The classic way to do New Year's Eve in Taipei is the Taipei 101 fireworks, which also means squeezing into Xinyi District with a huge crowd. In 2026, Christmas Day (December 25) is a Friday and New Year's Eve (December 31) is a Thursday, with New Year's Day off. Here's how to do Christmas and New Year's Eve without being packed in shoulder to shoulder, and where to sit down once the fireworks are over.
New Year's Eve crowds and transport in Taipei: know what you're in for
Using the last one (2025 into 2026) as an example:
- Taipei's official New Year's Eve concert was held at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with around 200,000 people, ending with the roughly 6-minute Taipei 101 fireworks
- The Xinyi Planning District had traffic controls in three stages from 7pm on 12/31 to 3am on 1/1. The later it got, the bigger the closed area, and cars couldn't get in or out
- The Taipei MRT ran for 42 hours straight without closing, but officials advised leaving via stations other than Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101/World Trade Center, such as Xiangshan or Yongchun
- Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall station is also near City Hall, and it gets just as crowded that night
For 2026 into 2027, the concert, traffic controls and MRT arrangements follow whatever Taipei City Government and Taipei Metro announce that year, usually a few days before.
Where to go for Christmas in Taipei
Christmas isn't focused on one spot the way New Year's Eve is. For lights, Christmasland in New Taipei City is in Banqiao and usually runs from about mid-November to New Year's Day (check the official dates). The department stores around Xinyi also put up Christmas decorations. 12/25 is a Friday night, so all of these will be busy. Christmas Eve (12/24) is a Thursday, and if you want to avoid crowds, a weeknight is actually easier to plan around. After the lights, if you want to eat or sit down, side lanes usually beat the main roads.
Taipei New Year's Eve without the crush: three ways to do it
- Watch the fireworks from further away: don't squeeze in right under Taipei 101. Find somewhere further out that still has a view, and getting away afterwards is faster too
- Walk away once the fireworks end: don't follow the first wave into the MRT station. Walk a bit, find somewhere to sit, and head home once the crowd thins out
- Skip Xinyi entirely: count down indoors with friends. The fireworks are streamed live on TV and online
Where to go after the fireworks: about a 20-minute walk to AI DARTS
AI DARTS is at No.1, Aly. 15, Ln. 345, Sec. 4, Ren'ai Rd, Da'an District, Taipei 106, about 1.6 km, roughly 20 minutes northwest of Taipei 101 on foot (depending on your route), between Zhongxiao Dunhua and Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall stations on the Bannan Line. When the fireworks end, there's no need to rush into the MRT. Stroll over, sit down for a drink and a few games, and head home once the crowds have cleared.
- Open 24 hours, every day of the year, including New Year's Eve and the early hours of New Year's Day
- No cover charge, and no extra charge for the holidays
- You can bring your own food and drinks (during counter hours, more than 3 bottles of alcohol per person is a NT$50 per-person cleaning fee)
- Food runs on a kitchen schedule; whether the kitchen is open on New Year's Eve and Christmas depends on what's posted at the counter or on our LINE
To be upfront: this isn't a place to watch the fireworks. The bar is down a lane and you can't see Taipei 101. It may also be busier than usual on New Year's Eve, so a short wait for a board is possible.
How to play darts with friends at Christmas and New Year's
With a group, split into two teams for Cricket; everyone takes turns, so nobody's left standing around. For something more relaxed, play Count-Up, which anyone can pick up straight away. After the Christmas gift swap, or before and after the countdown, a game is a good warm-up. For food there's Hotdogray American hot dogs: the signature seared cheese & meat sauce is NT$100, and beer is NT$100 a bottle. See the full menu here. If you're an AI DARTS member, your scores go onto the leaderboard.
Christmas lights and New Year's fireworks are great, you just don't have to spend the whole night in a crowd. When the fireworks are over and you want somewhere to sit, this East District spot is open 24 hours. For another holiday, see where to go for Mid-Autumn Festival in Taipei.