Still from video previewing new 2018 Taipei 101 New Year display. Still from video previewing new 2018 Taipei 101 New Year display.

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- As the clock ticks down to midnight to ring in 2018, Taipei 101 will present a six-minute fireworks display, the longest in the history of the annual event, which will be further enhanced by a massive light-emitting diode (LED) display.

Starting from one minute before midnight, fireworks will be launched from Taipei 101 for a full six minutes (360 seconds), more than two minutes longer than last year's pyrotechnic display.

This year's light display will be much larger than last year's as well, with 140,000 LED lights covering the tower's exterior from the 35th floor and going all the way up to the 90th.

The theme for this year’s light and fireworks show is "Happy Together" (幸福共好), and Taipei 101 released a 30 second video simulation of the planned show on Wednesday (Dec. 13), which can be seen below.

The annual pyrotechnic extravaganza is watched by millions, including overseas visitors who flock from around the world to join in the countdown. Last year's Taipei 101 fireworks frenzy lasted lasted nearly four minutes and involved the launching of 20,000 fireworks at the stroke of midnight, along with a first-time light show orchestrated by 800 lights and special effects around the building.



Sill from YouTube video previewing this year's display on Taipei 101.

The size and length of the fireworks show has varied from year to year, with a 35 second display in 2005 to mark the grand opening of Taipei 101 and 288 second show in 2010-2011 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Republic of China.

Taipei 101 is run by the Taipei Financial Center Corp. (TFCC), of which the government holds a 44.35 percent stake.



Sill from YouTube video previewing this year's display on Taipei 101.

In recent years, there were announcements that the fireworks display would be discontinue to do lack of funding and environmental concerns. The TFCC had been to discussing the idea of replacing the fireworks with lights for some time, however each year enough funding to go ahead with a pyrotechnic display from both the government and private donors eventually materializes.

The Taipei 101 New Year fireworks display is a major tourist attraction with Taipei's MRT transporting 3 million revelers to events around the tower last year to ring in 2017.



Taipei 101 fireworks (Image courtesy of WDC2016)