Most visitors will find fall to be Taiwan’s most hospitable season. Average temperatures will have receded to around 26 C (78 F) by October, and aside from the chance of a typhoon, both the heat and rain will generally be more bearable.
Fall Folk Festivals:
Wangye Worshiping Ceremony
The Wangye Worshiping Ceremony, which lasts eight days, occurs only once every three years, and culminates with the symbolic burning of a full-size wooden boat in the middle of the night, might be one of Taiwan’s most special and iconic folk ceremonies. While the boat burning occurs in multiple locations, the Donggang Temple of Pingtung is the largest of the Wangye Festivals held in Taiwan, and sees upwards of 10,000 attendees. The festival was originally intended to ward off plagues but these days, participants come to stave off bad luck, and receive blessings.
Hakka Yimin Festival
The Yimin Festival is a Hakka festival held yearly to commemorate Hakka martyrs who gave their lives to protect the city of Zhanghua from rebels during a rebellion against the Qing Dynasty some 200 years ago. The festival is particularly famous for the animal sacrifice of overfed pigs—Pigs of God—who are raised specifically for this event and can be up to 10 times the size of a normal hog and weigh up to thousand kilograms. These pigs are put on display and worshipped and Over the past few years, concerns about animal cruelty have resulted in some new guidelines for the festival and environmentally-friendly art displays made to look like pigs.
East Coast Arts Festivals:
Chishang Autumn Rice Harvest Arts Festival
The Chishang Autumn Rice Harvest Arts Festival has been running for over ten years now and features performances by A-list Taiwanese musicians, as well as Taiwan’s modern theater group Cloud Gate Dance Theater. The stage is built in the middle of Chishang’s rice fields, and the concert takes place while they are in full bloom just before the late-summer harvest.
Fuli Harvest Music Festival
The Fuli Harvest Music Festival is also held to coincide with the late-summer rice harvest. As opposed to Chishang’s harvest festival, Fuli’s event features many local artists, including indigenous musicians from Taitung and the East Rift Valley. The event also features a farmer’s market which promotes local agricultural products.
Outdoor Events:
Wangye Worshiping Ceremony
Since 1983, Sun Moon Lake has held an annual swimming event during which the lake opens for a group crossing. Thousands of swimmers gather every year to swim approximately 3,000m (10,000 ft) across the lake.
Taiwan KOM Challenge
Taiwan’s KOM Challenge is one of many cycling events in Taiwan. This professional race, which is recognized as one of the toughest in the world, sees athletes racing to climb from directly through Taroko Gorge to 3275 meters elevation just under the summit of Mt. Hehuan. The course starts at sea level in Hualien and follows the Central Cross-Island Highway. While the physical demands of the race might exceed the abilities of most, the first 20 kilometers of Taroko Gorge are relatively flat and are a great option for a half-day cycling tour for regular tourists.
