Eastern Taiwan Events

The eastern calendar is the most distinctive in Taiwan because it is largely indigenous.

Amis harvest festivals — July and August

The ilisin is held village by village across Hualien and Taitung through the summer, each community on its own dates, and it is the central event of the Amis year. It runs for several days and combines thanksgiving for the harvest with the formal business of the community: young men are initiated into age sets, the sets are ranked and given duties for the coming year, and the whole structure is enacted through dance. The circle dance is performed in strict order by age group, accompanied by call-and-response singing in a genuinely polyphonic style, with the men in red and black and elaborate feathered headwear. Some villages welcome visitors and some do not; the Hualien county government publishes a schedule, and asking locally is essential. Do not join the circle unless invited.

Taitung Hot Air Balloon Festival — late June to August

On the Luye plateau above the rift valley, with dawn launches, tethered rides and night glow events. It has grown into one of Taiwan’s largest summer festivals and fills Taitung’s accommodation.

Flying fish season — March to June, Orchid Island

The Tao calendar is organised around the flying fish migration, with a summoning ceremony in spring, strict rules about who may catch and eat what, and drying racks along the shore. Visitors should be aware that parts of the season are closed to outsiders.

Other

The Bunun ear-shooting festival in April, Amis Music Festival in the autumn, and the daylily bloom on Liushidan Mountain in August.