When the sun sets, the night market lights come on. The whole street fills with the smells of grilled food, frying noodles, baking bread and sweet pancakes. Music plays from speakers. Stall holders call out the names of their food. It is loud and bright and crowded in the best possible way.
Every night market has its own special foods. At Shilin Market in Taipei, you might find giant fried chicken cutlets bigger than your face. At Fengjia in Taichung, you can try cute steamed buns shaped like animals. At Liuhe in Kaohsiung, fresh seafood is grilled right in front of you. People often walk the whole market just to graze - one bite of something here, another bite there.
Night markets are not just about food. There are also games - shooting balloons with toy guns, fishing for plastic ducks, throwing rings onto bottles. There are stalls selling toys, shoes, T-shirts and tiny hairclips. Children sometimes save up their pocket money for weeks just for one big night-market trip.
The reason markets happen at night in Taiwan is partly because of the weather. In summer the days can be very hot, but in the evening it cools down and a sea breeze blows in. So the streets come alive at exactly the right time, when everyone is finally ready to come outside.