Taiwan gay club

Mangrove forests on either side of a small river estuary have grown together and met in the centre, branches intertwining to form a dense, dome of green shrubbery.

The sunlight filters through, reflecting on the water as you cruise down in a small boat, creating a completely green and somewhat mysterious atmosphere.

The boat cruise lasts around 30 minutes in total, during which guests can sit back and relax or look out for various forms of wildlife, such as mud crabs, and different birds.

Ten Drum Cultural Village

The Ten Drum Cultural Village is part of the Ten Drum Cultural Creative Park, a 7.5 hectares space located in the suburbs of Tainan.

As a peaceful act of protest, one of the last remaining veterans, Huang Yong-Fu, aged 86 (back in 2008) decided to paint the houses in bright colours, starting with his own home, and moving to the next and the next until he had decorated the entire village.

As a result, tourists swarmed to the village, to see the “rainbow houses” and the “Rainbow Grandpa” that painted them.

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. 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 Red House district has over 20 gay bars and clubs that are buzzing at the best of times, but will be playing host to various Pride parties and events over the pride weekend.

Kaohsiung Pride

Whilst Taipei Pride (as above) is the primary pride celebration, hence its interchangeable name of Taiwan Pride, it actually isn’t the only Pride celebration that Taiwan has to offer.

Kaohsiung, the third largest city located in South Taiwan, has also hosted their own Pride since 2010.

Whilst on a much smaller scale than Taipei, their 2023 pride event still attracted a crowd of approx.

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.

Once you reach the observatory, you are rewarded with a panoramic, 360-degree view of the entire city – shopping malls, more skyscrapers, and surrounding the city, rolling green hills and mountains. Or you may encounter individuals amongst the older and more traditional generations that don’t fully understand my community; however, this is highly unlikely to ever result in anything beyond an inquisitive look.

Hate crimes and anti-gay violence towards members of our community is extremely rare.

However, it has become known as the landmark for locating the gay area, because huddled around The Red House you will find, for want of a better word, a “complex” of over 25 gay bars, gay shops and restaurants.

Gay Hotels and Gay-Friendly Hotels in Taiwan

Whilst I am not aware of any specific “gay hotels” in Taiwan, given that we have already established that Taiwan is a warm, welcoming and inclusive country you will never struggle to find a gay-friendly hotel here.

For example, in the capital city of Taipei, there are hotels spread across the city, to suit all budgets and all traveller requirements.

There are over 25 gay bars in this area to choose from – so you won’t be short of choice!

What most people like about visiting The Red House District is how easy it is to do a little bar crawl. There is also a rooftop access where you can have a close-up view of the Big Buddha Statue.

There is even a video room where you can watch a 3D video on the history of the Buddha!

Iactually really enjoyed my visit to the museum – religious aspects aside (although some of the teachings of the Buddha faith and the values they hold I could really get behind!), I was just in awe at the beautiful setting, the architecture and intricacy of everything.

Address: No.

1號, Tongling Rd, Dashu District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 84049

Explore a Night Market

Kaohsiung, like pretty much any of the other major cities, is full of street markets to explore, both night and day.

During my time in Kaohsiung, following the gondola tour on the Love River I returned to the hotel where I was within walking distance of the Ruifeng Night Market, the perfect place to grab dinner!

Ruifeng Night Market is currently the largest night market in Kaohsiung, and according to many people is one of the best.

Seriously, this app does it all!

This site and app let me do all the planning for our 15 day trip in a little over 6 hours! These aren’t the only lights though, as of course on both sides of the river you see the sprawling city of Kaohsiung with its skyline of skyscrapers, all of which are also lit up against the night sky.

This view is romantic enough – but couple this with cruising up and down the river in a gondola, complete with romantic music being played (we had Ed Sheeran – Perfect as one of our songs!), and if you are lucky, your gondolier may even sing to you!

Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum

The Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum is a Buddhist cultural, religious and educational museum located in the Dashu District of Kaohsiung.

Upon arrival, you pass through the main entrance area, which is almost small shopping centre like, with various food and drink outlets, including a Starbucks, and a couple of shops and stalls.

Whilst Taiwan Pride attracts members of the LGBTQ+ community from all over the country, the primary location has always been the capital city of Taipei. Taiwan is considered to be the most gay-friendly country in Asia, and Taipei is, unsurprisingly, a fantastic gay travel destination. Cash is widely used in Taiwan, and preferred to credit cards – and of course you will need cash when visiting the local markets.