Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love all things spooky and creepy, and I’m always amazed at people’s creativity with their costumes and decorations.
I knew we weren’t going to experience the same kind of festivities in Taiwan as we had in the US (because Americans can get really serious about this holiday 😆). I wasn’t sure how kids would even trick-or-treat because most people live in secured apartment buildings. But Halloween has always been a fun holiday for kids, and I didn’t want to take that away from the boys while we’re abroad.
I searched for activities and was pleasantly surprised to find many events in Taipei leading up to Halloween. There are pockets of shopping areas like Yong Kang Street, Tienmu, Maji Square, Zhongshan Station, etc. where shop owners participate to pass out candy to trick-or-treaters. We went to the event at Yong Kang Street, which was mostly for locals and had a lot of fun. We even got freeze dried strawberries and longan as treats!
Later on, I found out about an expat parent group organizing a Halloween event at the Garden Maze at Xinsheng Park. It’s not the typical Halloween hay mazes you’d find in the US but close enough! Parents donate bags of candy and hide in the maze to pass out to trick-or-treaters. There was a large turnout!
The boys’ school also had a Halloween activity the week prior. The PTA decorated an area of the school and classes took turns to visit. Students can wear costumes to school too but because C and O’s costume is pretty tricky to get in and out of, they decided not to wear it. Plus, they absolutely hate wearing the mustache. 😆
Because this year’s Halloween landed on a weekday (Tuesday), there wasn’t any trick-or-treating on the day of. People in Taiwan take school and work very seriously, so it makes sense they wouldn’t want to take time away from homework or work. Plus, C had midterms this week! 😬
I had wondered if Taiwan celebrated Halloween at all, and while of course it’s not the same as the US, we had an awesome time exploring the different Halloween activities around Taipei! We’ll definitely check out other Halloween events next year.
Hongs Abroad 