Fengjia Night Market 逢甲夜市 in Taichung City is probably the biggest and most crowded night market in Taiwan. When my wife and I visited it for the first time, we nearly got squashed to death, but the second time wasn't that better either. The problem is, that I have no time to visit the night market on a week day, when it's less crowded, because I'm living and working in Taipei. I've been there twice on very crowded Saturday evenings and all I can say is: It's overwhelming!
MY IMPRESSION: The market is huge! It's located near the Fengjia University and hence attracts a lot of young people. It's comparable with the Shida Night Market in Taipei, it's just twice or thrice as crowded. When it comes to the number of visitors, so far only Luodong Night Market comes close to this one. The amount of food and other shops is just amazingly high and I have nothing more to say than just: Visit and try to survive! If you go during the weekends, there's a good chance that you will get stuck in the crowd and not be able to move. It's possible that you will need to wait in line for 10 or 15 minutes just to try a popular snack. Is it fun? Well, not really to me, but if you can take all this - good for you. Just be warned: It can get incredibly crowded. Beyond what you can imagine. And even walking and eating can be tedious, because it's just so many people.
WHAT KIND OF FOOD IS COMMON: You can get anything you want - almost. I could not really go through the stalls, but there's nearly everything for everyone, not only food stalls, also many restaurants can be found in the area.
MUST-TRY FOOD AT FENGJIA NIGHT MARKET: I tried few snacks and I liked them all. Quality of food is very high and a popular stall is usually crowded, because the food is really good. I recommend everything! Everything you see and smell - try it! Of course, if you will be able to order and patient enough to wait.
Let me show you a video and some photos from Fengjia Night Market in June, 2011:
Crowds.
This is a video I made while walking through a popular street.
There are several buses to this night market, but I recommend you to take a cab from the main station. It may cost more, but will be shorter, because a cabby can avoid the traffic jam, common for Taichung city. Check the related Google map here.
IN CONCLUSION: If you are brave enough to have a surreal night market experience, go to Fengjia on a Friday or Saturday evening and try to fight yourself through the enormous crowds and see, if you are able to try some delicious snacks. If you succeed and even have a great time, I will congratulate you and give you a medal of honor and deeply bow in front of you. If you ask me, this is probably the best night market in Taiwan, but it depends a lot on your personal preference. However one thing is certain: It's definitely the most crowded in all of Taiwan. I will still need to visit few more times to really understand and comprehend the whole area, because it's simply beyond what I've ever experienced anywhere else in Taiwan.
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