The final Children's Day at the Children's Recreation Center draws 28,000 revelers

▲ Taipei’s Children’s Recreation Center attracted large crowds for its 80th and final Children's Day. (Photo / From the Facebook page of Taipei Municipal Children’s Recreation Center)

Local news / Reported from Taipei

The first day of the 2014 Qingming holiday coincided with Children's Day, prompting many parents to take their children to amusement parks after tomb-sweeping. Theme parks across Taiwan saw huge crowds. Taipei’s Children’s Recreation Center, which will relocate this summer, welcomed over 28,000 visitors on the 4th—far more than the usual holiday turnout of fewer than 10,000. As this year also marked the last Children's Day for the Yuanshan site in its 80-year history, many visitors felt sentimental.

Built in 1934 during the Japanese colonial period, Taipei Municipal Children’s Recreation Center is Taiwan’s only publicly operated theme park. After 80 years in Yuanshan, it will close this summer and reopen in Shilin as the “Children’s New Park,” transitioning into a facility-focused amusement park.

To thank the public for 80 years of support, the Children’s Recreation Center waived admission fees starting March 12, charging only NT$20 per ride. On its final Children's Day, the center reported 28,381 visitors—far exceeding the usual 6,000 to 10,000 on regular holidays. With long lines at every attraction, many visitors expressed sadness about the upcoming relocation this summer.