What's on in Taichung, Taiwan through the year

Busy — Winter break (around Chinese New Year) in Taiwan, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Autumn and winter haze (15 Oct – 31 Mar (usually))

Busy — Winter break (around Chinese New Year) in Taiwan, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Wuling Farm cherry blossom

  10 Feb – 5 Mar · usuallyBook early

  The old farm up in the mountains behind the city is the best blossom in Taiwan and knows it: entry is capped and booked in advance, with traffic control on the road in during the peak days. Source ↗

Still on: Autumn and winter haze (15 Oct – 31 Mar (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Festival

  Dajia Mazu pilgrimage

  17–25 AprPilgrimage seasonCrowdedClosures

  Nine days and several hundred kilometres on foot behind a palanquin, starting from the temple at Dajia on a date divined a month earlier. Roads close along the route and the crowd sleeps where it stops. Source ↗

Still on: Wuling Farm cherry blossom (10 Feb – 5 Mar (usually)), Autumn and winter haze (15 Oct – 31 Mar (usually))

Busy — Dajia Mazu pilgrimage, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Dajia Mazu pilgrimage (17–25 Apr)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in June.

Busy — Summer break in Taiwan, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Typhoon season

  1 Jul – 30 Sep · usuallyClosures

  The basin shelters the city from the worst of the wind but not from the rain a stalled storm drops on the mountains behind it, which comes down through the river and closes roads. Source ↗

Busy — Summer break in Taiwan, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Typhoon season (1 Jul – 30 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Typhoon season (1 Jul – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — Taichung Jazz Festival, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Autumn and winter haze

  15 Oct – 31 Mar · usuallyWinter smog

  Once the summer winds drop, the mountains behind the city stop the air moving and central Taiwan's industry and power stations sit in it. Pollution can hang for days at a time. Source ↗

• Festival

  Taichung Jazz Festival

  17–26 Oct · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  Nine days of free outdoor stages in the parks and around Civic Square, and one of the biggest things the city does. October is also the pleasant end of the year here. Source ↗

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Autumn and winter haze (15 Oct – 31 Mar (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Autumn and winter haze (15 Oct – 31 Mar (usually))