2020 Taipei Hot Spring Festival Grand Opening October 22-26

2020 Taipei Hot Spring Festival Grand Opening October 22-26
Dazzling lights, great deals, blessings & healing - come to Beitou for a full recharge of positive energy!

Autumn brings you to Beitou! The annual Taipei Hot Spring Festival opens on October 22. This year's theme is "Blessing Ceremony - Beitou Lights Up." Under the impact of this year's pandemic, many blessing-themed activities have been planned, hoping that through everyone's sincere prayers, not only Beitou will shine brightly, but positive energy will be brought to the world.

Since ancient times, people have used natural elements such as sound, light, and water in prayer rituals to convey their wishes to the heavens - from indigenous blessing dances, Tibetan colorful prayer flags, to New Year's Eve bell ringing. Beitou is the name given by the Ketagalan people of the Pingpu indigenous tribes, meaning "witch." Legend has it that the witch was an incarnation of wisdom, residing in Beitou, using rituals and ceremonies to mitigate the disasters brought by sulfur springs, nurturing Beitou's diverse cultural and industrial character. In Beitou's hot spring culture, aside from the witch, there is also a deity called the "Hot Spring Guardian Guanyin (Tangmori Kannon)," created from the spiritual devotion of Beitou residents. For over a century, this deity has silently protected Beitou's hot springs, closely intertwined with the community's emotions - a vibrant embodiment of hot spring culture.

The 2020 Taipei Hot Spring Festival opens on October 22. The 5-day Blessing Ceremony will be held at Xinbeitou MRT Station Plaza, Qixing Street, Qixing Park, and Beitou Park. Qixing Street features diverse exhibition stalls where visitors can explore an entire street of offerings, including Beitou hot spring operators, creative light foods, and public awareness campaigns, as well as charity haircuts, health screenings, blood donations, and breast cancer screenings - hoping visitors enjoy the festivities while maintaining healthy body and mind. On the evening of October 24, Ming Hwa Yuan presents "Mistakes in the Yin-Yang Realm" at Qixing Park, delivering a spectacular outdoor theatrical performance. The following morning features the multi-year Flower Yukata Design Finals fashion show, themed "Yukata Date in Beitou" this year, inviting commercial districts nationwide to participate, with top domestic designers creating exclusive Beitou yukata for a fashion showcase. Beitou is the birthplace of Taiwan's Nakashi (live entertainment singing) tradition dating from the Japanese colonial period; on Monday evening, everyone is invited to sing along, using music to comfort hearts and bring genuine smiles.

This year combines Beitou's local character with five blessing elements: bell ringing, blessing lanterns, hot springs, wish-making, and guardianship, inviting the public to participate in the festival's opening ceremony. Using ema (wooden prayer tablets) to convey wishes to the heavens, resonant bell ringing throughout Beitou, calming uneasy hearts, cleansing busy and anxious spirits, and bringing emotional stability - accompanied by a dazzling light show. In the illuminated sea of lights, everyone prays sincerely, symbolizing collective prayers for peace and health for Taiwan and all people worldwide, bidding farewell to the dark past. Families are invited to experience the dreamlike opening ceremony on the evening of October 23 in Beitou, fully immersing in an enchanting world. During the event, the Xingchuan Pavilion hosts the Hot Spring Guardian Guanyin Xingchuan Blessing, where visitors can experience hand purification and bell ringing to cleanse worldly troubles and receive heartfelt blessings. From October 22 through year-end, the Blessing Light Corridor and Starlight Sea of Trees light show will illuminate Beitou in unity against the pandemic.

Taipei Hot Spring Development Association Chairperson Chou Shui-Mei stated that through the efforts of Beitou hot spring hotels and local residents, Beitou has earned numerous honors: Taiwan's Top 10 Hot Springs in 2018 and Taiwan Classic Small Town in 2019. Under the Taipei City Government's active promotion, Xinbeitou is one of the Museum Without Walls, integrating local cultural and historical heritage sites with daily life, injecting new vitality into Beitou. To help more visitors experience the Museum Without Walls, the Witch Adventure treasure hunt activity allows tourists to weave through culturally rich attractions, feeling the museum right beside them with knowledge everywhere. Weekend Beitou walking tours and shuttle bus tours, led by professional Cultural Foundation guides, help visitors gain deeper understanding of Beitou. We invite you to come to Xinbeitou and share in the wonder and warmth that hot springs bring us.

During the event, partial street closures will be implemented at scheduled times. Due to large crowds, please take public transportation to avoid traffic congestion:

Transportation Information

MRT	Xinbeitou MRT Station	Tamsui-Xiangshan Line, transfer to Xinbeitou Branch Line at Beitou Station
Bus	Beitou Park	129, 216 District, 218, 218 District, 218 Direct, 223, 230, 266, 602, Neihu Commuter 16, Mini 6, Mini 7, Mini 9, Mini 22, Mini 26, Mini 25
Bus	Quanyuan Rd. Xinbeitou Stop	129, 230, Mini 6, Mini 7, Mini 9, Mini 22, Mini 25, Mini 26
Bus	Quandu Hot Spring Hotel	Mini 25

Traffic Control

From 6:00 AM on October 20 to midnight on October 27, traffic control will be implemented on Beitou Qixing Street due to the 2020 Taipei Hot Spring Festival. Please use alternate routes. We apologize for any inconvenience! Website: http://www.taipeisprings.org.tw