Public holidays in Taiwan


The following are considered holidays in Taiwan. Some are official holidays, and some are not.

History

In 2016, the Tsai Ing-wen government removed seven public holidays. The holidays were removed due to a political compromise arising from a campaign promise Tsai made while running for president that committed her government to providing two days off per week for all workers.
When implementing the change, the government faced opposition from various interests including businesses, and a compromise was reached to provide two days off per week and remove seven paid public holidays.
The removed public holidays were:

Attempted reinstatement of removed holidays in 2025

A longstanding political debate over reinstating the removed public holidays was reignited during the second session of the Legislative Yuan in February, 2025. Kuomintang legislators said they would seek to reinstate the holidays by amending labor regulations. The proposal received support from a Taiwan People's Party legislator who said their party would support the change. The Democratic Progressive Party caucus suggested the proposal was populist.
On May 9, 2025, the Legislative Yuan passed the third reading of the Memorial Days and Holidays Implementation Act, upgrading the prior administrative-level regulations to legal status. The reform introduces four new national holidays: Lunar New Year's Eve, Confucius' Birthday, Taiwan Retrocession and Battle of Guningtou Memorial Day, and Constitution Day. Additionally, Labor Day, previously a holiday only for laborers, is now a national holiday for all citizens. The revised law also guarantees that the Lunar New Year break will span at least seven days, potentially extending to ten. Further adjustments include allowing Indigenous peoples to choose three holidays based on their specific traditional ceremonies. New commemorative days such as Freedom of Speech Day, Indigenous Resistance Day, and Human Rights Day were also added.

Table of Taiwan holidays

Unofficial holidays

The following holidays are also observed on Taiwan but are not official holidays observed by civil servants of the central government. Some sectors of the workforce may have time off on some of the following holidays, such as Labor Day, Armed Forces Day, and Teachers' Day.
DateEnglish nameLocal nameRemarks
February 4Farmer's Day農民節Lichun, the beginning of spring
March 12Arbor Day國父逝世紀念日Sun Yat-sen's passing on 12 March 1925
March 29Youth Day靑年節Commemorates revolutionary Tenth Uprising in 1911
May 4Literary Day文藝節Commemorates May Fourth Movement
May Mother's Day母親節Buddha's Birthday was changed to fit the date of Mother's Day.
June 3Opium Suppression Movement Day禁菸節Commemorates burning of opium in the First Opium War of 1839
August 1Indigenous Peoples’ Day原住民族日On July 31, 2005, the Council of Indigenous Peoples hosted its inaugural ceremony for the rectification of the name ‘indigenous peoples.’ President Chen Shui-bien spoke at the event and declared August 1 to be Indigenous Peoples' Day. In 2016, the administration under President Tsai Ing-wen approved a proposal that designated 1 August as Indigenous Peoples' Day in Taiwan.
August 8Father's Day父親節Held on August 8 because the pronunciation of 8 is very close to the Chinese word for “dad”
September 1Journalists' Day記者節Commemorates the promulgation of the Protection of Journalists and Public Opinion Organizations law in 1933
September 3Armed Forces Day軍人節Honors the Republic of China Armed Forces, also Victory over Japan Day
October 21Overseas Chinese Day華僑節
November 12Sun Yat-sen's Birthday國父誕辰紀念日Also Doctors' Day and Cultural Renaissance Day
Winter solsticeDongzhi Festival冬至
Aboriginal Festivals原住民族歲時祭儀Dates to be published by the Council of Indigenous Peoples varies according to tribes

Before 1949, a number of public holidays were celebrated by certain ethnic minorities in regions within the ROC, which were decided by local governments and entities. Since 1949, these holidays continued to be celebrated by ethnic groups as such in Taiwan Area only.
DateEnglish nameLocal nameChinese nameEthnic Groups
1.1 of Tibetan calendarLosarལོ་གསར藏曆新年Tibetan community in Taiwan
30.6 of Tibetan calendarSho Dunཞོ་སྟོན།雪頓節Tibetan community in Taiwan
1.9 of Islamic calendarEid ul-Fitrعيد الفطر開齋節Muslim community in Taiwan, not only Hui people, but also Filipino Muslim, Malay and Indonesian immigrants
10.12 of Islamic calendarEid al-Adhaعيد الأضحى爾德節Muslim community in Taiwan, not only Hui people, but also Filipino Muslim, Malay and Indonesian immigrants
3rd day of the 3rd Lunisolar monthSam Nyied SamSam Nyied Sam三月三Zhuang community in Taiwan