Taiwan December 2026 Events / Taipei Events in December

Heading to Taiwan this December? As well as the Taipei 101 New Year’s Eve fireworks and the annual Taipei Christmas events like Christmasland, there are lots of Taipei events in December 2025 plus Taiwan events in December nationwide.

From Taiwan concerts such as Stray Kids and Khalid to Kaohsiung fireworks, there are a lot of December events in Taiwan to enjoy. Plus Taipei events in December include the 2026 Taipei Marathon and the CKS Shilin Residence Chrysanthemum Festival.

Here is our pick of the best Taipei events in December 2026, plus other December events in Kaohsiung, Chiayi and more.

This article was originally published on 3 November 2024.

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Does Taiwan celebrate Christmas?

Christmas in Taiwan isn’t an official / public holiday but many Christmas events and markets take place, usually starting from mid November until late December.

These are enjoyed by tourists, expats and locals alike and there is a small Christian population in Taiwan (less than 10%).

Just don’t expect any snow in Taiwan at Christmas – unless it is the artificial snow cannon at Taipei Christmasland!

This year, Taipei Christmasland is teaming up with Kanahei’s Small Animals to create several cute Christmas scenes including a pink Usagi hot air balloon as the focal point, synced to a City Hall Christmas light, laser and projection mapping show.

Characters will also sit in a pink convertible car, a ship, a seaside scene and more – expect lots of sweet selfie spots with the Kanahei’s Small Animals too.

Open from 17 November 2026 until late December, Taipei Christmasland in Banqiao is one of Taiwan’s biggest Christmas events, organized by the New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department.

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Last year, immersive installations and several themed Christmas zones were found at Citizen’s Square, Civic Plaza, Banqiao Station Square, New Banqiao Central Park, Banqiao Bus Station and Fuzhong Plaza.

On opening night, expect a spectacular themed show as well as Kanahei characters as a colossal Christmas centerpiece.

As well as Taipei Christmasland celebrations, there will also be a European style alpine Christmas village, Christmas concerts and also a German Christmas Market one weekend – from 4 to 6 December 2026.

Other special events at Taipei Christmasland are still TBC at the time of writing (October 2026) – we will be updating this once they are announced.

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This 2026 / 2027 holiday period, Taipei 101 begins the year-end festivities with a brand-new theme TBC creating a double-year festive celebration spanning Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Taiwan Lunar New Year.

Usually in the days leading up to the Taipei New Year, Taipei 101 will host different themed light shows every night. Last year, it was the first-ever projection of Toy Story characters onto a skyscraper, with a dozen cartoon characters appearing in turn each night to welcome the Taiwan New Year.

On New Year’s Eve / December 31 2026, Taipei 101 will have a themed light show before the Taipei 101 New Year’s fireworks erupt on the stroke of midnight.

There are lots of viewpoints around the city to the Taipei 101 New Years Eve fireworks and one of the best is Taipei City Hall Plaza – or get up very early and camp out at Fireworks Lookout on Elephant Mountain.

Free to view, this Taipei December event on New Year’s Eve will also be broadcast live across the world – this is a bucket list event and amazing to see up-close!

Check out these Taipei New Year’s Eve events with KKDay >

The 2026 Tamsui fireworks show starts at 8.25pm (an earlier start time so families can enjoy it) with over 30,000 fireworks lighting up the Tamsui skies. Danjiang Bridge will also be illuminated.

The Tamsui New Years Eve fireworks are set to last 13 minutes and 14 seconds, a reference to the fact the numbers 13 and 14 sound like the phrase for “a lifetime together…” in Mandarin.

For the culmination of the display, sky lanterns will be released in unison with the fireworks.

It features one of Taiwan’s tallest Christmas trees (almost 30 meters in height) with winter illuminations at Guguan Park, the Guguan Visitor Center and the local streets. This is set to be one of Taiwan’s most ‘lit’ events in December 2026!

This year’s festival theme is “Dreams” but we are sure this fine floral display won’t send you to sleep.

The outdoor display features various installations and colourful curations and is a short walk from Shilin MRT station. You might like our guide to nearby Shilin Night Market >

Check out the official event site here >

Taiwan’s German Trade Office Taipei (GTO) has been organising the Taipei German Christmas markets since 2020.

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Taipei’s German Christmas markets feature festive foods like real German sausages, pork knuckles and Christmas stollen, as well as warm mulled wine.

Since 2025, there have been 3 separate weekends of German Christmas markets, in New Taipei City, Taipei and Taoyuan.

From German beer (prost!) to Gluhwein (mulled wine), pretzels to Christmas presents, have a European style Christmas celebration in Taipei!

For all the Taipei Christmas market opening times, visit the official website >

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Also last year a special seasonal concert took place on Saturday 20 December 2025, featuring famous Taipei musical groups (and maybe even Santa Claus himself).

A fun thing to do in Taipei at night, the water park is transformed into a ‘sea’ of color, with reflecting Christmas lights and festive concerts.

Check out the official Taipei Water Park website for more details (many events are still TBC).

Check out our Taipei neighbourhoods guides:
Beitou >
Dihua Street and Dadaocheng >
Gongguan and Longquan >
Tamsui >
Ximending >
Xinyi >
Zhongshan >
Wanhua District >

Also check out our guide to the best neighbourhoods in Taipei >

Starting at 6.30am outside Taipei City Hall, there are several races you can spectate or cheer on (if you aren’t registered to run) including 9,000 runners in the main marathon and 19,000 participants in the half marathon.

Visit the official 2026 Taipei Marathon website >

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For spectators, there is an epic evening event and lots of music to be heard whilst for the bands themselves, there are wind instrument workshops whereby local school bands can learn tips from professionals, as well as campus talks and exchange sessions.

For all the event timings visit the official Chiayi City International Band Festival website >

You might like our Chiayi area guide >

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