Where to go during the extended holiday? Join in the Double Ten National Day celebrations across Taiwan

By Li Xinyi, compiled and reported

 

To celebrate Double Ten National Day, grand events have been launched across Taiwan

 

The celebrations kicked off with the 2011 Kaohsiung Zuoying Eternal Spring Festival. On October 8, the opening ceremony was grandly held at Dongmen, where the Fire Lion, starting from Cide Temple, was led by 100 San Taizi (the Third Prince deities) to the main stage for a solemn and majestic Fire Lion Eye-Dotting Ceremony. The light and fireworks show ran from that day until October 16.

In central Taiwan on October 9, Taiwan Mobile, in its fourth collaboration with Sun Moon Lake, will present the National Day Fireworks Music Concert. The concert has drawn crowds of over 20,000 each year. It is recommended that the public make use of the free shuttle buses at night, which travel between “Zhongming–Shuishe–Xiangshan” and “Shuishe–Itashao,” helping to avoid traffic congestion. The “Sun Moon Lake All-Inclusive” pass covers eight types of transportation options around Sun Moon Lake, including cable car rides, boat tickets, and the lakeside bus service, along with a one-way “Taiwan Tourist Shuttle” bus from Taichung to Sun Moon Lake, a one-way train ticket on the Jiji Line from Taichung to Checheng, and a shuttle bus from Sun Moon Lake to Checheng. Visitors departing from Taichung can opt to take the Jiji Line train one way and the “Taiwan Tourist Shuttle” bus the other. On the same day, the Taitung County Government will also hold a Prairie Wedding, inviting 100 couples to plant love trees in Taitung Forest Park, symbolizing the growth of love under the first rays of sunlight in Taiwan.

In northern Taiwan, the Taipei Pavilion, showcased during the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, will open on October 8 on the second floor of the Future Pavilion at the Taipei Flower Expo Park. Additionally, the highlight of the National Day fireworks—the Dadaocheng Fireworks Festival series of events—will run from 3:00 PM to 9:30 PM on October 10 at the Dadaocheng Wharf area along the Yanping Riverside Park. The event will showcase the former entertainment culture of Dadaocheng through “exhibitions,” “performances,” and “films,” featuring displays of vintage performance trunks, hand-copied scripts, and glove puppet characters. Traffic control will be in place around the area due to the fireworks. For more details, please visit the official event website.

 

Dadaocheng Fireworks Festival: taipeitravel.net/2011fireworks

Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Sun Moon Lake buses and travel packages: www.agan.com.tw/smlroute

Taitung Hand-in-Hand Wedding Season: www.wallace.com.tw/funmarry

Kaohsiung Zuoying Eternal Spring Festival: cabu.kcg.gov.tw/ks2011