2015 Taichung Arts Festival gets ready for a romantic debut

Words and photos by Taichung City Government Cultural Affairs Bureau
Translated by S. Ying

As a warm-up for the 2018 Taichung World Flora Exposition, Taichung City Government will be hosting the first-ever Taichung Arts Festival from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1. Over the course of these 10 days, over 205 performances will take place in different parts of Taichung in an effort to expand cultural exchanges in this city and offer city residents with enriching arts experiences.

With its central Taiwan location, Taichung has been a popular cultural hub for developing local talent, as up-and-coming artists use it as a stage for promoting their creativity. It also serves as an important platform for different kinds of performing arts and for artists to collaborate and consolidate resources. Highlighting this role, the Taichung Arts Festival will bring together over a hundred groups to perform and to showcase artistic talents, as Taichung serves as a "floral city of culture and arts".

During the 2015 Taichung Arts Festival, there will be numerous food options and a diverse array of activities, ranging from high-tech lighting displays at various historical landmarks--such as Old Taichung City Hall, Martial Arts Compound of the Taichung Criminal Law Enforcement Office, Taichung Literature Museum, and Taichung Broadcasting Bureau Building--to eclectic street performances and opportunities to travel through time as there will be decorations to resemble the ambiance of past times for visitors to enjoy and traditional arts at the flora expo.

When you arrive at the Calligraphy Greenway and Civic Square, you will also get to enjoy the soothing, intoxicating sounds of jazz music, as the Taichung tradition of hosting an international jazz festival over the past 12 years will also be taking place at this time. This year, government and non-government organizers are cooperating to host 43 international and Taiwanese jazz acts, performing from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1 at various outdoor concert locations in Taichung, including Huludun Cultural Center, Taichung Seaport Art Center, and Tun District Art Centers, providing fun concerts not to be missed by jazz lovers.

This year's Taichung Arts Festival has a "Flower of the Century" theme, promoting the idea of "maintaining a natural state and touching one's heart" as it focuses on local performing artists and local cultural specialties while incorporating innovative and creative elements. A wide range of planned activities include a float parade, street performing artists, dances, musical concerts, exhibitions, fairs and cultural events, with a special "Pixar in Concert" event at the Dajia Stadium that is not to be missed.

The arts festival also includes an international performance series that has invited world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Reuibin Chen, composer Vytautas Miskinis, and Latvian Voices to perform in Taiwan. In order to integrate flowers and culture, a series of national competitions have also been held to choose 16 teams from hundreds of applicants to perform in Taichung Park and at various cultural centers in Nantun, Xitun and Beitun districts. These performances will feature modern drama, traditional opera, choir singing, classical Chinese music, western music, poetry reading, glove puppetry, Taiwanese opera, modern dance and other highlights in a wonderful celebration of art and performances.

Also, to encourage musical composers and writers, an outdoor stage will be in place for 10 days at Dadun Cultural Center to provide a performance venue and opportunities for local groups and artists to show off their musical composition talent and deepen their performing experience. The goal is to create an atmosphere for promoting musical arts and culture among students and younger generations.

The 2015 Taichung Arts Festival aims to create a hub for performing artist groups and--by combining various cultural festivities--make its 10 days a celebration of city arts and culture. It is also hoped that this festival will become a major tourism event, drawing more visitors from around the world, and beautify the city with cultural festivities as blossoming flowers highlight century-old buildings in the city and add a fresh element of enjoyment for all who visit Taichung.

For the latest updates on the 2015 Taichung Arts Festival, please check the website: http://2015taichungartsfestival.com.tw/index.php