{"schema_version":"v1","type":"trip_article","slug":"donggang-burning-boat","locale":"en","canonical_url":"https://www.voucherdata.asia/trips/donggang-burning-boat","updated_at":"2026-10-14T00:00:00+00:00","headline":"Donggang King Boat Ceremony 2027: triennial rite, expected in autumn","one_sentence_summary":"The Donggang King Boat Ceremony is held every three years. The next one is in 2027, with dates not yet announced. It runs eight days at Donglong Temple and ends with the King Boat burned on the beach at Zhenhai Park.","facts":[{"label":"Cycle","value":"Every three years, in the years of the Ox, Dragon, Goat and Dog. There was no ceremony in 2026","source":"https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aloc/202607080145.aspx","sourceLabel":"cna.com.tw"},{"label":"Next edition","value":"2027 Dingwei edition, expected in autumn. The 2024 dates were announced after the temple chairman cast divination blocks in the 11th lunar month of the year before","source":"https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/4537265","sourceLabel":"news.ltn.com.tw"},{"label":"Location","value":"Donglong Temple in Donggang, Pingtung County, dedicated to Lord Wen. The boat is burned on the beach at Zhenhai Park","source":"https://news.pts.org.tw/article/411963","sourceLabel":"news.pts.org.tw"},{"label":"King Boat","value":"The 2027 boat is 46 Taiwanese feet 6 inches long, cost about NT$13.8 million and was consecrated on 8 July 2026","source":"https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aloc/202607080145.aspx","sourceLabel":"cna.com.tw"},{"label":"Transport","value":"Donggang has no railway station. The nearest are Nanzhou and Linbian on the Pingtung Line. Ferries run from Donggang to Xiaoliuqiu","source":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donggang,_Pingtung","sourceLabel":"en.wikipedia.org"},{"label":"Last edition","value":"2024 Jiachen edition: water-fetching rite on 28 September, send-off on 5 October, eight days in all","source":"https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/4537265","sourceLabel":"news.ltn.com.tw"},{"label":"Send-off crowd","value":"At the 2018 send-off, the temple estimated 30,000 to 40,000 people on the beach","source":"https://news.pts.org.tw/article/411963","sourceLabel":"news.pts.org.tw"}],"city_tabs":{"donggang":{"title":"Pingtung · Donggang","bullets":["Donglong Temple honours Lord Wen, and the boat is burned on the beach at Zhenhai Park","Water-fetching rite on day one, send-off and boat burning on day eight","On day eight the boat is moved late at night and lit once it reaches the shore"],"source":"https://news.pts.org.tw/article/411963","sourceLabel":"news.pts.org.tw"}},"faq":[{"q":"When is the next Donggang King Boat Ceremony?","a":"The next one is the 2027 Dingwei edition, and the dates have not been announced. The new King Boat was consecrated on 8 July 2026. For 2024, the temple chairman cast divination blocks to ask Lord Wen in the 11th lunar month of the year before. The temple says autumn weather is more settled and past editions have mostly been held on autumn weekends.","sources":["https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aloc/202607080145.aspx","https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/4537265"]},{"q":"When was the last ceremony held?","a":"The last one was the 2024 Jiachen edition: the water-fetching rite on 28 September, and the send-off with the boat burning eight days later on 5 October. It is held every three years, so there was none in 2026.","sources":["https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/4537265","https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aloc/202409280193.aspx"]},{"q":"How often is the King Boat burned?","a":"Every three years, in the years of the Ox, Dragon, Goat and Dog. It is not an annual event.","sources":["https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aloc/202607080145.aspx"]},{"q":"When does the King Boat burning take place?","a":"At the send-off on the eighth day. The boat is moved from the Donglong Temple grounds to the shore, and in 2018 the procession was still moving after 1 am. Paper offerings and agarwood beside the boat are lit first, and the fire then spreads to the hull.","sources":["https://news.pts.org.tw/article/411170","https://news.pts.org.tw/article/411963"]},{"q":"How can you check the exact dates for a given year?","a":"The dates are announced by Donglong Temple after divination and land on different calendar dates each edition. The temple's announcement is final.","sources":["https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/4537265"]},{"q":"How do you get to Donggang?","a":"Donggang has no railway station. The nearest are Nanzhou and Linbian on the Pingtung Line, from where you continue by road; the Donggang bus transfer station, opened in January 2024, brings 21 routes together. Kaohsiung also works as a base. Traffic is heavy during the ceremony, so allow extra time.","sources":["https://www.cna.com.tw/news/ahel/202401070077.aspx","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donggang,_Pingtung"]},{"q":"Where is the boat burned?","a":"On the beach at Zhenhai Park in Donggang. The boat is moved there from the Donglong Temple grounds, and in 2024 the opening water-fetching rite was held at Zhenhai Park too.","sources":["https://news.pts.org.tw/article/411963"]},{"q":"What etiquette applies at the boat burning?","a":"It is a religious rite, not a show. Stand where Donglong Temple and its volunteers direct you, stay out of the ritual area, keep your distance from the fire, and don't photograph worshippers at close range.","sources":["https://news.pts.org.tw/article/411963"]}],"sources":["https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aloc/202607080145.aspx","https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/4537265","https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aloc/202409280193.aspx","https://news.pts.org.tw/article/411963","https://news.pts.org.tw/article/411170","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donggang,_Pingtung","https://www.cna.com.tw/news/ahel/202401070077.aspx"],"key_takeaways":[{"text":"The 2027 dates have not been announced. Calendar dates change every edition, and in 2018 the ceremony ran 28 October–4 November.","date":"2026-10-14","scope":"festival","source_url":"https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/4537265","source_label":"news.ltn.com.tw"},{"text":"Burning the boat sends the Royal Lords back to heaven and carries plague and bad luck away with them.","date":"2026-10-14","scope":"festival","source_url":"https://news.pts.org.tw/article/411963","source_label":"news.pts.org.tw"},{"text":"Stay out of the ritual area during the send-off. In 2018 a visitor walked into it and upset worshippers.","date":"2026-10-14","scope":"festival","source_url":"https://news.pts.org.tw/article/411963","source_label":"news.pts.org.tw"}],"reading_outline":[{"id":"executive-summary","label":"Summary"},{"id":"city-routes","label":"Places and routes"},{"id":"rules","label":"Before you go"},{"id":"faq","label":"FAQ"},{"id":"sources","label":"Sources"}],"topic":{"chain":["trips","taiwan-festivals","donggang-burning-boat"]},"status":"published","hero_image":{"src":"/hero/donggang-burning-boat.webp","alt":"Donggang King Boat Ceremony 2027: triennial rite, expected in autumn"},"editorial":{"tagline":"A boat 46 Taiwanese feet long ends its life as ash on Zhenhai Park beach","paragraphs":["The boat for the coming edition was built without pay by 76 boatbuilders and volunteers from Donggang and Liuqiu. From the start of work to the last coat of paint took close to a year, of which the woodwork itself took about three months and the painting about two. Built for the 2027 Dingwei edition, it is 46 Taiwanese feet 6 inches long and was consecrated at Donglong Temple at 9:15 am on 8 July 2026.","Donglong Temple's main deity is Lord Wen, whose name sounds like the word for plague. The Royal Lords tour on heaven's behalf: during the ceremony they are welcomed into Donggang and worshipped, then sent away with the boat, taking plague and bad luck out of town.","The eight days begin with the water-fetching rite. On the first day of the 2024 edition, Donglong Temple and Donggang's seven neighbourhood associations welcomed the Royal Lords at Zhenhai Park on the southwest shore. On the eighth day the boat returns to the same beach.","On the night of the send-off the boat is moved from the temple grounds to the shore, and in 2018 the procession was still going after 1 am. On the beach, paper offerings and agarwood beside the boat are lit first, then the fire spreads to the hull, and the boat, about 8.6 Taiwanese feet high at its centre, burns where it stands."]},"guide":{"lede":"Dates are set only after Donglong Temple's divination, usually for the autumn, and the 2027 edition has none yet. The boat burns late on the eighth night into the small hours, and Donggang has no railway station, so staying in town is easiest.","sections":[{"heading":"How the dates are set","body":"The ceremony is held **every three years**, in the years of the Ox, Dragon, Goat and Dog. The next one is the **2027 Dingwei edition**.\n\nThe dates are announced after the temple chairman casts divination blocks, and they land on different calendar dates each time: 28 October–4 November in 2018, 28 September–5 October in 2024. The 2024 dates were set in the 11th lunar month of the year before. Until the 2027 dates are out, an autumn weekend is the best guess."},{"heading":"Getting there: nearest stations and Kaohsiung","body":"Donggang has no railway station. The nearest are **Nanzhou** and **Linbian** on the Pingtung Line, from where you continue by road. Kaohsiung also works as a base.\n\nTraffic is heavy and parking is hard during the ceremony, so allow extra time. Ferries also run from Donggang to Xiaoliuqiu if you want to add the island."},{"heading":"Late nights and big crowds","body":"The boat burning is a ritual, not a stage show, and it happens between late night and the small hours. The boat is moved after dark, the 2018 procession was still going after 1 am, and only then was the fire lit on the beach. The temple estimated 30,000 to 40,000 people on the shore that night, so expect a late night, long hours on your feet and tight crowds."},{"heading":"Lodging and costs","body":"The send-off runs from late night into the early hours, so **staying in Donggang** saves a night-time drive. If Donggang is full, stay in Kaohsiung and allow for the drive and for finding parking.\n\nThe main costs are transport and lodging. Once the dates are out, confirm the send-off day first, then decide where to sleep the night before."},{"heading":"Etiquette at the boat burning","body":"This is a religious rite, not a show. Donglong Temple and local worshippers organise it, so **follow the directions of the temple and its volunteers** on where to stand and which lines not to cross.\n\nStay out of the ritual area. During the 2018 send-off a visitor walked into it and upset worshippers. When people kneel or hold incense towards the boat, don't stand in front of them or photograph them at close range."},{"heading":"Safety on the beach at night","body":"There is a lot of paper offering and open fire around the boat, so keep to the distance the volunteers set.\n\nAgree on a meeting point in case you get separated, bring a torch and a jacket, and plan your ride back, since you will be leaving in the early hours."},{"heading":"The eight days in order","body":"The ceremony lasts eight days. **Day one is the water-fetching rite** that welcomes the Royal Lords, followed by processions and other rites, and **day eight is the send-off**, when the boat is burned.\n\nThe dates for each rite in 2027 will come with Donglong Temple's published schedule."}]},"kind":"festival","available_locales":["zh-TW","en","th","id"],"event_start_date":"2024-09-28","event_end_date":"2024-10-05","dates_estimated":false,"next_edition":{"start_date":null,"end_date":null,"estimated":true,"note":{"zh-TW":"三年一科，2027 丁未科預計秋季（農曆九月前後），日期由東隆宮公布","en":"Held once every three years; the 2027 Dingwei edition is expected in autumn (around the ninth lunar month), with dates announced by Donglong Temple","th":"จัดสามปีครั้ง รอบปีติงเว่ย 2027 คาดว่าจัดช่วงฤดูใบไม้ร่วง (ราวเดือนเก้าตามปฏิทินจันทรคติ) วันที่จริงรอศาลเจ้าตงหลงประกาศ","id":"Diadakan tiga tahun sekali; edisi Dingwei 2027 diperkirakan pada musim gugur (sekitar bulan kesembilan Imlek), tanggal diumumkan Kuil Donglong"},"source":"https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aloc/202607080145.aspx"},"offers":[{"id":"xiaoliuqiu-ferry","title":{"zh-TW":"東港－小琉球來回船票","en":"Donggang–Xiaoliuqiu round-trip ferry","th":"ตั๋วเรือไปกลับตงก่าง–เสี่ยวหลิวฉิว","id":"Kapal pulang-pergi Donggang–Xiaoliuqiu"},"merchant":"klook","utility":"transport","landing_url":"https://www.voucherdata.asia/go/donggang-burning-boat?o=xiaoliuqiu-ferry&locale=en&src=data","checked_at":"2026-10-13"},{"id":"xiaoliuqiu-glass-boat","title":{"zh-TW":"小琉球玻璃船・半潛艇","en":"Xiaoliuqiu glass-bottom boat & semi-submarine","th":"เรือท้องกระจกและเรือกึ่งดำน้ำเสี่ยวหลิวฉิว","id":"Kapal dasar kaca & semi-kapal selam Xiaoliuqiu"},"merchant":"klook","utility":"experience","landing_url":"https://www.voucherdata.asia/go/donggang-burning-boat?o=xiaoliuqiu-glass-boat&locale=en&src=data","checked_at":"2026-10-13"}]}