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Another dish you must try is Taiwanese beef noodle soup!
Address: Wuquan West 3rd St, West District, Taichung City, Taiwan 403
Taiwan Pride
I was so excited, and so honoured to be in Taiwan for Pride – the first Asian Pride that I had ever been to, and what a one to start with!
Taiwan Pride is the largest gay Pride in Asia, and is held annually in October.
Cash is widely used in Taiwan, and preferred to credit cards – and of course you will need cash when visiting the local markets.
The main gay area of Taipei is located in the Wanhua district, specifically in and around what is known as “The Red House District”, or Ximending.
The Red House, often called Ximending Red House, is an icon of the Wanhua district.
However, there are a lot of hotels in and around the Ximending district, and around The Red House itself, which naturally a lot of gay travellers choose to stay at to ensure they are close to the action!
I have included below the four hotels that I stayed at during my visit to Taiwan, as these were the hotels that hosted me during my visit for Taiwan pride, and so I can safely say that all the below hotels are very welcoming to LGBTQ+ travellers.
Le Meridien – Taichung
This was a great welcome to my trip to Taiwan and the perfect hotel to spend my first night after the long journey from the UK!
Le Meridien is a beautiful five-star hotel located right in the city centre of Taichung, but is also conveniently located next to Taichung Station, and the bus terminal, providing easy access to explore both the wider Taichung area as well as being convenient when it is time to move on.
The hotel has a stunning rooftop pool, the perfect place to unwind and relax after a busy day exploring Taichung, and the majority of the guestrooms have floor to ceiling windows offering the most incredible panoramic views of the city.
Le Meridien is part of the Marriott brand of hotels, which is another brand that has always shown their support for the LGBTQ+ community.
It’s a strong-smelling fermented tofu, which you can find in night markets or food stalls on the streets. The bars here for the most part are all lined up next to one another, and a lot of them also have large patios, and outdoor seating, so you can grab a drink, take a seat and watch the world go by. All of the Red House gay bars and clubs are open until 2am.
You might like our guide to The Red House in Ximending >
The Locker Room
Located around a 10 minute walk away from the Red House, the Locker Room is a gym themed bar with something for all tastes – from drag queen performances to all male shower strips, this is quite the Taipei at night place to be.
And yes, there is even a showerhead over the main dance floor to get you very wet – but don’t bring a shower cap!
Locker Room is open from 9pm to 2am Wednesday through Sunday.
Book your Taipei Locker Room Macho Show here >
Wonder Bar
One of the best known Taipei lesbian bars, Wonder Bar is located on Fuxing North Road and is known for its themed parties and glamorous girls only nights out.
All bar staff are females and Wonder Bar is renowned for its gourmet food menu and a great place to eat out in Taipei at night.
30,000 spectators. The dance floor does have a reputation for being very crowded, especially after midnight.
The venue is spread across two floors – the main area including stage and dance floor is on the ground floor, and upstairs there are private karaoke rooms – although I have heard that karaoke may not be the only thing happening there….
They even have Drag Race alum Pangina Heals performing here!
Address:No. – and so my plans to hit up more of Asia had to be put on hold.
That is, until October 2023 rolled around, and I had the chance to finally visit Taiwan – and it certainly blew all of my expectations out of the water.
My Taiwan gay guide will give you all the information that you need to know about this gay-friendly island in East Asia.
Is Taiwan Gay Friendly?
While not quite as popular a travel destination as some of its Asian neighbours, Taiwan has long been considered as one of the most gay-friendly destinations in Asia – rivalling even Thailand.
Although situated in a part of the world where for the most part, views towards LGBTQ+ people are more conservative, and LGBTQ+ rights are challenged, the island of Taiwan is a shining beacon for LGBTQ+ visitors – where LGBTQ+ travellers are not only accepted, but welcomed with open arms!
Since 2003 Taiwan has also held its iconic annual Pride celebration – which I was so fortunate to be a part of last year.
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The first Taipei Pride parade took place in 2003 and by 2017, it had grown to over 100,000 participants from all over the world. The space is a former abandoned sugar factory, made up of 22 warehouses that were built during the Japanese Colonial Period.
After sitting unused for quite some time, the area and space was repurposed by the Ten Drum Art Percussion Group, a music troupe from southern Taiwan that aims to promote local culture, music and art, and as a result the Ten Drum Cultural Village was born.
The entire site has now become a cultural venue – warehouses have been developed into museums, theatres, classrooms where guests can participate in a drum lesson, shops and restaurants.
There are even rides and slides and adventure activities to participate in – including some for thrill-seekers, such as a 7-story free fall ride, swings that go out over the tree top canopy, and zip-lines.
Things to do in Kaohsiung
Gondola Tour on The Love River
Formerly known as The Kaohsiung Waterway, or The Kaohsiung Canal, thanks to a boat company opening near the bridge called The Love River Boat Company, giving people the chance to row up and down the river, the name Love River was passed to the waterway itself – especially as the majority of people taking boats out were couples – “in love.”
The Love River divides the city of Kaohsiung into two, with various bridges connecting the two sections – such as the Jiangou and Jhongjheng Bridges.
The bar itself is quite small and cozy but like most of the bars situated behind The Red House, they do have an outdoor seating area.
Café Dalida is also very well-known and popular for its drag shows – reputed to be some of the best in the city. Seeing the popularity of the rainbow village, the government decided not to proceed with the demolition of the village – Rainbow Grandpas mission had been successful!
Sadly, he passed away earlier this year at the ripe old age of 101 – but his legacy lives on, in the beautiful, brightly coloured murals decorating the houses of the rainbow village.
Address: 408, Taiwan, Taichung City, Nantun District, 春安路56巷25號
Shenji New Village
Shenji New Village is a creative and cultural hub located in the West District of Taichung.
Made up of different art studios, coffee shops, and independent boutique style stores all specialising in something different – whats interesting is that the “village” has all been fully renovated from former residential housing.
On a weekend, there are sometimes small street-markets located here too, “eco-markets” – specialising in organic produce, and handmade arts and crafts.
Address: No.
6, 民生路368巷1弄 West District, Taichung City, Taiwan 403
Miyahara Ice Cream Shop
OK, less something to do, more something to try – but an absolute must visit when in Taichung!
Miyahara is an extremely popular ice cream parlour and chocolate shop located in an elegant, historic building in the centre of Taichung.
Their ice cream menu is extremely extensive – they have over 17 variations on chocolate ice cream alone, this is before you even come onto fruit flavours!
The ice creams come with toppings too, not just sprinkles and sauce – I’m talking full on cake, such as a piece of Taiwan’s famous pineapple cake.
I wondered why the queue was so long when I first arrived – and now I know!
Visitors are whisked from the 5th floor, to the 89th floor in just 37 seconds.
But the view from the observatory is definitely worth the journey. One of Taiwan’s specialties is soup dumpling, Xiao Long Bao. These aren’t just dumplings, because their skin is really thin and filled with tasty broth and meat, fish and/or vegetables.
From chic bars and pulsating clubs to serene and inviting saunas, these neighborhoods embrace a full spectrum of tastes and styles.
Having spent decades quietly simmering away as a hotbed of queer culture in Asia, Taipei is now regarded as the capital of LGBTQ+ life in the continent. Inside are lots of lovely gift stalls, some of which sell Taiwan pride gifts.
There are also a handful of LBGTQ+ stores located just outside the entrance to the Red House.
Whilst shopping heaven in the daytime, Red House reinvents itself at night with an array of LBGTQ+ bars opening in the courtyard.
Around the back of the Red House, you’ll find around a dozen pubs, clubs and bars plus another couple more hidden away on the upper level.
All of the bars around Red House have very late opening hours, (very) Happy Hour drinks prices plus themed outdoor terraces and tropical gardens with neon signs.
Some of the most popular LGBTQ+ Red House bars in this part of Ximending include The Secret Garden, Mudan (the OG bar), G2 Paradise and Café Dalida (famous for its Taipei drag queen performances).
At night, all these bridges come to life, illuminated, in different coloured lights that are all reflected on the river. I am all about authenticity!
Taiwan Pride Highlights
- The Main Parade: The Taiwan Pride Parade usually starts from the town hall, moving through the streets of Taipei, and finishing back at the town hall, where the celebrations continue in the Taipei Pride Village.
This is quite a jump from the 120,000 the previous year.
Taiwan Pride is usually an entire weekend full of festivities, generally running Thursday through to Sunday – drag shows, events, circuit parties, and of course all culminating with the main event, the Pride Parade through the streets of central Taipei.
One of the first things that struck us about Taiwan Pride was the atmosphere.
The first continent we conquered stole our hearts, which is why we’ve spent most of our time traveling through Asia. During the time that I spent in Taipei, I noticed quite a few same-ʂex couples walking hand-in-hand, which is always encouraging to see!
I could not have felt safer and more welcomed!
Gay Rights in Taiwan
The LGBTQ+ rights in Taiwan are considered to be the most progressive, and the most comprehensive in the whole of Asia.