Secret Spots to Watch Fireworks at 101 for New Years

On New Year’s Eve hordes of people gather on the MRT to go down to 101 to view the yearly fireworks. Crammed, annoyed, hungry and without a cellphone signal, people stand around awaiting the moment they can say “Happy New Year” before heading back on the subway to take an hour long commute that would otherwise take 15 minutes. It doesn’t have to be that way, however.

Because 101 is so tall it is visible throughout most of the city and residents in far places such as XIndian can even see the fireworks. But if you are looking to get closer we have some tips for sneaking in the fun while avoiding all the hustle and bustle.

One of your best bets is to get off at the MRT stop called 101/Anhe. This area not only is full of bars that have rooftop areas, all of the nearby alleys have great views of 101 and are usually empty. You can simply hang around with a few beers in the alleyways and take in the scenes, as no one will bother you.

Another great MRT area for this is around the Nanjing/Sanmin MRT station. If you walk down the alleys toward Bade Rd. there are many wide-open streets and alleys that have a direct view of 101. You can also bet on finding various restaurants and bars holding open parties.

As far as nearby areas go, you should definitely consider the Songshan Culture Park. This is a wide-open space that is near the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall MRT, which is where most people typically get off for fireworks. If you make it down to that station take exit 5 and go toward the park where there will be far less people.

Any of the nearby alleys at MRT stations Liuzhangli and Linguang will also give you great views. In fact, there is a nearby field in between the Liuzhangli station and Taipei Medical University (TMU). This area has tall grass and we have no idea why it is essentially empty in an area of prime real estate but it makes for a great spot to see the fireworks.

In any of these alleyways there is also one thing that you can do that is a bit weird but works, which is to find a building with an open door and walk straight up to the top floor where there is an opening to the roof. Many of the entrance doors to older buildings are not locked down below and while it is a bit weird to go inside most likely the people living in the building will not know who you are or assume you are there with a friend. Being a foreigner who doesn’t look like a local will not really spur any raised eyebrows and if you do happen to get confronted just speak English. When you make it to the top of the building just pretend like you have known everyone all along.

The positive side about Taipei buildings being all relatively low means that when New Years pops around you can get a good view from across the city in so many areas. Taipei 101 sticks out like a sore thumb and most residential areas that are older do not surpass 6 floors so there is plenty of viewing room, making it unnecessary for you to travel down to the base of 101. This coupled with the fact that there are so many 7/11s scattered about means you will have easy access to drinks and food as well wherever you choose to go.

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