The Best Things To See and Do in Taiwan in Winter

How could we forget Taiwan’s most notable feat of modern engineering, Taipei 101. The former tallest building in the world is ripe with Instagrammable spots, from the large damper to the massive ‘LOVE’ artwork out in front.

The Taiwan Lantern Festival is an event organised by the government in order to encourage younger generations to take more interest in their cultural heritage. It takes place in a different city each year and runs for about a week prior to the the actual lantern festival itself. Here, you’ll find a huge range of floats created by local businesses, charities and groups, some of which are pretty creative.

24 November-1 January Although only a small percentage of the population actually celebrate the festive season, locals are still fascinated by Christmas. And to satisfy the citizens’ thirst for all things Christmas (or to at least give people a taste of the commercial side of the holiday) the local government holds a Christmasland event each year in Banqiao.Here they decorate the streets and a central park area right by Banqiao Train Station. Kids and adults can enjoy some scheduled performances and take in all the creative displays or enjoy some festive treats. It’s an incredibly popular event that runs the whole month of December.

Fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar Anyone who has visited Taiwan will have heard about the sky lanterns of Pingxi and perhaps even set one off into the night sky. But during the festival itself, it’s an incredible sight to see thousands of lanterns taking to the sky. Locals write messages to the gods and their ancestors on the lanterns and release them into the sky hoping that their wishes and prayers will be answered. If you can handle the crowds then this is a great experience and a good opportunity for some photos.

Fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar Ranked as the third largest folk celebration in the world, this festival is incredibly popular but also ever so slightly dangerous. In fact, only the bravest souls take part in what can only be described as fireworks madness. Several beehive-like structures are packed with fireworks and locals actually walk between them as the fireworks are set off. It’s a religious celebration to thank a local god who protected the area during a plague. This baptism of fireworks is certainly a celebration that those faint of heart might want to avoid.

And so we come to the most important festival of them all, Lunar New Year or as many call it, Chinese New Year. It’s the most anticipated holiday in the region and a time when the entire island takes time to celebrate the new year with their family.

Although there are some events that take place during this time, to truly understand the meaning of the holiday, you’ll need to spend it with a local family. The house will be packed with traditional foods (each one significant for a particular reason) and you’ll get to experience some local traditions in action.

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