Phantom Circus Lantern Zone — 2026 Nantou Lantern Festival

Deep within Nantou’s forests, the woodland transforms into a fantastical circus stage. As the night falls, the starry sky opens like a curtain and the earth becomes the stage beneath it. The whispering wind and the chorus of insects compose nature’s rhythm, as an exclusive performance of the forest quietly unfolds.
The 2026 Nantou Lantern Festival takes “Forest Circus” as its core concept, portraying the mountains and forests as a vibrant ecological stage full of life. Every creature in the forest plays a role as a member of a circus troupe, working together to create a performance that reflects the vitality and harmony of nature. A group of little monsters from the forest is busily preparing for tonight’s show, inviting visitors to step into a space woven with light and shadow and become part of this fantastical celebration.
The festival features 11 themed lantern zones, among which the “Phantom Circus Lantern Zone” presents a crossover with artists Wang Zhen-Wei, Chang Yu-Chia, Plankton Man, and animator Chiu Chih-Chun. Together, they create imaginative works such as “Meow Beast,” “Circus of Fantastic Beasts,” and “Mirage Forest,” transforming the space into a whimsical and playful world full of imagination.
Through the imaginative visual language and festive atmosphere of the circus, this lantern zone not only presents an artistic landscape of light and shadow, but also invites visitors to rediscover the rich layers of forest ecology through exploration and experience. The entire space is transformed into an immersive stage of light, where artistic imagination, ecological symbolism, and the joy of celebration come together.
Based on the concept of “Forest Circus,” this lantern zone transforms the forest ecosystem into a stage performance through immersive lighting and dynamic structure. The design integrates modular construction with interactive sensing systems allowing visitors’ movements to trigger shifting rhythms of light and shadow. As visitors walk through the space, they feel as though they have entered a fantastical theater hidden within the mountains, experiencing the living rhythms of the forest and the changing seasons.