cover photo credit:  ©Wang Yu Ching / Office of the President

Keelung isn't on most itineraries. It's Taiwan's seventh-largest city, known mostly for its rain, its night market, and its port. Yet every August, this modest harbor town shuts down its downtown streets, and fifteen family clans spend a year's savings building elaborate lantern floats for a parade that ends with those same lanterns set on fire and sent out to sea at midnight.

It's called the Keelung Mid-Summer Ghost Festival (雞籠中元祭) — one of Taiwan's twelve officially designated major festivals, and by most accounts, its largest religious celebration. So why here? The answer has less to do with ghosts than with history: a 19th-century immigrant society, a bloody feud between rival clans, and a ritual of reconciliation that's been running, largely uninterrupted, since 1851.

Photo credit: ©台灣宗教文化地圖

What Is Zhongyuan Festival, Actually

Zhongyuan Festival (中元節) falls on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month — a date rooted in Taoist belief around the "Ghost King" pardoning wandering souls, layered with the Buddhist story of Mulian, a monk who rescued his mother from the underworld through acts of merit and offering. In practice, the two traditions blend into one: the seventh lunar month is set aside to honor ancestors and appease spirits who have no one left to remember them.

Keelung's version carries an extra layer. In the mid-1800s, waves of Han Chinese immigrants from Zhangzhou and Quanzhou settled the city and repeatedly clashed over land and water rights; a particularly deadly confrontation in 1851 left more than a hundred dead. To put the conflict to rest, local leaders agreed the fifteen clans would take turns — rather than compete — organizing an annual ghost month ritual, formally established in 1855. What started as a peace treaty became Taiwan's most elaborate Ghost Festival, still rotating between the same clan families over 170 years later.

What Travelers Can Actually See in 2026

Ghost Month unfolds over roughly a month, but a handful of dates carry the festival's main events:

• August 13 — Gates of the underworld open at Laodagong Temple (老大公廟), marking the start of Ghost Month

• August 25 — Dipper Lantern Parade (迎斗燈), as each clan carries its ceremonial lantern through the city

• August 26 — The main event: clan floats parade through downtown Keelung before the Water Lantern Release at Badouzi Harbor, held before midnight

• August 27 — Zhongyuan Festival proper, with communal offerings (pudu) held across the city

• September 11 — Gates of the underworld close, ending Ghost Month

The evening of August 26 is what most travelers come for. Clan floats — built to resemble ornate miniature houses, one per family — circle through central Keelung accompanied by music and performance troupes before making their way to Wanghai Alley near Badouzi Harbor. There, the lanterns are stuffed with paper money, set alight, and pushed out to sea; tradition holds that the longer a lantern burns before it capsizes, the better luck for the family that sponsored it.

Photo credit: The traditional water lantern release (放水燈) at Keelung’s Mid-Summer Ghost Festival, guiding spirits at sea and carrying wishes for peace and blessings.  © weichen kh

It's a public, free event, but it's also a working religious ceremony, not a staged show for visitors — a few things are worth knowing before you go. Streets around the parade route close to traffic from early evening, and both the downtown route and the harbor site draw large crowds, so arriving an hour or so early secures a decent vantage point. Flash photography and blocking the path of the floats or their attendants aren't appreciated; this is a ritual for the deceased, and the families carrying it out take it seriously.

If you'd rather not navigate the crowds and timing alone, this is exactly the kind of evening where a local guide who knows the clans, the route, and the meaning behind each ritual makes the difference between watching a parade and understanding one.

Many travelers turn the festival into a full day out, starting with our North Coast's Heavenly Art tour — a daytime route through Keelung's coastline, Heping Island, and the rock formations of Yehliu Geopark — before returning downtown in the evening for the parade and lantern release.

Photo credit: ©趙建生 

Is It Safe to Travel During Ghost Month?

Yes — unambiguously. Hotels, restaurants, trains, and every major attraction in Taiwan operate normally throughout the seventh lunar month. The only people who alter their plans for Ghost Month are locals observing older folk taboos, and even that's increasingly a matter of personal choice rather than strict rule.

If you want to observe local etiquette while you're here, a few small habits go a long way: Taiwanese generally avoid the word "ghost" (鬼) during this period, referring to spirits instead as "good brothers" (好兄弟); open-water swimming is traditionally discouraged, on the belief that restless spirits linger near rivers and the sea; and after dark, some locals avoid calling out names or whistling, in case a wandering spirit takes it as an invitation. None of these will affect your trip in any practical way — they're cultural color, not travel restrictions.

Photo credit: ©利勝章 

Planning Your Trip Around It

Keelung sits about 45 minutes from Taipei, and getting there is straightforward. TRA local trains run from Taipei Main Station to Keelung Station every 30 minutes or so, taking around 45 minutes and costing roughly NT$41–64. Kuo-Kuang Bus Route 1813 covers the same route from Taipei Main Station (East Gate 3) to Keelung, departing every 10–20 minutes, with the ride taking about 50 minutes for around NT$57 — both options accept EasyCard or iPass.

Once you're in Keelung, local city buses cover the festival sites from downtown, near Keelung City Hall and the train station: buses 501 and 502 run out to Laodagong Temple (get off at Guojun Fulizhongxin stop and walk uphill about two minutes), while bus 791 heads to Badouzi and Wanghai Alley for the Water Lantern Release. If you're planning your own visit, aim to arrive by early evening on August 26 to find a spot along the parade route before the crowds settle in.

Prefer to have it all arranged for you? Pair the parade with our North Coast's Heavenly Art tour for a full day in Keelung, or reach out to our team to build a custom evening around the festival dates, guided by someone who knows the rituals and the route.

Photo credit: ©周文章

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the Keelung Ghost Festival suitable for foreign tourists?

Yes. It's a free, public event that welcomes onlookers, and no registration or ticket is required. The main considerations are practical rather than restrictive: expect large crowds and road closures around the parade route on the evening of August 26, and keep in mind this is a religious ceremony, not a staged performance — quiet, respectful observation (and no flash photography near the rituals) is appreciated.

Q: What are the taboos during Taiwan's Ghost Month?

Common folk taboos include avoiding the word "ghost" (鬼) in favor of "good brothers" (好兄弟), steering clear of open-water swimming, and avoiding calling out names or whistling after dark. None of these affect travel logistics — hotels, restaurants, and transportation all run normally throughout the month.

Q: How do I watch the Keelung Water Lantern Parade from Taipei?

Take the TRA local train or Kuo-Kuang (國光客運) Bus 1813 from Taipei Main Station — both run frequently and get you to Keelung in under an hour. From there, local buses connect to the downtown parade route and to Badouzi Harbor for the lantern release. Plan to arrive by early evening on August 26 to secure a viewing spot before crowds build.

Q: When is Ghost Month in Taiwan in 2026?

Ghost Month 2026 runs from August 13 (gates of the underworld open) through September 11 (gates close), with Zhongyuan Festival itself falling on August 27. In Keelung, the main Water Lantern Parade takes place on the evening of August 26.

Further Reading

For a deeper dive into Ghost Month customs, taboos, and etiquette across Taiwan, see our related guides:

• Traveling to Taipei During Ghost Month

• Getting the Most from Ghost Month in Taiwan