【Friday Fun in Taiwan】Must-Know Christmas Event Info to Enjoy the Most Romantic Weekend

This year, the New Taipei City Joyful Christmas Town has erected the tallest Christmas tree in the country, standing at 35.5 meters. With dazzling LED light shows and animations, as well as a carousel and spinning coffee cups, the Civic Plaza and surrounding areas have been transformed into a Christmas castle where both kids and adults can enjoy the festive spirit and create precious holiday memories.

Over the years, Xinyi District in Taipei City has always been a top destination for people to soak up the Christmas atmosphere. This year’s 2013 Taipei International Christmas Town event kicks off tonight. Starting this evening, visitors can not only wander through the festive ambiance of the St. Martin’s Lane but also admire beautiful Christmas trees at nearby landmarks such as CTBC, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, and BELLAVITA.

The Christmas series of events organized by the Taichung City Government kicked off with the erection of a 16-meter-tall Christmas tree in front of the Civic Boulevard Municipal Building Plaza. The tree is decorated with recycled CDs, plastic bottles, and spoons, serving as a reminder to celebrate the holidays while also practicing energy conservation and carbon reduction. Meanwhile, 24 street lamps on the plaza feature eco-friendly installations, including polar bears and Formosan black bears, along with adorable teddy bear seats surrounding the City Hall Plaza to create a “super bear-tastic” Christmas vibe.

 

In addition, from now until December 25, every weekend evening from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, performance groups will be invited to put on wonderful shows at the Christmas Plaza. On Christmas Eve, December 24, a second wave of limited-edition Christmas dolls will be given away, with chances to win big prizes such as tablets, 1TB USB drives, ovens, and 18-speed bicycles. Separately, the “2013 Taichung Commercial District Shopping Festival” Part Two series, hosted by the Bureau of Economic Development, runs from now until December 31. On December 21, the “Red & White Bubble Crazy Christmas Costume Contest” will be held in the Jingshing 1st Street commercial district, and the festival’s grand finale—the “2014 Float Festival”—at the Fengyuan Miaodong Revival Commercial District on December 31 will also draw the name of this year’s biggest winner of the shopping festival’s grand prize car.

Tainan’s annual Christmas light displays have always been highly praised. The main Christmas tree, standing in front of the National Museum of Taiwan Literature and complementing the museum’s brick load-bearing wall structure and elegant stone-washed exterior, attracts many locals and tourists for visits and photos. This year’s Christmas light setup also aligns with the city government’s low-carbon and energy-saving philosophy, using LED lights and recyclable materials. In addition to continuing the tradition of decorating areas such as Tainan Railway Station, Tang Te-chang Memorial Park, Zhongshan Road, Nanmen Road, and the Mayor’s Residence, dazzling Christmas lights can also be seen at important city landmarks and transportation hubs in various administrative districts.