Top Taiwan Festivals: A Celebration of Culture, Sport, and Tradition

Taiwan    16.05.2025    TransIndus

Taiwan’s cultural and natural landscapes are enriched by a vibrant tapestry of festivals that span the entire year. From ancient traditions rooted in lunar cycles to thrilling sporting events, the island offers travellers a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in diverse celebrations. This guide explores seven major festivals in the order they appear on the calendar, each highlighting Taiwan’s rich heritage, community spirit, and commitment to preserving both tradition and innovation.

 

Lunar New Year

The Lunar New Year marks the beginning of the lunisolar calendar and serves as one of Taiwan’s most significant familial and cultural event, often falling towards the end of January or beginning of February. Families gather for reunion dinners featuring symbolic dishes like nián gāo (sticky rice cake) and whole fish, while hóngbāo (red envelopes) exchange hands to convey blessings. Temples such as Taipei’s Longshan Temple overflow with worshippers praying for prosperity, and night markets buzz with stalls selling festive decorations.

Unlike mainland China’s New Year celebrations, Taiwan’s Lunar celebrations emphasise agricultural heritage, reflecting the island’s historical reliance on farming. Post-1949, cultural evolution has also woven indigenous elements into urban celebrations, with communities integrating traditional dances into public events. Despite the quieting of commercial districts, hotels and tourist attractions remain open, offering visitors a chance to witness intimate family rituals and public lantern displays that bridge generations.

 

Taiwan Lantern Festival

Following the Lunar New Year, the Taiwan Lantern Festival illuminates the island’s cities with artistic and technological marvels. In 2025, the main event in Taoyuan’s Chintan Park featured the “Fortune Snake Doudou” lantern, blending Taipei 101’s silhouette with dynamic light shows. Collaborations with cartoon pop culture icons like Bugcat Capoo and Line Friends attract younger audiences, while traditional lantern-making workshops in Pingxi District honour the practice of releasing sky lanterns inscribed with wishes.

The festival’s evolution from a religious observance to a luminous tourism attraction mirrors Taiwan’s ability to reinvent traditions – a theme echoed in Tainan, where the historic Anping Fort becomes a canvas for light art. Visitors can also sample seasonal treats like tangyuan (sweet rice balls), symbolising family unity under the first full moon of the year.

 

Flying Fish Festival

The Flying Fish Festival in Orchid Island offers a profound connection to the indigenous Yami people’s ecological beliefs. Beginning in February, this eight-month celebration revolves around sustainable fishing practices dictated by lunar phases and ocean currents. At the season opening, elders bless the carefully crafted and decorated boats (above) with prayers for safe voyages and bountiful catches.

Night fishing under torchlight provides visitors a rare glimpse into communal livelihoods, while the summer rituals mark the end of primary fishing seasons. The Yami’s strict taboos – such as avoiding loud noises near fishing grounds or consuming flying fish after October – underscore a deep respect for marine ecosystems.

The festival is a powerful, deeply respectful tribute to nature and the sea, offering a rare glimpse into one of Taiwan’s most fascinating and heartfelt cultural traditions.

 

World Masters Games

Taipei and New Taipei City will be buzzing with energy this May as they host the 2025 Summer World Masters Games, a major international multi-sport event for athletes aged 30 and above. Over the course of nearly two weeks, participants from around the world will compete in 35 different sports, ranging from track and field to swimming, cycling, martial arts and more. The event not only celebrates lifelong fitness and athleticism but also fosters global friendship, cultural exchange and mutual respect among diverse communities.

Unlike conventional tournaments, the Games prioritise participation over podium finishes. A 75-year-old sprinter might race alongside a 30-year-old debutant in athletics, while mixed-age triathlon teams traverse routes overlooking the gorgeous Tamsui River. Spectators can attend free events like the Athletes’ Parade along Ketagalan Boulevard, or workshops on traditional Taiwanese sports such as jianzi (shuttlecock kicking).

 

Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival, held in May or June, commemorates the ancient poet Qu Yuan through adrenaline-fueled races and culinary traditions. It is quite the spectacle, with teams from 40 nations converging on Taipei’s Dajia River for the International Dragon Boat Championships, paddling to drumbeats that echo millennia-old rhythms.

In Lugang, the Longshan Temple leads a procession honouring the Dragon King, where incense sticks placed on boats symbolize prayers for victory and safe waters. The real showstopper happens in central Taiwan, where teams light up the night with glowing, LED-lit boats for a one-of-a-kind race experience.

 

Penghu International Fireworks Festival

Across the Penghu Archipelago, the International Fireworks Festival transforms islands into radiant wonderlands between May and July. The 2025 edition, themed around Snoopy’s 75th anniversary, launches from Guanyinting Recreation Park with displays synchronised to orchestral arrangements. Every Monday and Thursday from May to June, and Tuesdays in July, pyrotechnic choreographers craft narratives using peony blooms, willow patterns, and spinning wheels.

 

Amis Harvest Festival

The Amis Harvest Festival, held between July-September in Hualien and Taitung, celebrates the island’s largest indigenous group’s agrarian roots. Villages host seven-day gatherings where men don feathered headdresses and women weave traditional floral garlands (pictured above).

Tourists can join “fathers of the youth” in mock hunting games using traditional bamboo traps or learn to cook hinavin (millet wine) in clay pots. The festival’s grand climax – a campfire feast under starry skies – showcases Amis polyphonic singing, a tradition where overlapping melodies mimic mountain echoes.

 

Taiwan’s Eternal Festival Spirit

From January’s familial warmth to September’s harvest gratitude, Taiwan’s festivals weave a narrative of resilience and creativity. Travellers seeking cultural depth will find Taiwan’s festivals – whether illuminated by lanterns, fireworks, or communal joy – offer unparalleled opportunities to connect with traditions that breathe life into the island’s past and future.

Plan your visit around these celebrations to witness Taiwan’s unique ability to honour heritage while innovating for global audiences. With seamless public transport linking urban spectacles to rural rites, now is the perfect time to visit.