Friday, 25 September, is Mid-Autumn Festival. Monday, 28 September, is Teachers’ Day. Together they make a four-day break. The useful move for anyone living in Taipei or New Taipei is to stay put.
The Central Weather Administration said on Wednesday that most of the island should see partly cloudy to sunny weather through the festival night, with the moon visible except in the mountains north of Chiayi. Isolated showers are possible on the north coast, in greater Taipei and on the Hengchun Peninsula. A tropical storm, Surigae, is expected to strengthen south of Taiwan and come closest Sunday and Monday. That is a reason to keep an eye on cwa.gov.tw, not a reason to drive to Qingjing on Friday morning.
National freeway forecasts put Friday southbound volume at about 1.5 times a normal weekday, and National Freeway 5 toward Yilan higher still. High-occupancy ramp controls run Friday morning on National Freeways 1 and 3 leaving Taipei, then again Saturday through Monday on Freeway 5 northbound ramps in Yilan. Daxi Old Street becomes a pedestrian zone each holiday day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sun Moon Lake and Hehuanshan parking fills before noon.
High Speed Rail added 176 holiday trains between 24 and 29 September, 70 southbound and 106 northbound. Unreserved cars still mean standing. If you do not already hold a reserved seat, do not invent a Tainan itinerary at the station kiosk.
What works in the city: a balcony or riverside grill if the building allows charcoal, a box of mooncakes from a bakery that still has stock on Thursday, and a late walk along the Keelung or Tamsui river paths. YouBike stations near Dajia Riverside Park and the left-bank paths in New Taipei empty after dinner. Taipei Metro runs a holiday timetable; check english.metro.taipei before you count on last-train times.
Convenience stores stay open. Many clinics, district offices and language schools do not. Buy batteries, ice and extra water on Thursday. If Surigae’s track shifts north on Saturday, cancel any mountain plan and stay off exposed ridgelines. The festival is one night. The typhoon, if it comes, lasts longer.