With a chill finally in the air, the Taichung Christmas Charity Bazaar is set to kick off Saturday at the Dakeng Community Center.
Children’s activities, including a visit by Santa Claus, will highlight the family-friendly festival, located in the hillside outskirts of the city. There will also be ample food and drink as well as live music by popular local bands.
“We’re trying to create a fun Western atmosphere,” Casper Willemse, one of the event organizers and co-owner of Three Giants Brewing Company, said.
Photo courtesy of Kyle Merriman
The musical lineup starts at 1pm and will feature nine acts, including local favorites Shaun Armstrong, Brahm Gawden, Lauren Leach, Catharine Brown and Annie & Taco.
Food and drink options will include goodies from Three Giants brewery, Sausage Shack, Delicatesses Desmarais, The Braai Guy and Nick’s Samosas. In all, 19 food vendors and artisan craft stalls will be on hand.
Funds raised from entry fees and raffles will go toward two local animal welfare groups: Taichung Universal Animal Protection Association (台中市世界聯合保護動物協會) and Gougoushan (狗狗山).
With the arrival of colder temperatures, animal shelters are in need of more resources to help improve living conditions, especially for older dogs, Willemse said.
Home to popular hiking trails, Dakeng is located about 30 minutes from downtown Taichung. Public transportation to the festival is available by a number of buses, which run regularly between Taichung and Dakeng.
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