Note: The order of appearance of the following festivals and events is according to the time of the year when they usually occur. Dates can change however over time. We try to update the info frequently, but some of it might be outdated. The year in the bracket […] indicates when the info was last updated.
JANUARY
Separate page here: taiwaneverything.cc/2023/12/27/january-events
FEBRUARY
Separate page here: taiwaneverything.cc/2023/12/27/february-events
[2022] February 11~20 | Taipei CityTaipei Lantern Festival
臺北燈節
[2021] February / New Taipei City
Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival
新北市平溪天燈節
Releasing paper lanterns into the sky is a very popular activity for tourists who visit the scenic Pingxi Valley in New Taipei City. While sky lanterns are released throughout the year, during the time of the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival (two weeks after the Lunar New Year) the atmosphere is especially enchanting. Thousands of revelers gather and hundreds of lanterns are released at the same time in succession, turning the night sky into a sea of orange lights. Write your wishes on your lantern and send it to the heavens!
New Taipei City Travel
Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival
鹽水蜂炮
While the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is a very peaceful and heartwarming festival, the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival is definitely not. And it’s not meant to be. The origin of the beehive fireworks goes back to the late 19th century, when the people of the town of Yanshui were plagued by a cholera epidemic. Turning to the gods for help, they carried a palanquin with Guan Di, the God of War, through the streets and set off firecrackers to scare away the evil spirits responsible for the plague. This approach apparently worked, and the faithful people of Yanshui have been organizing the beehive fireworks event annually ever since.
Beehive Fireworks Festival
YANSHUI Beehive Rocket Festival in Tainan
[2021] February / Miaoli CityMiaoli Bombing the Dragon
苗栗𪹚龍
This is another festive event organized during the time of the annual lantern festival period. It takes place at the Yuqing Temple in Miaoli City, and activities last from the first day of the lunar month to the 15th. The “bombing of the dragon” tradition (the “dragon” is a long paper dragon carried by several men) is carried out in several stages during this period: the creation of the dragon, painting its eyes (to bring it to life), welcoming of the dragon, walking with the dragon, and finally bombing it (setting off firecrackers around it and in the end burning it).
Miaoli Travel Net
The Bombing Master Handan Celebration
炸寒單
[2021] February~March / Taipei City
Yangmingshan Flower Season
陽明山花季
When the weather in northern Taiwan is at its coolest in February and March each year, the cherry trees of Yangmingshan National Park burst into bloom, bringing bright red and pink colors to the otherwise grayish-green mountainsides. Azaleas and camellias and a large bouquet of other flower types also join in the fun, to the delight of flower lovers, who flock to the park in large number. Among the favorite locations to enjoy the floral beauty are Yangming Park and the Floriculture Experiment Center.
Yangmingshan National Park
Shilin Residence Tulip Show
士林官邸鬱金香展
Soon after Lunar New Year, the highly anticipated “Shilin Residence Tulip Festival” will take place. The festival showcases flower beds with tulips from Japan and the Netherlands and decorative installation art. Visitors who enter the Shilin Residence park will soon enjoy the romantic atmosphere created by the tulip flowers. During the time of the festival, business in the area will present special offers. After enjoying the tulip show, try delicious food and enjoy a good time on a spring day.
[2020] February 22 ~ March 8 / Kaohsiung CitySong-Jiang Battle Array in Neimen, Kaohsiung
高雄內門宋江陣
Not much of tourist interest goes on in Kaohsiung’s quiet rural district of Neimen for most of the year, but there is one exception, the annual Song-Jiang Battle Array event. This week-long festival, a mix of religious rituals and sports-like competition, brings together groups of young performers from around Taiwan, who converge on Neimen to show off their troupe-array martial-arts skills and compete against each other. The festival is a fantastic spectacle, packed with exciting and at times highly acrobatic performances that are accompanied by the sound of drums and other traditional instruments.
Neimen Song Jiang Battle Ritual (Chinese)
MARCH
[2021] March / Tainan CityTaiwan International Orchid Show
臺灣國際蘭展
Orchids have been cultivated in Taiwan for more than a hundred years, and over the last two decades the local production has been increased significantly, making the island one of the most important orchid exporters in the world. More than 90% of Taiwan-grown flowers shipped abroad are orchids, with moth orchids being the most important. This orchid show is not only an important event for international orchid buyers, but also a great exhibition of all types of orchids for the common flower lover.
Taiwan International Orchid Show
Alishan Sakura Season
阿里山花季音樂會
During February to April the Alishan Forest Recreation Area, a popular tourist attraction throughout the year, becomes even more attractive despite high-mountain winter weather that can be quite cold. The area boasts different types of cherry trees with slightly differing blooming times, including Formosan, Yoshino, Fuji, and Yaebenishidare cherry. The Yoshino cherry trees are the most numerous, and their large pink-petal blossoms are especially photogenic. Another treat for photographers is the old steam locomotives of the Alishan Forest Railway that can be seen running during this time of the year.
Alishan National Scenic Area
New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon
新北市萬金石馬拉松
This road race is different from the many other running events staged throughout the year in Taiwan in that it has been recognized as a Silver Label race by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). As such, the marathon has joined the ranks of elite road races around the world, and attracts a significant number of top marathon runners from abroad each year.
Wan Jin Shi Marathon
Calla Lily and Hydrangea Festival
竹子湖海芋季及繡球花季
The residents of Taipei are blessed for having a magnificent national park right at their doorstep. In less than an hour you can get from the city center to the breezy mountains and deep forests of Yangmingshan by public transport and find yourself embraced by pristine nature. Part of the park is an agricultural area named Zhuzihu, sitting in the shadows of towering Mt. Datun. During spring and early summer two types of flowers, in succession, draw droves of visitors up to the fields of the area. First to bloom is the pure-white calla lily, and later comes the hydrangea, sporting shades of purple, blue, and pink. Part of the Zhuzihu experience is picking calla lilies yourself and sitting down in one of the restaurants to enjoy healthful meals made with local produce.
www.callalily.com.tw (Chinese)
[2022] March 26 ~ May 8 / Yilan CountyYilan Green Expo
宜蘭綠色博覽會
Yilan County, situated in the northeast corner of Taiwan, is known for its agriculture – mostly on the triangular-shaped Lanyang Plain – and its forest-covered mountain areas – encompassing most of its western and southern parts. It’s the perfect location for an exposition that highlights green tourism and protection of the natural environment. This expo is both an educational and fun affair, ideal for families with children, who will revel in adventurous activities such as ziplining, encounters with farm animals, and nature-themed DIY classes and games.
travel.yilan.tw (Yilan County Government)
[2022] March 26 ~ May 8 / Taipei CityTreasure Hill Light Festival
寶藏巖光節
The Treasure Hill Light Festival is held annually from the last week in March to early May. Featured are 20-30 artworks and there is an opening-day market and related activities. In 2023, Treasure Hill will be seen as a theater with visitors being invited to become heroes. The way artworks will be displayed and how visitors will move about will differ from the festival format of the past, reshaping activities at Treasure Hill.
APRIL
[2022] April ~ May / Around TaiwanHakka Tung Blossom Festival
客家桐花祭
The Hakka people in Taiwan, a Han Chinese minority group that immigrated to the island starting in the mid-17th century and often settled in hilly regions, especially those of northwest Taiwan, planted a large number of tung trees for commercial purposes during the Japanese colonial era (1895~1945). Today, the trees grow in the wild and, to the delight of hikers, bloom profusively in April and May, their snow-white blossoms covering tree branches and carpeting hiking trails. During the tung blossom season, numerous cultural events are held in celebration by Hakka communities in locations close to the forests.
www.hakka.gov.tw (Hakka Affairs Council)
[2020] April 5 ~ June 28 / Taipei CityBaosheng Cultural Festival
保生文化祭
If you have time for just one temple visit during your next trip to Taipei, consider making it the Dalongdong Bao’an Temple. The main deity worshipped in this complex, which received a UNESCO Award for Culture Heritage Conservation in 2003, is the Baosheng Emperor, also known as the God of Medicine. The Baosheng Cultural Festival, held each year around the deity’s birthday (15th day of 3rd lunar month; April 7th this year), includes many interesting events and activities over a span of several weeks, including street parades and martial-arts performances.
Bao’an Temple
Dapeng Bay Marine Festival
大鵬灣帆船生活節
During this festival a variety of water-related activities and events are organized in Pingtung County’s Dapeng Bay area, including sailing competition on the waters of the bay. Other fun activities involve canoeing, dragon boat racing, stand-up paddling (SUP), jet skiing, and yachting. The event also features exhibitions promoting local industries such as agriculture, food, and tourism.
www.dbnsa.gov.tw (Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area)
[2022] April 15 ~ May 2 / Keelung CityKeelung Ciao
基隆潮藝術
Dark, wet, industrial…this was the image of Keelung City in the past. In recent times this harbor city to the northeast of Taipei City has been changing. In the same vein as its larger counterpart in the south, Kaohsiung, the city is slowly reimagining itself as a center of culture, modernity, and refinement. Public art is a unique way to beautify a cityscape and open visitors’ eyes to lesser-known corners of an urban environment. Keelung Ciao, first held in 2015, has gradually been introducing art into Keelung, and by doing so introducing Keelung to visiting art lovers. The creations by local and foreign artists, sometimes placed in unusual spaces like on board a ship or inside an old shipyard, encourage you to explore and discover this history-rich city and its harbor area.
www.keelungciao.org/en/
Penghu International Fireworks Festival
澎湖國際海上花火節
MAY
[2022] May ~ June / Pingtung CountyPingtung Bluefin Cultural Tuna Festival
屏東黑鮪魚文化觀光季
For lovers of fresh seafood, the fishing-harbor town of Donggang in Pingtung County is a place not to be missed. The season for bluefin tuna is April to June, and during this time of the year you can not only sample the best and freshest of melt-in-your-mouth sashimi, but also enjoy a wide variety of cultural activities. Apart from tuna, Donggang is also famed for sakura prawns and oil fish roe. From the harbor, the mainland area of Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area can be reached by vehicle with a quick drive, and you can take a ferry to Little Liuqiu (Xiaoliuqiu) island, also part of the scenic area, which is known for its coral rock formations and sea turtles.
Website: www.dbnsa.gov.tw (Dapeng Bay NSA)
[2022] May 6~15 / New Taipei CityTaiwan International Documentary Festival
台灣國際紀錄片影展
Website: www.tidf.org.tw
[2022] May 8 / Taipei CityEid al-Fitr in Taipei
Eid al-Fitr is one of the important festivals of Muslims. The Eid al-Fitr in Taipei is held by Taipei City Government to promote cultural exchange. Muslims and non-Muslim citizens are equally invited to Daan Forest Park to browse through a market, watch performances, and learn about each other’s lives, experiencing a face of Taipei that is friendly and diverse!
[2022] May 15~June 7 / Miaoli CountyMiaoli Tongxiao Baishatun Gongtian Temple Mazu Festival
苗栗通霄白沙屯拱天宮媽祖民俗文化系列活動
Mazu, the Goddess of the Sea, is worshipped in countless temples around Taiwan, and processions are held and pilgrimages made in her honor by tens of thousands of the faithful each year. While the Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage in central Taiwan is better known, the Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage from Baishatun Gongtian Temple on the Miaoli County coast to Beigang Chaotian Temple in Yunlin County (total route 400km) is equally impressive and vibrant, albeit on a somewhat smaller scale. The pilgrimage takes 8 days to complete, with stops at many Mazu temples along the way where visitors can witness traditional rituals and street performances.
Website: www.baishatun.com.tw (Baishatun Gongtian Temple)
[2018] May 26/27 / Pingtung CountySpring Wave Music & Arts Festival
春浪音樂節
After being staged the last two years at Taipei’s Dajia Riverside Park, this year the annual Spring Wave Music & Art Festival returns to Kenting National Park this year [2018] in the far south of Taiwan. The line-up of performers includes some of the big names of Taiwan’s pop and rock scenes, including Van Ness Wu, Sandee Chan, Miss Ko, MJ116, Julia Wu, Auntie Roxy, and Leon Zheng. Kenting National Park is a wonderful natural playground featuring sandy beaches, stretches of upraised coral-rock coastline, tropical forest, and a busy tourist-oriented village (Kending) offering scores of shops, restaurants, and hotels.
Spring Wave Music & Art Festival
Fulong International Sand Sculpture Art Festival
福隆國際沙雕藝術季
This is a very popular happening on a very popular beach on Taiwan’s Northeast Coast. The fine sand found at Fulong Beach is said to be perfect for creating sand castles, and that might explain why during each year’s festival incredible large, life-like, intricate, and highly creative sand sculptures wow the crowds. The themes in 2020 were in line with the year being the Year of Mountain Tourism and 2021 being the Year of Cycling in Taiwan. Expect to see large sculptures featuring high mountains and creations showing people exploring Taiwan on two wheels. Those concerned about strong sun exposure during daytime will be delighted to know that the sand sculptures can also be enjoyed in the evening, colorfully illuminated.
Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area
JUNE
[2023] June ~ December / Around TaiwanTaiwan Cycling Festival
臺灣自行車節
Bicycling has become hugely popular in Taiwan in recent years, and with a cycling environment that is constanly being improved around the island, the number of cycling enthusiasts is ever-growing. Staged annually since 2010, this festival brings bicycling fans together through a number of attractive events, among them the Taiwan KOM Challenge (this year taking place October 27), Formosa 900 (taking place November 11~19), and Come!Bikeday (November 11).
Websites: taiwanbike-international.taiwan.net.tw; www.taiwankom.org; formosa900.giant.com.tw; www.sunmoonlake.gov.tw
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Sun Moon Lake Cycling, Music & Fireworks Festival
日月潭花火音樂嘉年華
This festival combines active fun (bicycling and road running) with passive enjoyments (music concerts and a fireworks show), all happening on the shores of Sun Moon Lake. The bicycling event, named Come!Bikeday, is a relaxed ride around the lake made by hundreds of cyclists, while the road run is a marathon race following the same route. The musical entertainment features popular, indigenous, and classical music. Accompanied by the classical music, the fireworks show lights up the lake with vibrant colors reflecting off the water’s surface.
Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area
Wu Sha Cultural Festival
吳沙藝文季
www.wu-sha.org.tw (Chinese)
[2022] June 3/ Changhua CountyLukang Dragon Boat Festival
鹿港慶端陽系列活動
One of the big three annual traditional festivals in Taiwan, the Dragon Boat Festival is best known for dragon-boat races. These are staged on rivers and lakes in more than a dozen locations around the island, including Taipei’s Keelung River and Kaohsiung’s Love River. In recent years the competition at Lukang, which takes place on the Fulu River, has emerged as perhaps the most attractive dragon-boat race event. Making it special is the fact that the races take place in the late afternoon and evening with boats, bridges, and riverbanks colorfully illuminated. Many of the town’s streets are also lavishly decorated for the occasion. Lukang is a history-rich old settlement, once a thriving saltwater port, that is great for nostalgia trips for those who want to experience the Taiwan of yesteryear.
Website: tourism.chcg.gov.tw (Changhua Travel)
Shihmen Reservoir Hot Air Balloon Carnival
石門水庫熱氣球嘉年華
Website: www.balloon.tycg.gov.tw (Chinese)
[2022] June 21 ~ September 12 / Taitung CountyTaiwan East Coast Land Arts Festival
東海岸大地藝術節暨月光・音樂會
This festival combines the beauty of Taiwan’s East Coast region with the beauty of outdoor installation art and music. Each year, the organizer invites artists from Taiwan and abroad to create installation artworks that blend nicely with the natural environment of the East Coast National Scenic Area. A central element of the festival is the romantic Moonlight Sea Concert series, featuring well-known musicians from around Taiwan. As the concerts are timed to coincide with days around the full moon, spectators can (weather permitting) see the moonrise and the moonlight reflection on the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Moonlight Sea Concert shows in 2022: July 14/15, Aug. 13/14, Sept. 10/11/12.
Websites: www.teclandart.tw (TEC Land Arts Festival), www.eastcoast-nsa.gov.tw (East Coast National Scenic Area)
Taiwan KOM – Summer
臺灣KOM登山王之路-夏季
Who will be the King of the Mountains (KOM) in 2021? Or better, who will be the “kings,” because there will be more than one opportunity to snatch a winner’s crown in grueling bicycle races up steep mountain slopes this year. While the main Taiwan KOM Challenge bicycle race, from the Pacific shore in Hualien City to the dizzying central mountain heights at Wuling, the highest highway point in Taiwan, will take place at the end of October, additional KOM races have been added to the calendar. A spring race in late March and a summer race in late June, both following the same route as the main race, are giving ambitious riders even more opportunity to test their mettle. There are numerous other, less challenging, cycling events this year as well.
Taiwan Cyclist Federation (Chinese)
Taiwan Cycling Web (Chinese)
Glimmers in Matsu
微光馬祖
JULY
[2020] July / New Taipei CityHo-Hai-Yan Gongliao Rock Festival
新北市貢寮國際海洋音樂祭
The second large summer event on Fulong Beach each year (for the first, see the Fulong Int’l Sand Sculpture Art Festival entry), this three-day music event allows you to sit in soft golden sand and listen to tunes by leading Taiwanese indie rock bands, pop bands, and DJs, as well as international acts. Last year there were more than 80 performances on three stages. Fulong can be easily reached by taking an eastbound train from Taipei. Apart from visiting the sand-sculpture and music festivals, many visitors will also go on bicycle rides through the old Caoling railway tunnel. Visiting Fulong can also be combined with exploration tours along the Northeast Coast, including visits to Bitou Cape and Nanya’s strange rock formations.
New Taipei City Travel
Outdoor MUSIC EVENTS Around Taiwan
[2022] July ~ August / Nantou County
Nantou Starry Night Festival
南投星空季
Each year from late July to late August a meteor shower known as Perseids can be seen in the clear night sky of central Taiwan’s Nantou County. It is one of three major meteor showers each year. The most spectular display can be seen around August 13, with up to 100 shooting stars per hour lighting up the night sky canvas. The best spots for watching this spectacle are conveniently reached locations with low light pollution such as Hehuanshan (Mt. Hehuan; certified as an International Dark Sky Space by the International Dark-Sky Association), Sun Moon Lake, and the forest areas of Xitou and Sanlinxi.
Website: travel.nantou.gov.tw (Nantou Travel)
[2017] July ~ August 30 / Matsu IslandsTern-Watching Tour, Matsu
生態賞鷗暨海上看馬祖
The many uninhabited smaller islands and surrounding waters of the Matsu island group provide perfect nesting and feeding grounds for a large variety of seabirds. For bird lovers, the best time to go and see these birds, including the Bridled Tern, Black-napped Tern, Roseate Tern, Crested Tern, Black-tailed Tern, Reef Egret, and Fork-tailed Swift, is June through September. Boat trips to the islands are available from Fu’ao Harbor on the island of Nan’gan. There are no landings, and boats will keep a distance from the birds, so bringing binoculars and a telephoto lens for your camera is advisable.
Matsu National Scenic Area
Dadaocheng Summer Festival
大稻埕夏日節
The annual Taipei Dadaocheng Fireworks Festival, previously held over one weekend, will this year take place over a 51-day period as the Dadaocheng Summer Festival. There will be a low-altitude fireworks display on Wednesday at 8:30pm and one grand fireworks show in the evening of August 20, two days before Lovers’ Day. The venues are Dadaocheng Wharf and Yanping Riverside Park, both on the eastern bank of the Tamsui River.
Website: www.travel.taipei/en/event-calendar/details/41787
Taiwan International Balloon Festival
臺灣國際熱氣球嘉年華
This is one of the biggest and best tourism events during the summer months in Taiwan, and one of the top hot-air balloon festivals worldwide. The venue is the Luye Highland in Taitung County, about 20km north of Taitung City, a site with perfect conditions for air sports such as paragliding. The festival not only attracts tourists in large number, but also hot-air balloon pilots from abroad, who bring balloons of intriguing shapes and colors with them. For those who want to experience the sensation of slowly rising up into the sky, there are both tethered flights and free flights available, the first taking you about 20 meters off ground, the latter allowing you to fly, in much longer sessions, over the beautiful East Rift Valley countryside.
Official Website: balloontaiwan.taitung.gov.tw
[2022] July 2~7 / Taipei CityTaipei International Book Exhibition
台北國際書展
The Taipei International Book Exhibition (TIBE) is an important annual event for publishing professionals and book lovers in Taiwan and throughout East Asia. Thousands of visitors come to explore the latest in the world of publishing. Each time one country is featured as the “Guest of Honor,” and this time France is the center of attention. After being realized as an online exhibition over the last two years because of the pandemic, the show is reverting back to its physical form in 2022, to the delight of book lovers looking forward to participation in the many events taking place at the Taipei World Trade Center.
Official website: www.tibe.org.tw
[2022] July 2-August 31 / Tainan CitySalt and Sand Sculpture Art Festival
一見雙雕藝術季
The well-known sand-sculpture festival at Fulong is not the only such festival in Taiwan. In the southwest of the island, in Tainan City, another annual festival is held that not only showcases sand sculptures but also works made with salt. The sand sculptures can be seen at Mashagou Beach, just to the north of Jiangjun Fishing Harbor. The salt sculptures are presented inside an exhibition hall at the Qigu Salt Mountain in Qigu District, a well-known tourist attraction that resembles a large snow-covered hill.
Southwest Coast National Scenic Area
Ice Festival
冰品設計暨冰品展
[2022] July 16 ~ August 13 / Kaohsiung City
Website: khm.org.tw/tw/exhibition/currentexhibitions/detail/41 (Chinese)
[2022] July 16 ~ August 13 / Kaohsiung CityKaohsiung Cijin Beer Carnival
高雄旗津啤酒嘉年華
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sandartkh/
[2020] July 18 ~ August 30 / Yilan CountyYilan International Children’s Folklore and Folkgame Festival
宜蘭國際童玩藝術節
Each year, when the summer gets intensely hot, this festival helps everyone, especially children, to cool down and have fun in a large pool-facility area. This event, taking place in Yilan County’s Dongshan Township, provides more than just refreshing water, water slides, and water cannon to play with. It is an international happening with many exciting stage performances by troupes from Taiwan and abroad presenting entertaining and educational shows. There is also a wide range of classes and DIY sessions available, giving children myriad opportunities to gain knowledge. Side activities include dragon-boat paddling, sailing, and kayaking on the Dongshan River, adjacent to the festival venue. In the evening you can watch a mesmerizing water and light show.
Yilan Int’l Children’s Folklore and Folkgame Festival
Earthfest 2022
地球革命音樂祭
[2022] July 23~24 / Taipei City
Tianmu Beer Festival
天母啤酒節
In order to showcase the characteristics of the Tianmu commercial area, the 2022 Tianmu Beer Festival is held July 8 through August 25, bringing together local businesses such as international restaurants and shops, department stores, and beer producers. Among the festival’s attractions are a special-theme market, stage performances, and five exclusive and limited beer product offerings. Presented in creative ways the festival’s aim is to attract more consumers to the Tianmu commercial area, creating business opportunities, raising the profile of the area, and leading to more prosperity overall.
AUGUST
[2019] August / Hualien and Taitung CountiesAmis Harvest Festival
阿美族豐年祭
[2019] August~ September / Hualien County
Hualien Daylily Blooming Season
花蓮金針花季
Among the most enchanting scenes of the East Rift Valley in eastern Taiwan are the fields of blooming daylilies in late summer/early autumn. There are two main areas where you can take in the floral beauty: Mt. Chike in Yuli Township and Sixty Stone Mountain in Fuli Township. Both mountain areas present visitors with amazing vistas over the East Rift Valley, the daylilies adding orange hues to the mountain slopes. Access to both locations is via steep and narrow roads; if you don’t have your own means of transport, note that shuttle-bus services are offered from central Yuli and Fuli during the blooming season.
East Rift Valley National Scenic Area
Keelung Mid-Summer Ghost Festival
雞籠中元祭
This event, lasting a full month, is one of Taiwan’s major annual festivals. It takes place during the 7th lunar month (August 16~September 14 in 2023), referred to as “Ghost Month.” According to folk belief, at this time of year the gates separating the realms of the living and the dead open and ghosts return to wander the earth. In order to appease these wandering souls, lavish offerings are made in front of temples in the port city of Keelung and a plethora of rituals and ceremonies is celebrated. Among the numerous highlights of the festival are the Door-Opening Ceremony at Laodagong Temple on Day 1 and the Water Lantern Parade and Releasing of Water Lantern on Day 14 of the lunar month.
Website: tour.klcg.gov.tw (Keelung Travel)
Taiwan Culinary Exhibition
台灣美食展
Each year, this exhibition held in the Taipei World Trade Center gives food lovers a comprehensive overview of what Taiwan’s culinary world has to offer, from simple night-market snack foods to exquisite 5-star hotel banquets. Visitors have the chance to sample-eat local specialties, enjoy entertaining stage performances, watch chefs demonstrating their cooking skills, marvel at food art, and also learn about cuisines from around the world.
Website: www.tcetva.tw (Chinese)
Creative Expo Taiwan
臺灣文化創意設計博覽會
Since the Creative Expo Taiwan was first held in 2010, it has experienced exponential growth in the number of exhibitors, participating countries, and visitors, becoming one of Asia’s largest cultural and creative expos. Each year, the expo challenges the public and the cultural/creative community to stretch their imaginations and explore Taiwan’s culture. Activities include cross-disciplinary seminars and topic-based conferences. Design and branding are also discussed, as participants work to promote and broaden Taiwan’s cultural and creative soft power. This year, for the first time, the expo will be held in Kaohsiung City’s brand-new Kaohsiung Music Center.
Website: creativexpo.tw (official website); kpmc.com.tw (Kaohsiung Music Center)
Toucheng “Qianggu” – Grappling with the Ghost Pole-Climbing Competition
頭城搶孤民俗文化活動
Taking place at the end of the annual Ghost Festival period, the Toucheng “Qianggu” ghost-grappling competition is a fun event to watch – and to participate in (if you’re one of the brave local lads that take part). Groups of young men compete against each other climbing up greasy poles made of China fir, soaring 11m high, to reach a platform from which they climb 7-8m higher up on a bamboo trestlework to snatch the winner’s flag. The event at the town of Toucheng in Yilan County is the largest such competition in Taiwan. A similar pole-climbing challenge is held in Hengchun, Pingtung County, close to a well-known preserved section of the town’s old protective wall. Both events include many other cultural activities, such as religious ceremonies, cultural performances, and food markets.
Yilan County Government
2023 Hakka Expo
2023世界客家博覽會
The aim for this expo, with the theme “Travel to Tomorrow,” is highlighting the migrations of the Hakka people around world and creating a platform for international Hakka cultural exchange. The main element of the event will be showcasing the beauty of Hakka crafts, opera, literature, music, architecture, food, industries, people, and language in a comprehensive manner. Activities will be held in 10 exhibition halls, including the World Pavilion, all situated within Taoyuan’s newly developed Qingpu Special District centered around Taoyuan High Speed Rail Station.
Website: www.hakka.tycg.gov.tw
[2017] August 12 ~ September 12 / Hsinchu CountyNational Yimin Festival
全國義民祭
The ceremonies and other rituals of this Hakka festival take place during the seventh month of the lunar calendar in 15 village districts located in Taoyuan and Hsinchu, northwestern Taiwan. The festival, which is organized along with Ghost Festival traditions, commemorates the bravery of over 200 men who sacrificed their lives fighting against rebels in the late Qing dynasty. The brave men are revered as Yimin Ye in the temples of Hakka communities, the most important of which is Xinpu Yimin Temple. For visitors, the festival is a great occasion to see Hakka culture at its liveliest, with many exciting cultural performances taking place on the plaza in front of the temple in Xinpu.
Hsinchu County Government
Hengchun Pole Climb Festival
恆春古城國際豎孤棚觀光文化活動
Like the Keelung Mid-Summer Ghost Festival, this traditional event, which takes place in the southern Taiwan town of Hengchun in Pingtung County, is part of the annual Ghost Month activities. According to legend, the idea of climbing greasy poles came about in the late 19th century when the rich people of town thought about ways to avoid fights and injuries among the poor people who received their offerings. Today, climbing the poles is all about pride and team spirit, and the activity has become a great spectator event, drawing thousands of onlookers each year.
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Taipei Riverside Children’s Fun Carnival – Bravo’s Water Park
台北河岸童樂會熊讚水樂園
The Taipei Riverside Children’s Fun Carnival – Bravo’s Water Park has been developed for many years. It has become a summer water recreation event eagerly awaited by parents and their kids. In 2023, the Bravo theme will be used again to provide safe and interesting water-fun facilities, interactive performances, breakout games, special market stalls, and guided tours about water resources. The park allows parents and children learn more about the water environment while playing during hot summer days, combining education with fun. Attracting many visitors, the park also brings economic benefits to the whole Gongguan commercial area.
SEPTEMBER
[2023] September~December / Taipei CitySpend a Night at the Taiwan’s Presidential Office Building
來去總統府住一晚
Would you like to spend a night at Taiwan’s Presidential Office Building? Four years after this was made possible for visitors from abroad for the first time, the central government is now once again inviting interested foreigners to experience an overnight stay at this important and iconic building. As this is not your usual tourist accommodation, there is of course an application process to go through. Find all the relevant information on the official website below.
Website: www.nightattaiwan.tw
[2018] September / Around TaiwanTaiwan Braised Pork on Rice Festival
臺灣滷肉飯節
If you want to eat like the locals in Taiwan, braised pork on rice is definitely a dish you should try on your next visit. This simple dish is widely available, from small eateries to big restaurants and from night-market stands to food courts in modern department stores and malls. Made with ground pork marinated and boiled in soy sauce, it is usually served in a small bowl. Other small dishes are also usually ordered to make a full meal. The goal behind this festival, held for the first time last year, is not only to promote the humble dish itself but also Taiwan’s local food culture. A group of Taiwan’s best eateries selling braised pork on rice in different variations is selected by the organizer, their chefs going on a tour of six cities to present their yummy creations to salivating crowds.
Sun Moon Lake International Swimming Carnival
日月潭國際萬人泳渡
Sun Moon Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Taiwan, and one of the island’s best-known tourist destinations. Swimming in the lake is prohibited, but there is one major exception, the annual Sun Moon Lake Swimming Carnival. This swimming event was organized for the first time in 1981, with just 540 swimmers crossing the lake. In 2020, its 38th edition, a total of 21,800 swimmers took to the water to complete the 3km swim from Zhaowu Wharf on the northern shore of the lake to Ita Thao Wharf on its southeast side. Because of the global pandemic, the swim, which is not a competition but a relaxed affair with a party atmosphere, did not take place last year.
Websites: www.sunmoonlake.gov.tw (Sun Moon Lake NSA); www.pulifourswim.tw (Puli Four-season Swimming Association)
[2022] September 17 / Yilan CountyTaiwania Ultra Trail
台灣棲蘭林道越野
This sporting event takes long-distance runners through the pristine forest along the usually off-limits Qilan Forestry Road in Yilan County. An official International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) event promoted by the government, it features runs over three distances (25, 50, and 100km) with top finishers receiving scores for the International Trail Running Association (ITRA) rankings. At an altitude of above 2,000 meters and with unpredictable weather (high chance of rain), it is regarded as a highly challenging competition. If you are not a long-distance runner, note that visiting part of the Qilan forest area (Divine Trees Garden) is possible via guided tours offered by the Lealea Makauy Ecological Park.
Websites: www.ctau.org.tw (Taipei Chinese Association of Ultrarunners), makauy.lealeahotel.com (Lealea Makauy Ecological Park)
[2020] September 27 ~ October 4 / New Taipei CityYehliu Night Tours
野柳石光-夜訪女王
Meinong Canal Trip Arts Festival
美濃水圳漫旅藝術節
This festival, a cooperation with the cities of Fukuoka and Gifu in Japan, showcases local characteristics with an international perspective. The traditional Hakka village of Meinong is lit up to bring international art to this rural area.
OCTOBER
Separate page here: taiwaneverything.cc/2023/10/07/october-events
NOVEMBER
Separate page here: taiwaneverything.cc/2023/11/01/november-events
DECEMBER
Separate page here: https://taiwaneverything.cc/2023/11/30/december-events/