Travel Weekly / Check out December events around Taiwan here — Simple Living Festival, Christmas light-ups & more

Travel Center / Reported from Taipei



 
▲ Simple Living Festival. Photo from the 2010 event. (Photo / Courtesy of Simple Living Festival website)

【Simple Living Festival】


The Simple Living Festival, showcasing independent music creations, kicks off tomorrow (Dec 1). Though the weather forecast predicts a 90% chance of rain, you can still join in wearing rain boots or sandals — or don a raincoat as a cape or even a canvas. Come with empty hands ready to cheer for both yourself and the musicians, creators, and staff who’ve braved five days of rain.

Event dates: Dec 1–2, 2012, 2:00–10:00 PM

Event venue: Huashan 1914 Creative Park


Ticket price: NT$1,500 for single-day on-site purchase

【Xinshe Flower Sea Festival】



▲ The flower sea festival, continuing into mid-December, remains romantic even through mist and rain. This image is illustrative, not from this year’s Xinshe Flower Sea Festival. (Photo / Reporter You…)

The “Xinshe Flower Sea” series promotes local leisure agriculture and boosts the visibility of regional farm produce. It’s the most anticipated annual event in the greater mountainous urban area and the country’s most renowned and largest-scale flower sea leisure activity. Over seven years, it has continuously innovated to offer diverse ways for people to experience the beauty and joy of agriculture. In 2011, it was first combined with the Taichung International Floral Carpet Festival.


This year’s theme is “Rural Life & Premium Produce.” In addition to exciting themed activities in the exhibition areas, visitors are welcome to enjoy rich mountain-town tour packages that bring the flower sea experience into daily life. These experiences plant seeds of well-being in every family, creating a virtuous cycle of happiness. With a flower sea in your heart, embrace good mood, peace, health, and lasting joy.


Event dates: Nov 17 – Dec 16, 2012, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM


Event venue: No. 30, Xie Xing St., Xie Cheng Village, Xinshe District, Taichung City (Second Farm of the Crop Research Institute, Council of Agriculture)

【Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival】

Featuring quality, well-reviewed shops and top broth vendors, all noodles are uniformly priced at NT$50. The Champion Beef Noodle Exhibition Area invites past winners of the braised, clear-broth, and creative categories to sell their award-winning dishes on-site, with no set price limit but a cap of 200 servings per day. The Beef Noodle Culture Corridor will showcase 15 “2012 Broth Quality Shops” through图文 displays, and invite food critics, bloggers, and gourmets to write about the origins, development, and brand stories of Taiwanese beef noodles.
Event dates: Dec 1–2, 2012

Event venue: Huashan Bao Shan Park (Flora Expo site)
【Happy Christmas Town】


▲ New Taipei City’s Christmas tree lighting is a much-loved family event. (Photo / From New Taipei Travelers Facebook)

Starting Saturday, Dec 1, the “New Taipei Happy Christmas Town” will hold its “Lighting Ceremony” from 6:00–6:30 PM, illuminating the tallest and most dazzling Christmas tree in Taiwan at Civic Plaza. The 3-minute, 50-second light show promises a spectacular visual feast. For over a month, festive decorations will brighten up various spots across New Taipei City.


▲A heartwarming white Christmas in Yunlin, Chiayi, and Tainan. (Photo / Courtesy of Yunlin, Chiayi, and Tainan Facebook page)

To build the warm and romantic brand image of "Beimen Isle," the Tourism Bureau’s Yunlin, Chiayi, and Tainan Coast National Scenic Area Administration specially created a white Christmas scene using the traditional industry of "salt" as the material during the year-end period. The event also features the sunset beauty of Taiwan’s oldest “Zuāijiǎojiǎo Tile-pan Salt Field” and combines local highlights such as the Beimen Isle Church, the Blackfoot Disease Memorial Museum, ecology, regional culture, and artistic landscaping. The series of events titled “2012 White Yunlin, Chiayi, and Tainan – White Christmas and Year-End Sunset Send-off” aims to become a must-visit winter destination through strong media promotion, thereby invigorating the development of the surrounding tourism industry.

Event Period: 2012/12/24–2012/12/31
Event Location: No. 119, Jiucheng, Beimen Li, Beimen District, Zuāijiǎojiǎo Tile-pan Salt Field