Events

You'll need to get hold of a lunar calendar if you want to have any hope of attending Taiwan's big events. Very few of them occur on the same date every year.

If fireworks and crowds crank your engine, visit Yenshui, Luerhmen or Beigang for the Lantern Festival, on the 15th day of the first lunar moon.
Kuanyin's Birthday, on the 19th day of the second moon, is a good time to see temple festivities in full swing.
During the Ghost Festival, during the seventh lunar month, ghosts from hell walk the earth. No one travels, swims, gets married or moves house, but everyone visits Taoist temples.
National Day (10 October) is celebrated with gusto, fireworks and a light show in Taipei.
Chinese New Year (first day of the first lunar month) should probably be avoided.