Tourism Bureau, Republic of China (Taiwan)

Big, beautiful, colorful hot air balloons dreamily float through the air as tourists hasten to catch a glimpse of their splendor or ride them through the skies, taking in the beauty of the valley below. The hot air balloon trend has promoted local tourism, and is an attractive, rising new activitiy of the 21st century. The 2011 Taiwan International Balloon Festival was a new opportunity for aerial activities, and it 2012 it challenged the world record in terms of length of time and scale of event. The event was a success, proving the tourist charm and economic profitability of the balloons, and enhancing Taiwan’s diverse tourism environment. Taiwan International Balloon Festival includes flying shows, mooring activities, balloon rides, a night glow music concert, balloon wedding celebrations, and a summer camp, providing visitors with something to take home as well as great memories. Experience the feeling of flight as well as a feast for the senses.

The Penghu International Fireworks Festival is not the only incentive attracting sightseers to the “Gaillardia pluchella Foug Island” during the summer season but it has certainly become a spectacular scene that lights up the evening sky over the isles that people look forward to seeing every summer. The first Festival took place in 2003 and invited well-known Taiwan singers and performing groups to entertain. The amazing high-altitude fireworks display, romantic music, cascading rockets and a sea of lanterns all turn Penghu into a resplendent scene, more and more beautiful as night falls! The Penghu International Fireworks Festival has become one of the grand events of the summer season and a beautiful and magnificent night scene for visitors to the Gaillardia pluchella Foug Island.

The plentiful marine products of the Matsu Islands not only attract aficionados from all around, but also the sea birds that soar in the sky overhead as they search for the small fish, like anchovies and herring, that constitute their primary diet. Each year these graceful guests fly in and nest on the uninhabited reefs of Matsu. As a result, in May 2000 the Matsu Islands Tern Refuge was established. The refuge comprises Shuangzi Reef in Dongyin Township, the Sanlian Islets, Zhongdao, Tiejian, Baimiao, and Jinyu in Beigan Township, the Liuquan Reef in Nangan Township, and Sheshan in Juguang Township. The protected birds include the Bridled Tern, the Black-napped Tern, the Roseate Tern, the Crested Tern, the Black-tailed Tern, the Reef Egret, and the Fork-tailed Swift. The best time for tern-watching in Matsu is from July to August. Whether it’s taking the bird-watching boat and admiring the scenery of Matsu and the islands as they soar up in the air or taking a leisurely walk along the harbor and underground tunnels to enjoy watching the terns from a unique vantage point, both are wonderful excursions not to be missed while visiting Matsu in the summer. In addition to the bird-watching excursions, you can also enjoy Beigan’s Mt. Da’ao, Qinbi Village, and a magnificent coast from the water, and along the way get a great view of Matsu’s unique local landscape and the military fortifications that date from an earlier time. A series of activities allow visitors to savor the unique military culture of Matsu and at the same time combine a trip rich in ecological education with total relaxation where they can experience firsthand the beauty of the place, enjoy the local culture, the unique “battleground” environment, and the rich ecology.

Held at the high travel season in Taiwan, Formosa Summer Festival presents Taiwan’s best summer features at once. Its series of colorful events have drawn many visitors home and abroad to explore Taiwan’s beautiful scenery and delicious food, immersing in the country’s summer charm.

Held along Taiwan’s East Coast, Taiwan East Coast Land Arts Festival & Moonlight Sea Concert features large outdoor installation, art studios accessible to the public along Provincial Highway 11, art fairs, and music concerts. The coast’s natural environment, indigenous lifestyle, and youth travel are the festival’s main themes.

Yehliu Geopark is open to night-time visits now, and this makes it truly unique. “Time of Rocks in Yehliu” uses colorful light and music to highlight the area’s mushroom rocks. Visitors can expect enjoy an indelible experience at the park.

Since 2010 the Tourism Bureau has actively conducted a whole series of events related to the Taiwan Cycling Festival, enthusiastically inviting the Taiwan public to lay down their “tire” tracks and turn the results of innovation in transportation construction into a new resource for tourism, aiming to make Taiwan into an international-level paradise for leisure cycling. Taiwan has an excellent highway system plus a superior topography so that when cycling, a rider can also appreciate magnificent scenery along the route—and what you have is a cycling tour around the island that boasts a convenient and enjoyable itinerary! The series of activities of the “Taiwan Cycling Festival” focus on bicycle touring and pulls together the tourist and transportation resources of the various county seats to present the specifics of a diverse and local touring culture. Accompanied by beautiful mountains and water scenery, bicycle enthusiasts from around the world can come on a pilgrimage and are provided a varied and rich recreational cycling experience, making the riding of the “iron horse” no longer a simple exercise but rather the perfect experience in body and soul.

Using the golden sands of Fulong Beach, the artists at the 2020-2021 festival will illustrate Taiwan and the world’s mountains and bicycle tours. The artists will go to many schools in the country to teach students to make sand sculptures, and both an international competition and a domestic competition will be held. The festival serves as a stage on which new sand artists can fully express their capabilities.

Yilan International Children’s Folklore and Folkgame Festival features “Children’s Games,” a different theme based on an everlasting spirit of playfulness and the resulting creativity! The festival aims to provide children with a happy event to share with parents and friends, as well as befriending cultures from around the world! The child-themed event is one of the representative events of UNESCO’s International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts (CIOFF), and in 2010 was the only one of its kind in Asia to be approved by CIOFF International Festival. In contrast to ordinary festivals focusing on a single form of art (performance, visual art, or multimedia), the Children’s Folklore and Folkgame Festival combines multiple forms including performance, exhibitions, games, and exchange, presenting children’s games in a diverse and interesting way.

HO-HAI-YAN Gongliao Rock Festival is one of New Taipei City’s most famous major annual coastal events of the summer season. Not only has this event successfully integrated the sea environment with the creative spirit of independent (indie) music, to create a distinguishing feature of the Northeast Cape and a major benefit to tourism, it has also provided a stage for non-mainstream musical artists and created an advantage for marketing international tourism in Taiwan. The Festival is held each year on the July with the aim of providing enthusiastic youth a great place to go during the summer vacation period. At the same time it also lifts the curtain for travel throughout the entire summer season for New Taipei City’s Northeast Coast shoreline. The theme of the Festival is “Appreciating Indie Music at the Ocean”—a competition among indie music groups—and centers on performances by Taiwanese and overseas creative musical groups. The brilliant performances of the music groups and the enthusiasm of the crowds create a “chemical reaction,” a further “selling point” of this climactic event. This summer, liberate your soul with music, let yourself go and join other music enthusiasts “drunk on music,” let HO-HAI-YAN Gongliao Rock Festival ignite your long pent-up energy, open up your arms and welcome this “sacred” annual rock & roll classic.