2011 Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, Yamingshan 6PM

Many thanks to Anthony at Taiwanease for posting about this service. 

The Taipei International Church will hold their annual service at 6pm.  They will sing carols, light candles, and have a potluck dinner.  The caroling lasts just over an hour.

Address: No. 20, Lane 2, Section 2 Yǎngdé Dà Dào (仰德大道二段二巷20號)

2011 Dec 18: A Golden Christmas

There will be a Christmas performance by the Taipei Philharmonic Youth Choir  on December 18th. 

Spiritual songs include:
Lux Aurumque
Surrexit Christus
Christus est natus

Christmas songs include:
Go Tell It on the Mountain
White Christmas
Mary Had a Baby
The Sleigh

Venue: Chungshan Hall, Chung Jeng Theater
Time: Sunday, December 18, 2011, 7:30PM
Ticket Prices: 300/500/800*
Tickets: www.artsticket.com.tw
Contact: 02-277303691 www.tpf.org.tw

*From the Chungshan Hall English site:
Special Offers：
．10% off to Starbucks and Eslite card holders on all tickets, except for the minimum-priced.
．5% off to Philharmonic People (plz enter membership #)
．10% off on all tickets but the minimum-priced, to credit card holders of Taishin Bank, Mega Bank, and Cathay United Bank.
．10% off to Shin Kong Mitsukoshi credit card holders on all tickets, except for the minimum-priced.

2011 Christmas Shows I

Now, I have to say, some of this information is a little incomplete at the moment, but as the shows sell out very quickly, I wanted to get them up so you could at least try to get tickets.

These shows' tickets can be bought through I-Bon at the 7-11.  You need to show the 7-11 staff the name of the ticket company (for these shows, it's 兩聽院售票處  ), the Chinese name of the show, and the price (票價 of the ticket you want (if you need to choose)

Here is a translation for you to use at the 7-11 if you cannot speak enough Chinese to get by.  Sometimes, you can choose the seat no. and row you want to sit, but for shows I have booked, I haven't been able to through I-Bon.

Please help me book the following tickets using IBON 請幫我在IBON訂購以下的票:
Co:  兩聽院售票處
Show: (cut and paste the names from the shows below)
Price: 票價:
No. tickets: 幾張:

Chiang Kai-Shek Cultural Center Happiness 100 – International Immigrants Day 2011

Described in the Cultural Center's monthly progam booklet as a “festival and fun fair, for the immigrant community, with popular Taiwanese host duet, Plungon, will ensure a wonderful time for everyone”, this event will feature song and dance by new inhabitants and international students from Vietnam, Thailand, the Phillipines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, and China. There will also be local Taiwanese performances.

Chinese Name: 辛福100.2011國際民日PARTY GO!

When Dec 10, 2pm-9pm (New Inhabitants from 2pm until 5:30pm; 100 Year Celebration Concert from 7pm until 9pm)
Cost: Free
Where: Chiang Kai Shek Cutlural Center's Main Plaza

2011 Dec 17: Hakka Children's Musical Hey! A-Digu

The established drama company Paper Windmill is putting on a free performance of Hey!A-Digu (嘿!阿弟牿). This is an adaptation of Hakkanese author 小野's “Polly Comes Back” The story highlights the Hakkanese harmonious relationship with nature.

A-Digu lives on a small island. Polly is a member of a Typhoon family, and the time has come to prove herself grown-up by thrusting herself upon the island. Polly is very nervous, and fails in her duty. Trying to help her, four typhoon set themselves upon the island, resulting in catastrophe. Polly works out a solution to the situation, and gentle rains fall upon the land.

Chinese Name: 嘿!阿弟牿

Venue: Chiang Kai Shek Cultural Center
Time: Saturday December 17 2011, 7-9pm
Cost: Free

2011 Dec 24: Family Christmas Concert

Let the cello tell the story. Accompanied by a soprano soloist and 管風琴, it will share tunes including “White Christmas” and “Silent Night” with you. This event is noted as a family event.

Chinese Name:

Venue: National Concert Hall
Time: Saturday Dec 24^th, 2011, 7:30pm
Cost: TWD500 (Under 12's TWD300)

2011 Dec 18: Y17's Christmas Party Under the Tree

This is a family musical event to celebrate Christmas. The introduction talks about Barbie, holding hands, gifts, and pinecones, but doesn't actually say what is going to happen. If anyone knows more, please let me know!

Chinese name:

Venue: Y17, 3^rd floor performance hall
Cost: TWD300 (10% discount for Eslite card holders, Yushan/Taishin/Cathay credit card holders)

2011 Dec 23-24 Who Is Father Christmas? By If Theater

It's the night before Christmas. It's not snowing. An old man is not enjoying his life. He thinks he has no friends, that his family members don't care about him. He gets to meet Father Christmas and regains faith in Christmas and his life, and realises that life itself is the best gift of all.

Venue: New Taipei City Cultural Center (新北市藝術文中心)

Cost: Tickets range from 300 to 1200 per person

*We went to see a show by IF Theater recently. My five-year-old didn't quite understand the whole story presented but enjoyed the colorful costumes and larger-than-life characters. My seven-year-old thought the whole thing was hilarious. The audience seemed to be mostly seven to twelve year olds. The show was in all in Chinese, and kids need to have a fairly good grasp of the language to understand the jokes. Their performance was very professional.

When We Get Together (當我們童在一起II - 兩聽院售票處 )

Presented by a Taichung Percussion Group, this show aims to share the happiness of childhood with children and adults alike.

Sunday Dec 4, 2:30pm: Hsinchu Cultural Center Theater

Sunday Dec 11, 3pm: Jiayi Cultural Center Theater
Cost: TWD300/400

Christmas 2011: Improv Children's Christmas Show, Taichung

I am going to take liberty and cut and paste from the Improv Theater's website.  For more information about Improv, the show, and the people, please go to their website.  Please note, they keep a guest list, and if you are on the list, you get first priority for seating.  So, if you are sure you want to go, drop them an email at TaichungImprov@gmail.com.
ng Improv and Stock 20 present:

Taichung Improv's Annual Christmas Kickoff for Kids
Date: November 26/ Time: 2:30 - 4:00 PM
Location: Stock 20 (Click to see our page about them).

Santa comes early this year as Taichung Improv kicks off the Christmas Season with a show sure to delight both children and adults. Using suggestions from the audience, Taichung Improv creates short plays that are spontaneous, funny, and definitely entertaining.

Want to see us pretend to be Sponge Bob Squarepants wrestling a gorilla? No problem.
Want to see us pretend to be a man stuck on the moon? No problem.
Want to see us pretend to be ants in a chocolate box? No problem.
Come with your own ideas and shout them out when we ask. We will try to pick the best ones.

The show is ideal for kids of all ages. The show will be in English, with descriptions of what is happening before each play in Chinese. The show is very high energy and fun, which means it can be understood by kids that know no English, a little English, or a lot of English.

We request a small donation of $100 pp for the show. For more information, visit our website at www.TaichungImprov.net or email TaichungImprov@gmail.com. Also look for us on facebook.

Drinks and refreshments supplied by Happy Marion, Taiping Branch. A special thanks goes out to them for their support.

Taichung Improv 年度耶誕秀
活動時間：11.26（六）14:30 - 16：00

2011 Halloween - Where to Buy Costumes

This is from last year's information, reposted for those that are still looking for costumes.

Where to Buy Costumes:

1. There is a group of "holiday" stores along Chungshan West Road, just north of Taipei Station. They change their themes throughout the year, so now is a good time for Halloween and Christmas.

2. Lococo is a very large outlet store, with some fantastic costumes available all year round for good prices. We just got a beautiful princess dress for my daughter for TWD290. I also picked up some nice Old Navy sweater jackets in preparation for the winter. Oh, and they have real ballet outfits for just TWD100!
Beitou Road Sec. 1, No. 7 (Beitou District). This is just off the MRT line, so not as hard to get to as it sounds.
北投路一段七號

3. Best Buy up on Section 7 of Chungshan North Road. If you walk up the hill north of Taipei American School (north side of Tienmu Road), there are several outlet stores that carry costumes.  You can get some really good deals very close to and just after Halloween.

Zoolloween 2011 - Taipei Zoo

Taipei Zoo is really getting into Halloween this year, with its "Be Wild" themed Zoolloween events.

Chinese info here.
English info here.

2011 Halloween Tianmu - Tons of Stuff on Oct 29th and 30th

Every year, Tianmu seems to add just a little more to their Halloween events.  I found the Chinese information blog for this upcoming weekend.  There is so much stuff listed I don't know where to start with translation, so I might just dig round and see what I can find that is in English already.  In the meantime, it looks like things kick off at 3pm on Saturday.  Kids can have rides, take part in DIY, and watch different shows from that time.

This all takes place at the intersection of Tianmu East and West Roads, just north of Taipei American School.

Halloween 2011 - Carnegies Family Party

I've been knocked out by the flu, and haven't kept uptodate on this year's Halloween events, so I hope I can post at least a couple in time for readers to have an enjoyable family day in Taipei.

The Carnegies family Halloween party always gets great comments from those families that attend.  Here is the information for this year's event:

Sunday, October 30, 3pm
$450 per child which includes a nice little goodie bag
Dress up and go trick-or-treating and play some games

Website here.

Haunted House (7 year olds and older only) at Taipei Evil Eye

Until October 31st, enjoy the scary sensation of entering a haunted house.  Children under 7 are not allowed to enter, and all children must be accompanied by an adult.

This is a link to some photos of the house, as well as a Chinese site with a lot more detailed information.

Chungsiao West Road Sec 1, No. 50, B3 (Near Taipei Station, KMALL next to ShingGuang Mitsokushi MRT entrance)

Children 7-12 $200 for one house, $400 for two houses
Adults $299 for one house, $499 for two houses
Hours: Mon-Fri noon-9pm (enter before 8pm); Sat&Sun 11am-9pm (enter before 8pm)

[Oct 8-16] Ying Ge Celebration

Ying Ge is considered the pottery center of Taiwan.  It's worth going to see the various works by Taiwanese potters and to enjoy some "old" Taiwan culture.  Right now, Ying Ge is having its annual celebration and it seems there are a few things going on just for kids.

Dates:
Sat, Oct 8; Sun, Oct 9; Mon, Oct 10; Sat, Oct 15; Sun, Oct 16

• Lots of activities in the areas of art, music, and education.
• Momo TV dance time Sun, Oct 16, 3-4pm
• Food stands
• Children's DIY
• Children's amusements

Where: Starting at the carpark outside the Ying Ge Administrative Office, and down the "Old Street" of Ying Ge.

Tel: 02-2678-0202#516
Website: www.yingge.ntpc.gov.tw

Directions (English) here.

[Oct 9 & 15] Panchiao Music/Culture Festival

Tomorrow (Oct 9, 7:30pm), Song Song Children's and Puppet Theater (九歌兒童劇團) will perform.  I was about to translate all the details but then read that the free tickets were handed out on September 29th, so there is no point sharing all that information!  If you do read Chinese, check out their list of performances at later dates.

Next Saturday (Oct 15, 7:30pm), there will be a performance at the Panchiao Music Park (Da Tong Street No. 70).  No tickets required for this.  With titles like "Girl and Robot" and "South Songs", I am really at a loss as to exactly what kind of music it will be, but if the weather is good, it's always nice to take the kids to an outdoor concert, no matter what the music.

Shinese address and directions to park:
板橋音樂公園 (大同街70號)：搭乘捷運板南線至「江子翠」4號出口，沿雙十路二段步行10分鐘，再轉入大同街即可到達。

2011 July 9-Aug 11: Ilan Children's and Folklore Festival

Last year, we attended this festival and had the time of our lives.  I'm sad we will miss it this year.  If you are in Taiwan with your chidren at this time, do try to make it out to the DongShan River for this event.

Here are a two images from our day out last year:

And a short documentary about how Ilan's children get involved in the event:



As usual, an English site showcasing this year's event is hard to search for.  Someone needs to talk to the people in charge of these event websites!  If anyone finds a link, please share!

Already Late Notice - Taipei Children's Art Festival 2011 (July/Aug)

My friend told me that the ticketed events are probably already sold out, but you could try to catch some of the free performance.

This year, the English version of the site is pretty complete, so go over and take a look at what's on offer.  Venues are spread all over Taipei City.

[May 28, 2011] Taipei European School Summer Fair

TES has its annual summer fair this Saturday.  There will be a flea market and used book stall, a French culture and information event and some activities for the children.

Time: 11am-3pm
Admission: TWD20
Address: 727 Wenlin Road, Shilin, Taipei (談北士林區文林路727號)
MRT: Red Line Zhi Shan Station

Wake Up! Wake Up! Get to the Taipei American School Fair!

The TAS Spring Fair is TODAY.  This is a big family event held on the school campus.  There are lots of stands, both the school's and private.  You should find a lot of baking, food, English-language books, and bargains on goods and services. 

The fair can get quite crowded, so go prepared to get a little squashed in the shopping hall.  It's a nice day out for the kids, with lots of activities to take part in.  If you make it, go to table #63, across from the pizza stand in the hall, and say hello to Jennifer, who runs the family forum http://www.parentpages.net/, and who is an active member of the Taipei City family playgroup.

Where: Taipei American School campus, 800 Chung Shan North Road, Section 6, Tienmu, Taipei City
When: Saturday, April 16th, 10am-3pm
Admission: 10NTD/person
Transport: Buses 220, 612, 285

2011 March 19: Taipei American School Orphanage Club Book Fair

This annual charity event was supposed to be last week but was postponed due to bad weather.  It is a huge sale of secondhand books for everyone.  Entry is free.  Happy shopping!

Venue: Taipei American School lobby (800 Chungshan North Road, Sec 6, Taipei.  中山北路6段800號:  台北美國學校)
Just South of Tienmu West/East Road.  Parking is kind of hard to find.  You can park in the underground carpark under that big turning circle at the intersection of Tienmu West Road and Chungshan North Road.
Time: 10am-5pm

March 19, 2011: Taipei European Spring Fair; Easter Family Event

The Parents' Association at Taipei European School (TES) is organising a Spring Festival on Saturday 19 March, from 11am until 2pm. Activities include Easter Egg Hunts, bouncy castles and pony rides.  There will also be a bit of a book sale, so take along a little money so you take advantage of the great reading material offered.

Address: 727 Wenlin Road, Shilin, Taipei (near Zhi Shan MRT station, Danshui Line)

Chinese New Year Activities: Hotels Celebrate 2011 Year of the Rabbit

Thursday is the first day of the Lunar New Year.  I heard through the grapevine (well, from a friend) that the Grand Hyatt Taipei in Xinyi district will have a lion dance and other performances from 11am.  Their website does not list a time, but does say there will be activities throughout the day.

Grand Hyatt Taipei
2, Song Shou Road,
Taipei, Taiwan 11051
Tel: +886 2 2720 1234 Fax: +886 2 2720 1111
Email: taipei.grand@hyatt.com


The Grand Formosa Regent Hotel has dinner offerings which include special entertainment for children, from magic to paper cutting.

For more information or reservations, please call 02-2523-8000 ext. restaurant.

Lantern Festival 2011: Options for Families

Our family is not really into crowds, so we tend to stay away from the more "popular" spots for holiday times.  It doesn't mean I don't know about them, though.  If you are in Taiwan over the Chinese New Year and want to show your children some of the culture, then here are some options.  I also wrote about a few last year, but I will try to give you some updated links.

Pingxi Lantern Festival

Pingxi is perhaps the best-known traditional spot to enjoy the Lantern Festival and festivities.  It can be a long day when factoring in the crowds and transportation, but if you are visiting Taiwan, it may well be worth the energy-sap.  There is a comprehensive English-language website already in place, so I won't waste words.

Miaoli Lantern Festival

This year, the main city for Lantern Festival celebrations is Miaoli.  It runs from Feb 7 until Feb 28.  The official English-language site is pretty comprehensive.  This seems to be the common thread of this post!  I am pointing to the "well-planned transportation" page only because I like the name so much.

CKS Memorial Hall Lanterns

If you want to take your children to see lanterns, you can always head to CKS Memorial Hall.  Here, you will see floats of all descriptions, mostly portraying "The Year of the Rabbit" (this year).  It can get  pretty crowded, especially at night, but it is very pretty.

I just heard about a special exhibit within the area, called "2011 Lumunarie Festival".  (Be ready for the music on that site.)  The link is all in Chinese, and I will not speculate about the attraction the event will have for children.  There seem to be performances each night after 7pm. It runs from January 27 to February 28 (4pm~10pm). It is closed on Wednesday, Feb. 2, CNY Eve. ($250 for adult, $200 for kids 115~140cm, free for kids under 115cm)

I will add to this as I find out more information, so don't forget to come back!

National Taiwan Arts Education Center - Children's Artwork Exhibits Now On

From now until the end of February, the National Taiwan Arts Education Center is hosting two exhibits of art by children.  The Center is on Nanhai Road (the same grounds as the Botanical Gardens).  Here is the link to all the English information you need:
http://www.arte.gov.tw/eng/pro1_exh_nowlist.asp