The magic hour at dawn: balloons waking with the city
To experience the dream of a balloon rising you have to be up before the sun. While the sky is still a gentle pale white, a crowd full of anticipation has already gathered on the Yonghua plaza. In the air is the coolness that belongs only to early morning, and with the roar of the burners one giant coloured sphere after another slowly fills out — a sight enough to make you forget the tiredness of rising early.
Tethered balloon rides｜Notes before you go
- Times to aim for: Morning session 05:30–07:30 / afternoon session 16:30–18:30
- When tickets go on sale: Morning session from 04:30 / afternoon session from 15:30 (we suggest queueing early!)
- Cost: NT$500 per person (paid in cash on site)
- A thoughtful note: Tethered rides are greatly affected by the weather, so please follow the announcements on site. But do not worry: even if the balloons cannot go up, the organisers have also prepared a burner experience and a balloon walk-in so that you can feel their size and heat close up!
As you rise slowly into the sky, the streets shrink beneath your feet and the skyline of Tainan spreads out in the distance. These few minutes of floating will become your deepest memory of this summer.
The daytime party: let your playful side loose on the grass
As the sun climbs, the plaza turns in an instant into a great city playground. The air is full of the scent of grass and of food, and in your ears are the flowing songs of street performers and the laughter of children.
- For you who are still young at heart: First rush to the bouncy castle park for a good jump, then drag your companion into the challenge activities. Do not underestimate these games: completing the tasks earns you market vouchers and gives you a chance to win wonderfully cute “Fish Head” merchandise from the capsule machine — a real sense of achievement!
- For you who love living well: Wander through the speciality market! With more than fifty stalls of handmade design goods, stylish food trucks and local food, from a hand-poured coffee to a freshly baked pizza, every stall hides a surprise. And the vouchers you won at the challenges can be used right here.
- For you who enjoy the atmosphere: Find a comfortable spot on the grass, sit down and listen to the live performances of the street artists. From folk guitar to lively acrobatics, the performers here pour their passion into this plaza and give it a free spirit.
The splendid climax at night: Ultraman cuts across the Tainan sky!
As night falls, the real main event is only beginning.
At seven in the evening the lights of the whole site come into focus and the light and music show officially begins! Under the rhythm of light and music the balloons become giant luminous bodies, glowing and dimming like breathing, dazzling to the eye.
And just as you are lost in the light and shadow, the real surprise arrives — That is right, you did not misread it! It is the hero of your childhood, Ultraman!
Hundreds of drones rise into the air and arrange themselves precisely in the night sky, recreating the classic figure of Ultraman and his signature beam. This epic display is not only a gift to children but also lights up the long-buried dream of a hero in every grown-up heart. Remember to charge your phone fully, because this moment is certainly worth recording every second of!
The perfect base for the journey: raise a glass to a splendid day with the flavours of Tainan at 3 Door Hotel
After a whole day out your body is tired, but your spirit comes home full. Having pulled yourself away from the bustle of the Yonghua Civic Centre, where should you go to put a perfect full stop to the journey? The answer is 3 Door Hotel on Chenggong Road, beside Tainan Railway Station.
This is the smartest starting point for exploring Tainan. Its excellent location makes it easy to take public transport to the balloon site and equally easy to turn round afterwards and throw yourself into the embrace of Fucheng.
Push open that solid main door and it is like walking into a space full of design. The industrial style interwoven with warm wood is like the city of Tainan itself, always giving you a surprise when you least expect it. Wash the day’s tiredness away in your room, change into a comfortable robe, and you can collapse straight onto the bed to look back over every splendid photograph you took today — or you can go downstairs and enjoy a feast of flavour reserved for travellers at 3 Door.
First, take a look at the self-service snack bar! There are no mass-produced factory snacks here, only the handmade snacks from Tainan shops more than sixty years old that we have prepared especially for you. Those mouthfuls of savoury, sweet and crisp are old-time flavours passed down in Fucheng for decades, and the warmest of comforts.
But that is not the end.
The real ritual is to go to the hotel bar and order yourself a cold craft beer. We have chosen the local brewery Taifeng Brewing, which best represents the spirit of Tainan. Take a light sip and feel the malt fragrance, infused with southern passion and invention, spread through your mouth. This is the taste of a grown-up who knows how to enjoy things: a glass of the most local terroir to put a perfect exclamation mark on a full day!
[3 Door Hotel｜An offer exclusive to the Hot Air Balloon Party]
If you are going to celebrate, you should also know how to reward yourself.
During the event period, simply show us proof related to the balloon event (a photograph taken on site, a ticket stub from a tethered ride, a check-in screen and so on) and complete your stay, and we will offer you a taste of Tainan of your own:
- Free access to the snack bar of handmade treats from sixty-year-old Tainan shops
- A 10% discount reserved for you on local craft beer from Taifeng Brewing
We are here beside Tainan Railway Station, waiting for you to come and create memories, and waiting for you to come back and share the story with us.
