Category: Yunlin 雲林

2026 Taiwan Dragon Boat Festival 端午節划龍舟比賽

1/1/2026

The Dragon Boat Festival (aka Double Fifth Festival) is a special time of year, during which Taiwan gets a major holiday vacation and there are Dragon Boat Races. During this time, people also must eat Zongzi. We have created this guide for you to see the official dragon boat races all around Taiwan and understand more about this special cultural festival.

Planning your Trip to Taiwan?

Here are some top travel tips for you:

Best time to visit: Spring and Autumn when it is not too hot or cold and less rainy
How to get there: Plane tickets via Trip.com
Best places to stay can be found on Agoda
Book tours and activities in Taiwan on Klook
Stay connected with a local SIM
Rent a car to explore distant sights

Historical Background:
Originally Dragon Boat Festival may have started during the Qin Dynasty as a day to remove evil spirits and bad luck that were thought to appear on the fifth day of the fifth month.
The best-known origin story for the Dragon Boat Festival is that it commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a famous poet and official of the Chu Dynasty during the Warring States Period. He opposed the Chu Dynasty joining an alliance with the Qin, and therefore was banished. When the Qin Dynasty finally took over the Chu Dynasty, he committed suicide by entering the Miluo River (汨羅江 Mìluójiāng) and drowning himself.
It was said that the local people went looking for him by rowing dragon-shaped canoes, and threw sticky rice balls into the water so that the fish would eat the rice and not Qu Yuan's body. Because of this, during the Dragon Boat Festival, everyone eats stick rice, or Zongzi, and holds dragon boat races to commemorate Qu Yuan's memory.
Another tradition is for people to balance eggs, which is thought to bring good luck during the "unlucky" holiday.
Dragon Boat races usually involve a team rowing together, while someone beats a drum to keep the rhythm, and someone else stands at the front of the boat to catch the flag.
Dragon Boat Festival is an official holiday in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, China, and is celebrated by Chinese heritage communities throughout Asia and the world.

When is Dragon Boat Festival?
The fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar.

2026: Friday, June 19th
2027: June 9th

Can I go Dragon Boat Racing in Taiwan?
Yes! You can join this Dragon Boat tour on Klook or this one on KKday any time of year. The cost is about 1300 NT per person.

When are Dragon Boat Races in Taiwan?
Training starts about a month before Dragon Boat Festival.
The actual races begin a few days before or on Dragon Boat Festival, and can last a few days after as well. Races usually start at about 9 or 10 AM and last the whole day (some will end in the afternoon, some will have races at night).

Where are the 2026 Dragon Boat Races in Taiwan?

Taipei International Dragon Boat Championships: 台北國際龍舟錦標賽
Dates: (June 19 - June 21 2026)
Location: Dajia Riverside Park 大佳河濱公園 (under Dazhi Bridge going to Neihu near the airport along the Keelung River. There is parking at the riverside park, but it can get very crowded late in the day).

New Taipei Dragon Boat Race 新北市龍舟錦標賽
Dates: 2026: TBA (May 31 - June 1 2025)
Location: Luzhou Breeze Park 微風運河水域

Keelung Dragon Boat Festival 基隆龍舟競賽
Date: 2026: TBA  (May 31 2025)
Held at Badouzi Harbor 八斗子漁港, Keelung Harbor Pier 2 基隆東二碼頭

Longtan Dragon Boat Races 龍潭划龍舟比賽:
Date: 2026: TBA (May 30 - June 1 2025)
Held at Longtan Lake 龍潭大池

Hsinchu County Dragon Boat Festival 新竹縣縣長盃龍舟競賽
Dates: 2026: TBA (May 30 2025)
Held at the Pond in front of Chihe Temple in Hsinfeng Township, No. 156, Chifu Rd, Xinfeng Township, Hsinchu County, 30472
新竹縣新豐鄉紅池府路156號紅毛港池和宮

Miaoli Dragon Boat Races 苗栗龍舟賽
Dates: (May 31 2025) 2026: TBA
Held at dragon boat ferry dock along the Zhonggang River in Zhunan.
竹南鎮港墘里中港溪畔的龍舟碼頭

Changhua Lukang Night Boat Races 鹿港夜間龍舟賽
Date: (May 30 - June 1 2025) 2026: TBA
Location: Lukang, along the Fulu River near Lukang Old Street (彰化福鹿溪水域)

Yunlin Dragon Boat Races  雲林龍舟賽
Dates: (closed in 2025 until further notice due to construction) 2026: TBA
Location: Kouhu Township, Yiwu Wet Pond at the north pond (本縣口湖鄉宜梧滯洪池北池)

Chiayi Dragon Boat Races 嘉義龍舟比賽
Date: ( May 31 2025) 2026: TBA
Location: Dongshi Harbor 東石漁港

Tainan International Dragon Boat Championships: 台南市國際龍舟賽
Dates:  (May 27-31 2025) 2026: TBA
Location: Yunhe River in Tainan Between Anyi Bridge and Chengtian Bridge, near Anping Old Street 臺南市運河（安億橋至承天橋河段）

Kaohsiung Love River Dragon Boat Festival: 高雄愛河端午龍舟嘉年華
Dates: (May 30 - June 1 2025) 2026: TBA
Location: The Love River between Kaohsiung Bridge and Zhongzheng Bridge (愛河，高雄橋-中正橋).

Pingtung County Dragon Boat Race 屏東縣端午龍舟競賽
Dates: (May 30-31 2025) 2026: TBA
Location: Underneath Donggang Great Bridge in Donggang (東港大橋).

Yilan City Dragon Boat Race 宜蘭市端午節龍舟競賽
Dates: (May 30-31 2025) 2026: TBA
Location: Yilan River Qinghe Bridge 宜蘭河慶和橋旁

Yilan County Dragon Boat Race 宜蘭縣端午龍舟競賽
Dates: (May 30-31 2025) 2026: TBA
Location: Dongshan River Yicheng Bridge 冬山河義城橋

Hualien County Dragon Boat Race 花蓮縣端午龍舟競賽
Dates: (May 30-31 2025) 2026: TBA
Location: TBA (last year it was Liyu Lake 鯉魚潭)

Penghu County Dragon Boat Festival 澎湖縣龍舟競賽
Dates: (May 31 2025) 2026: TBA
Location: Makung No. 3 Harbor (澎湖縣馬公第3漁港).

Kinmen County Dragon Boat Festival 金門縣龍舟競賽
Dates: (May 31 2025) 2026: TBA
Location: Shuangli Lake 雙鯉湖

Please note that the places listed above are not a complete list, and there may be other dragon boat races around Taiwan that are private or not well-advertised.

Map:
Please see below for a map of dragon boat racing locations.

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Our Travel Guide to Yunlin 雲林旅遊懶人包

1/1/2026

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Yunlin is a rural county in western Taiwan that for many expats is simply a large landmass on their way to another destination. However, there are many worthwhile places to visit here, such as interesting historical sites, natural beauty, and rich culture worth exploring.
Below I will list some of the best places in Yunlin that I have visited. I will be sure to update this blog as I visit more places later.

Planning your trip to Yunlin?

Here are some top travel tips for you:

Best time to visit: Winter when temperatures are cooler and there is less rain
How to get there: Taiwan High Speed Railway and Inter-City Bus
Best places to stay: Ai Ni Ya Hotel or Grand Earl Hotel which are great value choices located downtown.
Book tours and activities in Yunlin on Klook
Stay connected with a local SIM
Rent a car to explore distant sights

Historical Background:

Before Han Chinese settlement, Yunlin was inhabited by native peoples. During the Dutch era in Taiwan in the 1600s, Chinese farmers first began to move here. One notable Chinese pioneer was Yan Siqi (also known as Pedro Chino, or the Pioneer King of Taiwan). He created a settlement in Ponkan (modern day Beigang, Yunlin) and recruited over 3000 farmers from Fujian and nearby regions in China to come farm in Taiwan. He also had 13 ships and a merchant trade and formed an alliance with the local indigenous population.
Dutch and Chinese farmers introduced mango, sweet potato, pineapple, and many other crops to Taiwan at this time.
During the Qing Dynasty, Yunlin became its own county under governor Liu Mingchuan. The most economically important town, Douliu, continued to be the center of commerce in the Japanese era, and the area was combined with Tainan County.
In 1950 Yunlin became its own county again, and Douliu was upgraded to a city. Douliu is unique because it is the largest city in Yunlin, but is not named after Yunlin County like all the other largest cities in each county (there is no Yunlin City).
Currently, Yunlin's economy is mainly composed of agriculture and fishing.
The population of Yunlin County is about 650,000 and continues to drop every year due to emigration, with young people moving to bigger cities for work opportunities. In addition, the area is underdeveloped compared with other places in Taiwan.

How to get around in Yunlin?

As always, we recommend renting a scooter as the best way to see Taiwan. However, you can also a great deal of Yunlin by taking the train, inter-city bus, or local bus (there is no MRT in Yunlin). Getting around in a car is also a convenient option as there is plenty of parking pretty much everywhere in this less crowded county.

By Scooter:

Looking for scooter rental in Yunlin? Check out Klook here or KKday here to search for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here.

By Car:

If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or KKday here. You can also check out our car rental guide here.

By Bus/Train:

You can book tickets to travel to Yunlin via inter-city bus on Klook h ere.
You can book tickets to Yunlin via high speed rail (HSR) on Klook here or KKDay here.
Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here.

By Bicycle:

Cycling is the best way to enjoy Taiwan's landscapes if you have the time and energy. Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can search on KKday here and search for tours on Klook here. You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here.

Basic Yunlin Travel Tips:

There is no need to tip in Taiwan. It is not part of the culture here.
Taiwan uses the New Taiwan Dollar, and many transactions such as for street food still require cash. For more information, check out our guide to the New Taiwan Dollar here.
Get yourself a SIM card or portable WiFi such as from Klook here or KKday here so you can stay connected and don't get lost in the city.
Get travel insurance in case of unforeseen events. You can compare prices on Insubuy here.
The electrical voltage is 110V.
Get yourself an Easy Card, so you can travel easily on the MRT, Train, HSR, Youbike, and even shop at convenience stores. You can also book a Taiwan travel pass on Klook here.
For more travel tips, check out our foreigner survival guide here.

When should you go to Yunlin?

In my opinion, the best weather in Yunlin is from October - March, when the temperatures stay around 26 degrees Celsius and there is not as much rain.
Summers are also nice, with the most sunny weather, but also hot and rainy.
Winters can be cold and windy but usually dry.
Overall, there is no wrong answer as to what time of year you should visit Yunlin. You will have a great time here at any time of year.

Where to stay:

We have stayed at and recommend Ai Ni Ya Hotel, with great quality and service right in downtown Beigang (book on Agoda here or Booking.com here).
We also recommend the Grand Earl Hotel, a high class hotel in central Douliu (book on Agoda here or Booking.com here)
Looking for a hotel? We recommend booking through Agoda here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation on the islands. Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.

Tours in Yunlin:

Tours and activities in Yunlin include Janfusun Fancy World Amusement Park, Kite Surfing, Tree Climbing , Chaoyang Green Energy Farm, Sam Siu Garden, Pink Castle Park, Gukeng Green Tunnel, Caoling Highway, and more.
You can find more tours of Yunlin on Klook here or KKday here.

Yunlin Tourist Sites Map:

You can see a map of all the places that we will visit in this blog below:

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Planning your trip to Taiwan?

Here are some top travel tips for you:

Best time to visit: Spring and Autumn when it is not too hot or cold and less rainy
How to get there: Plane tickets via Trip.com
Best places to stay can be found on Agoda
Book tours and activities in Taiwan on Klook
Stay connected with a local SIM
Rent a car to explore distant sights

Looking for a hotel? Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.

If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or KKday here. You can also check out our car rental guide here.
You can also check out our scooter rental guide here.

Blog Posts

2026 Taiwan Dragon Boat Festival 端午節划龍舟比賽

Our Travel Guide to Yunlin 雲林旅遊懶人包

Historical Background: