Crowds gather at Taiwan’s Christmasland to celebrate the festive season

Christmasland returns to Taiwan with lights, concerts, and global partnerships.

Taiwan's New Taipei City Christmasland, an annual Christmas event, has transformed the city's Banqiao District into a winter festival with large-scale light displays, concerts, performances, and Christmas markets. Organized by the New Taipei City government, the event has drawn large crowds and become a key highlight of the city's year-end cultural calendar.

Running from Nov. 14 to Dec. 28, the 45-day festival has drawn both residents and visitors to the city's Civic Plaza and Banqiao Station Square. The event, which began in 2011, has grown into a major year-end attraction.

Partnering with internationally celebrated brands

The 2025 New Taipei City Christmasland collaborated with the "minini" characters from the LINE messaging app, showcasing large-scale installations, interactive photo zones, and themed light displays throughout the city. 

Zhu, who attended the event on Dec. 11, told TCN that her boyfriend brought her specifically to see Brown, a bear character from the Line app. She said the visit was a way to celebrate the holiday season and enjoy the festival atmosphere. She mentioned that she hadn’t attended Christmasland in years and found this year’s event much larger and livelier than she remembered.

Another visitor, Chesca, told TCN that she came mainly to take photos and record videos with the decorations. She hoped the content would attract attention on social media.


Traffic

Hsieh, a Banqiao resident, told TCN that he disliked Christmasland because of the congestion it causes. He said he would rather see cash handouts, referring to a failed proposal earlier this year to cancel Christmasland and redistribute its budget to New Taipei City residents.

Another visitor, surnamed Chang, said he enjoyed the event but understood why some locals were unhappy with the large crowds it attracts.

Legislator Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) from Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party told UDN that Banqiao residents remain concerned about traffic congestion during the festival. She emphasized that the event must strike a balance between economic benefits, preserving the district’s character, and ensuring effective transportation management.

Su added that moving towards a model of shared commercial opportunities would help make Christmasland an event that New Taipei City residents genuinely support, while still attracting visitors

On Dec. 11, New Taipei City councilor Lin Yi-chi (林裔綺), in collaboration with Taipei Bus, brought children from the Northeast Coast of Taiwan, a relatively rural area, to the city to experience the lights and music of Christmasland firsthand. She told reporters that by doing so, she hopes that the children can also have the same opportunities as those in the city and feel the vastness and warmth of the world.



German Christmas Markets

This year’s Christmasland featured a German Christmas Market, organized by the German Trade Office Taipei. The market took place at Civic Plaza from Dec. 5 to 7, following its earlier stop in Taipei’s Zhongshan District.

Kuo, a Taiwanese high school student who had previously participated in an exchange program in Germany, told TCN that she attended specifically for the Christmas market. She said the New Taipei version felt quite different from those in Germany.

Anna, a German tourist visiting Taiwan, told TCN she came to sample foods from her hometown and was surprised by the offerings at the market.

In Taiwan, Christmas is largely celebrated as a secular occasion, with festive decorations, parties, and gift exchanges becoming more popular in recent years. Although Christmas is not a public holiday in Taiwan, it coincides with Constitution Day, which marks the signing of the Republic of China (Taiwan)'s Constitution in 1947.