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2005
I-lan International Children's Folklore &
Folkgame Festival
--By Josie Wu Translated by
Cara Steenstra Photos supplied by Lan Yang Educational
Foundation, TRA Music and the Taipei County
Goverment
Ten
Go' 05 VIVA Children
During the first weekend of July, the world's
first-ever festival with the theme of children's
play--the I-lan International Children's Folklore
and Folkgame Festival--will commence along the
beautiful DongShan River, welcoming everyone
to this dreamy world of childhood fun. This
year marks the 10th anniversary of the festival,
with activities lasting 44 days. Through the
themes of "performance", "exhibition",
"games" and "exchange",
a wonderful summer of fun will take place at
this year's festival.
There will be special performances
by groups from over 20 different countries,
including Bulgaria, Russia, Slovakia and Albania.
These groups will provide dances, music and
other folk performances. There will also be
a carefully planned exhibition with interesting
content. The most popular games area includes
the thrilling "High Net", various
mazes, an amazing flying saucer theater, a water
maze, an upside-down water maze, the surprise
tunnel, T-war, SPA bicycle, children's play
castle and other game facilities, to provide
something for everyone. Various toy makers and
craftspeople from all over the world have been
invited to come, show off their skills and demonstrate
their crafts. There are also opportunities to
learn from these craftspeople and make your
own toys.
Organizer: I-lan County Government
Dates: July 2-August 14, 2005.
Hours: 8:30 am-8:30 pm
Venue: I-lan DonShan River's QinShui Park (I-lan
County
WuJie Hsiang)
Tickets: NT$250, NT$350
How to get there: CKS International Airport--(airport
freeway interchange)--Northbound Highway No.2--XinDian--(BeiYi
Highway)--JiaoXi--I-Lan--LanYang Bridge--WuJie--turn
left onto I-lan Route 25--turn left at Taiwan
No.7C National Highway--QinShui Park
By Train: Take the northbound train to LuoDong
station, then take a bus to QinShui Park
Official Website: www.2005.folkgame.org.tw
Information Hotline: (03) 936-3172
2005
FOMOZ FESTIVAL
Taiwan's biggest ticket-selling
music festival, the FOMOZ Festival has been
going strong for 11 years now and promises to
be bigger than ever this year. This rock music
event that takes place every July has been setting
new records for the number of participants each
year. Last year marked its 10th anniversary
and, in just three short days, it attracted
over 50,000 people, including Taiwan President
Chen Shui-bian, making East Asian Rock music
history. After 11 years of hard work, FOMOZ
Festival has become an international rock music
event, where musicians and fans from Hong Kong,
Singapore, China and Malaysia flock to pay their
respects.
This year, FOMOZ will take
place at the hugely-popular sunny outdoor venue
of Taipei's Children's Paradise (formerly YuanShan
Zoo), taking up the entire grassy knoll. Confirmed
performing international artists at this year's
event include Grammy Award Winner and British
Music Award nominee Lisa Loeb, British electronic
music genius Moby, the hugely-popular Japanese
high school band Kishidan, popular Japanese
punk rock band The Vickers, Last Target, Kemuri
and others. From Taiwan there will be Chthonic,
Tizzy Bac, Back Quarter, Mojo, LTK, Freaky Dudez,
Won Fu, Totem, XL, Ban Ji, Thirteen, 1976, the
Hohak Band and other well-known bands.
Apart from different stages with the themes
of "wind", "forest", "fire"
and "electricity", there will also
be many other interesting and fun areas to explore,
such as the electronic music zone, the well-loved
wrestling podium, a ferris wheel, merry-go-round,
independent movie shows, and photography exhibition.
Other individual stalls will feature tattoo
artists, CDs and vinyl records, exotic ethnic
foods, alternative clothing and accessories.
All these are vital to the FOMOZ Festival's
annual program.
Organizer: TRA Music, Independent
Music Association
Dates: July 29, 30, 31, 2005.
Hours: 5 pm-11:30 pm Venue: Taipei City Children's
Recreation Center (02) 2778-9774 (Children's
Paradise, YuanShan Park entrance)
Tickets: NT$900 (single-day entry, only available
during festival); NT$1,200 (three-day entry,
available only by advance sales); NT$1,500 (three-day
entry, available during festival)
Official Website: www.formoz.com
At last, the Ho-Hai-Yan Gung-liau Rock Festival
is here again. Thinking about the sun, the sea,
bikini-clad girls, beer and having fun with
a group of friends lifts your mood like a hot-air
balloon. Now in its sixth year, this rock festival
has become the cornerstone of summer music festivals.
Last year, the festival lasted for three days
and attracted a record of 300,000 people. This
time around, two extra days will be added so
that more people can come and have fun. Apart
from the main stage, the open stage will also
have main shows daily. Soda Green, Chen Jian-Nien,
the Hohak Band, Patricia He, Ladybug, Samingad
and Am Band, Tolaku, Chairman, Back Quarter,
Luan Tan and so on will rock on with everyone
at the festival. There will also be the new
addition of a film festival, adding movies to
the list of programs and giving you even more
to look forward to. This is one of the largest
rock festivals in the Chinese-speaking world
and, to quote the band 88 Guava Seeds, "If
there is no passion in human life, how different
are we from salted fish?" Whether or not
you are a rock fanatic, come and experience
the passion at this music festival.
Organizer: Taipei County
Government
Dates: July 20-24, 2005.
Hours: 3 pm-11 pm
Venue: Fulong Beach (40, Fulong St., Fulong
Village, Gong Liao Hsiang, Taipei County)
Transportation: We highly recommend the following
modes of transportation to avoid the pain of
traffic jams. Take the northbound train to Fulong
Station; the beach is three minutes walk away
from the station. Ju Guang Express, Fu Xing
Express, and other trains running between Hsinchu
and Fulong are other options. For the Taiwan
Railway train timetable, please refer to http://www.railway.gov.tw/index.htm
or call (02) 2499-1800.
Official Website: http://hohaiyan.com/2005.htm
Before you hit the music festival and before
the entertainment begins, make some tome to
take a look around the area and have some fun
in the nearby ocean as well. Four different
routes below have been suggested for your information.
There are also many local delicacies to try
along the way, but you can also experience them
at the Taipei Chinese Culinary exhibition between
August 4 and 7.
Route 1: Taipei --- Long Dong Bay walkway (check
out the views of Bi-Tou Jiao, San-Diao Jiao
and the magnificent Shi Ling Sha Rock) --- Yuan
Wang Keng (Tian Yuan, Xi Shui, 10,000 wild ginger
flowers) --- Fulong Travel Center --- Fulong
Beach
Route 2: Taipei --- Nan Ya (experience the unique
rock formations there) --- Bi Tou Jiao walkway
and lighthouse (walk between the mountain and
the sea, walk along Deng Yue Path) --- Long
Dong Bay--- Fulong Visitor's Center --- Longmen
Campsite (suspension bridge, river views) ---
Yu Long Beach
Route 3: Taipei --- Long Dong Ocean Park South
Entrance --- Yian Liao Beach (historical landmark
of Japanese Military Occupation, garden afternoon
tea) --- Fulong Visitor's Center--- Fulong Beach
Route 4: Taipei--- (take Taiwan Highway Route
9) --- Yilan Tou Cheng --- BeiGuan Hai Chao
Park (enjoy the sea views) --- Lions Museum
--- Da Li Visitors Center (experience the history
of Chao Ling) --- San Diao Jiao walkway and
lighthouse (experience at the easternmost point
of Taiwan) --- Mao Au Fishing Village --- Fulong
Visitor's Center --- Fulong Beach
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