Taiwan marks Father’s Day on August 8 every year. The date is a play on words: “eight eight” in Mandarin is “ba ba,” which sounds like the word for dad, as Focus Taiwan explains. The next one is Sunday, August 8, 2027.
Key facts
- Taiwan’s Father’s Day is a fixed date, August 8, because “ba ba” (eight eight) sounds like the Mandarin word for dad.
- Written vertically, two characters for eight (八八) also resemble the character for father (父).
- The day is often traced to a Father’s Day campaign launched in Shanghai in August 1945, near the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
- Father’s Day is not a day off in Taiwan.
- August 8 falls on a Saturday in 2026, a Sunday in 2027 and a Tuesday in 2028.
That makes Taiwan’s date different from the June date used in the United States and many other countries. If your dad lives in Taiwan, or grew up there, August 8 is likely the day he expects to hear from you.
When it is, and the next three dates
The date never moves; only the weekday changes.
- 2026: Saturday, August 8
- 2027: Sunday, August 8
- 2028: Tuesday, August 8
Father’s Day is not a public holiday in Taiwan, as the list of commemorative days and festivals shows. When it falls on a weekday, plan a dinner or a call around his working hours.
Why August 8
The reason is mostly in the language. Focus Taiwan notes that the Chinese word for eight is “ba,” and “ba ba” is a term for father. A Taipei Times column adds a visual detail: when two characters for eight, 八, are written vertically in the traditional way, they look like 父, the character for father. The column describes the date as chosen for the beauty of the language, not for a historical event.
Other accounts give the idea a wartime background. Storm Media says Father’s Day was launched in Shanghai on August 8, 1945, to honor fathers who died defending the country, and that after the war the government issued an order fixing the date. Accounts of the exact steps differ, so the 1945 story is best read as the broad origin, not a precise timeline.
How families mark the day
Food is a common theme. Ahead of Father’s Day in 2016, the Central News Agency reported on businesses offering special meals and cakes so that people could treat their fathers.
Local governments also honor fathers in public. In 2025, Taiwan News reported that Kaohsiung presented 26 fathers with “Model Father” plaques at a Father’s Day event, where the honorees’ children gave their fathers flowers.
Within families, the format is up to you. A dinner, a cake, a card or a call are all normal ways to mark it. If you are new to the family, ask what they usually do.
A bracelet for an August Father’s Day
August 8 falls in the middle of summer in Taiwan, so think about comfort first. A bracelet he has to take off whenever he feels sticky will spend more time in a drawer than on his wrist. Our guides to the best bracelet type for sweaty wrists and the best bracelet type for summer explain what to look at, from the underside of the band to how easily it dries.
You can echo the date in a light way. A younger child who helps choose the gift might enjoy writing the “ba ba” wordplay in the card. There is no need to add numbers or symbols to the bracelet itself unless he would like them.
Since a meal is often the center of the day, a small box that can be opened at the table works well. For the fit, measure first with the help of our wrist-measuring guide; each design states its own sizing.
Marking the day from abroad
If you live where Father’s Day falls in June, your own Father’s Day will be weeks behind you by August. Add August 8 with the year. Taiwan is many hours ahead of Europe and the Americas, so time your call for his August 8, not yours.
If your family also marks a June date, decide together which day gets the present and which gets a call. Our Father’s Day dates around the world lists other calendars, and our complete Father’s Day gift guide goes beyond bracelets.
Sources
- Focus Taiwan (CNA English News): PHOTO/Happy Father’s Day
- Taipei Times: A linguistic tribute on Father’s Day
- Storm Media (風傳媒): 美國、大陸父親節是哪一天？台灣為什麼要選在8月8日慶祝？一篇文揭節日意義背後的超感人由來
- 6laws.net (unofficial mirror of the law text): 紀念日及節日實施條例
- Central News Agency (中央社): 父愛獻禮 泡湯美食慰勞爸爸辛苦
- Taiwan News: Kaohsiung honors 26 fathers as model dads