoupi Scenic Area.
Speaking about the Countdown Trilogy’s first and last events, Mayor Lai expressed his gratitude to the Southwest Coast National Scenic Area Administration and the Siraya National Scenic Area Administration for collaborating with the city government to organize the sunrise celebration. Making it extra special, it is the first time these three government entities have held a New Year event together.
The mayor closed his remarks at the press conference by promising that Tainan will deliver the best events and the most beautiful scenery for bidding farewell to the old year and celebrating the arrival of 2017.