Taiwan February 2026 Events & Festivals / Taipei February Events

Heading to Taiwan in February? Lucky you as some of Taiwan’s biggest events and festivals take place in February on Lunar New Year (17 February 2026) and the famous Taipei Lohas Cherry Blossom Festival.

Perhaps the biggest set of Taiwan events in February 2026 are the Taiwan Lunar New Year celebrations, with lots of activities like lion dances, temple ceremonies and the famous 2026 Dihua Street Lunar New Year market in Taipei.

The first of two 2026 Pingxi Lantern festivals takes place on 27 February 2026 at Pingxi Junior High School (although the other major Taiwan Lantern Festival in 2026 takes place in Chiayi).

From Taiwan cherry blossom spots to cool concerts, here is our pick of the best Taipei events in February 2025, plus other Taiwan February events.

P.S. Please note although the Taiwan lantern festival took place in February 2025, this year, the 2026 Taiwan Lantern Festival will be held from 3 March to 15 March 2026 in Chiayi. Read our 2026 Taiwan Lantern Festival guide >

The Yanshui Firework festival also takes places in March this year, not February.

This article was originally published on 14 December 2024

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For booking tours, transfers and buying SIM cards/eSIMs we recommend Klook, Get Your Guide, Viator or KK Day.

For booking rental cars visit Discover Cars. For private drivers and taxis, check out our Transfer guide >

For more recommendations, check out our Taiwan travel booking resources page >

All set for Taiwan? Do one final check with our Taipei first timers guide and our packing list guide. Travelling with kids? Check out our Taipei For Kids eBook >

16 to 20 February 2026 – Lunar New Year; more on this shortly

27 to 28 February 2026 – Peace Memorial Day Holiday 2026

This is a Taiwan public holiday held annually since 1997, to commemorate the Taiwanese victims who died on 28 February 1947.

The President will lead tributes and a formal ceremony to remember those who lost their lives on the ‘28 February Incident’.

Much smaller than the national lantern festival, Taipei’s own lantern festival is celebrated after Taiwan Lunar New Year and will likely run for two weeks in February 2025 (dates TBC) – no tickets or admission fee is required.

A short walk from both Beimen and Ximen MRT Stations, the Taipei Lantern festival 2026 runs from outside Beimen MRT Station all the way to Nishi Honganji Temple in Ximending, Zhongzheng District, along Zhonghua Road

The Taipei Lantern Festival usually lights up nightly from dusk and runs until the early hours – the vast majority of Taipei Lantern Festival illuminations take place on the east side of the road, parallel to the Ximending entertainment district.

As well as static lanterns featuring local landmarks and characters like ‘Oh Bear’ and Taipei 101, there are various immersive light installations plus a light show held several times each evening by Ximen MRT station exit 1, next to the Red House.

Read our full guide to the Taipei Lantern Festival 2026 here >

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

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

We love exploring the Pingxi, especially Shifen waterfall and Houtong Cat Village.

Every year, a mass lantern release takes place along the Pingxi line (usually in Shifen at the Shifen Lantern Release Square and at Pingxi Junior High School).

The 2026 Pingxi Lantern Festival and mass lantern release dates are confirmed as Friday 27 February 2026 (at Pingxi Junior School) and Tuesday 3 March 2026 (at Shifen Square, near Shifen Waterfall).

The Shifen lantern release is usually the larger of the two events with thousands more lanterns released here, in a purpose built lantern release area).

Here at the Pingxi Lantern Festival 2026, thousands of lanterns are released across both nights and the whole Pingxi sky lights up in unison. You can write messages of good luck, prosperity and wishes on your lanterns before watching them whoosh into the sky.

Klook currently sell organised 2026 Pingxi Lantern Festival tours available for both releases that will likely sell out.

This 8.5 hour tour picks you up from Taipei Main Station and drops you off at Raohe Night Market with tours available in English, Mandarin & Japanese. Book on Klook >

At the time of writing, we are not aware of any other 2026 Pingxi Lantern Festival packages available to book online and this takes away the hassle of using packed public transport and trying to source tickets on the day of the event.

PS We are aware there are environmental considerations with any lantern releases so please make your own decisions.

Check out our guide to the Pingxi Line and its lanterns here >

Please also note you can release lanterns on the Pingxi railway line along Shifen Old Street every day of the year but it is not a mass release and it does not take place at night.

Book your day-time Shifen Old Street lantern release with KK Day and Klook (over 10k booked).

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We were lucky enough to also be in Taiwan last year (2025) for Taipei Lunar New Year and we witnessed everything from Lion dances in Ximending and Xinyi to incredible ceremonies at Longshan Temple and Taipei Xia-Hai City God Temple.

Lunar New Year Day in 2026 is 17 February 2026 but most Taiwan citizens will take off the whole week and the weekends (14 to 22 February) to visit family or vacation – so be sure to book all your Taiwan hotels and transport in advance wherever possible.

Whilst it is true that many shops, bars and restaurants (even Din Tai Fung) will be closed for at least a few days, it also means you get to visit incredible Lunar New Year markets like Dihua Street.

Taiwan’s temples are packed full of worshippers (Taipei Longshan temple is one of the best) and adorned with lit-up lanterns.

Featuring lots of Taipei 2026 Lunar New Year photos plus our previous visits to Taiwan during Lunar New Year, here is our ultimate guide to celebrating Lunar New Year 2026 in Taipei >

The Lunar New Year 2025 in Taiwan brings good fortune for many – one of the best places to experience the Lunar New Year in Taipei is Dihua Street in the Dadaocheng District.

As well as the temples being awash with red lanterns (especially Taipei Xia-Hai City God Temple) and the constant smoke and bangs of fire-crackers being set off, Dihua Street plays host to a huge Lunar New Year market along its historic main road.

The historic district of Dihua Street and Dadaocheng is perhaps most famous for its amazing architecture, traditional Chinese medicine shops and Lunar New Year celebrations – however, in recent years, the area has welcomed an influx of coffee shops and craft beer bars.

Check out our guide on visiting Taipei’s Dihua Street during Lunar New Year here with lots of photos to show you what to expect >

A ‘gem’ of a Taipei weekend market, Jianguo Jade Market and Holiday Flower Market (建國玉市) usually takes place every Saturday and Sunday in Taipei’s Da’an District but it open daily in the run-up to Lunar New Year.

We visited the Jingao Holiday Flower Market a few days before the 2025 Lunar New Year and it was BUSY with shoppers and their New Year preparations.

Usually the Jingao Flower Market is only open at weekends but during this holiday season, it is likely open daily from 9am to 8pm until 15 February 2026 (and from 9am to 5pm on Lunar New Year eve).

The peonies are in full bloom plus there are lots of Lunar New Year decorations to browse & buy. Read our full guide to Jianguo Jade Market and Holiday Flower Market in Taipei >

One of the best Taipei cherry blossom spots has to be Lohas Park in Taipei’s Neihu District.

Each year, there is a Lohas Cherry Blossom Festival and we were lucky enough to visit the best known Taipei cherry blossom festival last year in late January, when it looked amazing.

Just a 10 minute walk from the Wenhu MRT Line station, Lohas Park blooms into life from late January.

The Lohas Cherry Blossom Taipei Festival runs this year from late January to mid February 2026 (but some blossom will still remain after if you visit Taipei in late February).

From picnics to pop-ups, cherry blossoms to colourful canalside displays, here is our guide to the Lohas Park Cherry Blossom display in Taipei >

Although some Taiwan cherry blossoms and plum blossoms have already begun in January, the best time of the year to see Taiwan cherry blossom ‘spring’ into life is mid February to mid March (although the unpredictable nature of Taiwan’s weather means this is never guaranteed).

On the last day of January in 2025 in Taipei, we had so far seen cherry blossoms and plum blossoms in Xinyi, Ximending, Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall Park plus the biggest display at Lohas Park.

From Taipei to Taichung, Yilan to Yangmingshan National Park, Taiwan is a top spot for cherry blossom chasing and sakura spotting.

If you are in downtown Taipei in February, one of the best blossom spots we’ve always found is the park by Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall – expect lots of blossom photographers with tripods, selfie sticks and dogs in prams and pink outfits. This is plum blossom but hey, blossom is blossom unless you want to be pedantic.

Other Taiwan cherry blossom spots include Wuling Farm in Taichung, Beitou, Sun Moon Lake, Maolin National Scenic Area in Kaohsiung and Alishan forest in Chiayi.

Spring break comes to Taiwan with the annual Emerge Festival held over two days in Taichung, with a huge line up of local established and emerging bands.

Emerge Fest 2026 confirmed artists include 터치드(TOUCHED), Fire Ex, PAPUN BAND, go!go!vanilla, THREE and SERIOUS BACON – make sure you rock and roll your way over to Taichung this February for an epic weekend of live music.

Book your Taichung Emerge Festival Taiwan 2026 tickets and check the latest line up here >

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• Taiwan Lantern Festival in Chiayi – 3 to 15 March 2026
• 2025 Neimen Song Jiang Battle Ritual – March 2026
• 2026 Taiwan Festival of the Arts – 3 March 2026 onwards
• One Republic at Taipei Arena – 4 March 2026
• Tour De Taiwan cycling race – 15 to 19 March 2025
• Treasure (K-Pop) at Linkou Arena – March 28 2026
• Azalea Festival in Taipei Da’an Park – 1 March to 31 March 2026

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