The 2024 Penghu International Fireworks Festival is underway. Nearly 16,000 people flocked to the archipelago to attend the grand opening. The event featured a 10-minute fireworks display and a first-of-its-kind drone show, where 700 drones took to the sky, forming characters from the Japanese anime series "One Piece."

Dazzling fireworks light up the sky.

The Penghu International Fireworks Festival is now in its 22nd edition. The team behind Finland’s National Day fireworks was invited to create an unprecedented pyrotechnic feast.

Besides fireworks, the grand opening featured a drone show designed in collaboration with the Japanese anime series “One Piece.”

Seven hundred drones spelled out the words “The 25th Anniversary of ‘One Piece.’” Then characters from the series appeared in the sky, one by one.

Penghu Commissioner Chen Kuang-fu dressed up as Monkey D. Luffy. His administrative team, a crew of Straw Hat Pirates, made a splash as they entered to kick off the event.

Neil Gibson, the AIT’s Kaohsiung branch chief, flew out to Penghu for occasion.

Neil Gibson
AIT Kaohsiung branch chief
This is my second time in Penghu, but my first attending this festival. I’m very impressed, and I like it a lot. I’ve already planned to bring my whole family here, my children, too.

Strong winds exceeding Level 6 on the Beaufort scale put a damper on the fireworks display, shortening it from 15 to 10 minutes. The drone show was halted, prompting many in the crowd to leave. As the winds eased off, the drones returned to the skies at 9:50 p.m. before a much smaller audience, ending the grand opening on a bittersweet note.

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