The Dutch Village Windmill Festival in Tainan Kicks Off with 7,000 Windmills & a Giant Maze That’s a Must-See

By MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Team

This year’s windmill festival at De Yuan Pi Dutch Village, themed “An Adventure in Dutch Village,” runs from October 7 to 31, transforming visitors into little sprites as they step into the giant’s world for an autumn exploration. In addition to three major themed windmill exhibition areas — “The Giant’s Magic Circle,” “Meeting the Cat Messenger,” and “The Wind-Fire Chess Array” — there are also eco-friendly art zones such as “Happy Farm” and “The Windmill Waltz.” During six holiday days from October 7–10 and 14–15, there will also be exciting street performances and interactive games like “The Sprite’s Joyful Festival” and “The Sprite’s Life Collection,” each with unique features and high interactivity.

The main exhibition area, “The Giant’s Magic Circle,” is a maze formed by a giant figure made up of as many as 7,000 tall, small windmills. The friendly Uncle Giant, with a pipe in his mouth, awaits visitors. Upon entering the park, complete the giant’s tic-tac-toe game board (the Wind-Fire Chess Array), greet the giant’s cat messenger (Meeting the Cat Messenger), and don’t forget to step into the magic circle to have fun with Uncle Giant.

This year’s newly launched “Happy Farm” exhibition area invites the adorable Egg Egg Chickens to visit Giant Village. It also collaborates with the Xiaying Beiji Temple’s Xuan Tian Shang Di Temple and environmental artists to present the “The Windmill Waltz” exhibition area, decorating the village with various windmills made from recycled bottles.

In addition to the exhibitions, the park activities are also abundant. The Double Ten holiday from October 7–10 and October 14–15 feature special “The Sprite’s Joyful Festival” events to liven up the atmosphere, including taiko drum performances by Guoyi Elementary School, diabolo competitions by Xinshan Elementary School, performances by the Six Little Fortunes of the Youqian Family, as well as street performances by balloon artists, crystal ball performers, magicians, and jazz drummers. There are also exclusive interactive games such as “Fun Water & Land Activities” and “AR Adventure Games” (limited quantity, please register in advance on the website), making it perfect for both kids and adults to enjoy together.

Additionally, the organizers will live stream at 4 PM on October 1 on the official Facebook page of De Yuan Pi Dutch Village to reveal the inside of a windmill for the first time. This will be the first public showcase of the inner workings of a windmill. In addition to taking everyone on a visual tour of the windmill’s interior and explaining its overall operation, participants in the live interaction activities may also have the chance to get an up-close look at the inside and outside of a windmill on the opening day of the “2017 De Yuan Pi Dutch Village Windmill Festival” — no need to book a flight to the Netherlands.