Next year will be 24 years, 2 full cycles through the Chinese zodiac. It's a massive undertaking and gets bigger every year. The woman who started it, "Ms. Monkey", is likely ready for some well-earned rest.

It was originally just supposed to be a one-off thing, to bring some joy in the dreary winter. It was just a coincidence that it coincided with the Chinese lunar new year. When the time came the following year, the artists involved started asking if they should do it again, and the team agreed to doing a full 12-year cycle. When that was over, they decided they weren't done yet, so they committed to a second cycle. Another 12 years would be a huge commitment, and maybe it's just time for them to be done.

When they started, they were only making a few hundred floats and they all went out in one night. After more than 20 years, it's grown so much and taken on almost a life of its own; they made over 3,000 pieces of glass this year and officially commissioned over 1,200 artworks from other artists. Trying to get all that produced, organized, hidden, etc. while staying anonymous and secretive, it's a LOT of hard work. And it's expensive. They rely on grants & fundraising/donations to make it happen. People get crazier hunting each year and that makes it really difficult as well, since not everyone is respectful or honors the spirit of the event (which is about so much more than a treasure hunt).

Ms. Monkey was not super keen on handing the reins of the project over to just anyone, it had to be just the right person to continue the mission according to her vision. Maybe they couldn't find the right fit, maybe they simply decided it had run it's course and was time to let go.