TAIPEI - The annual Taiwan Lantern Festival is scheduled to kick off in the northern county of Hsinchu February 24. The upcoming event will be a grand finale for the monthlong Lunar New Year festivities and celebrations.

This year, the main display at the festival will be a 26-meter high snake lantern, illuminated from inside by 200,000 LED lights, depicting the Year of the Snake on the lunar calendar.

Hebe Tian, a member of Taiwanese pop group S.H.E, the spokespersons for this year's Lantern Festival at Hsinchu, welcomed tourists to visit the beautiful county during the festival that will run March 10.

Other than joining the lantern festival, Tian also invited visitors to pay a trip to scenic spots in the county, including Hukou Old Street, Jiuqiong Lake and cherry blossom path at the Hengshan Township