An all-night arts celebration featuring films, light installations and live performances is set to be staged at venues in Nangang District Oct. 3 for the annual Nuit Blanche Taipei festival.
Organized by Taipei City Government in partnership with French Office in Taipei, the fifth edition of the event will feature 21 installations and 50 performances as well as a variety of programs ranging from artist discussions to singalongs. Taking part are around 100 local and overseas artists from countries and territories including France, Turkey and the U.K.
The 12-hour celebration will be staged at buildings and parks between Nangang and Kunyang stations on the Taipei Mass Rapid Transit system’s Bannan Line. Among the venues are Nangang Bottle Cap Factory, Nanxing Park, Taipei Extreme Sports Training Center, Taipei Music Center and Taiwan Power Co.’s Power Equipment Repair and Maintenance Department.
At a promotional press conference, Taipei City Deputy Mayor Tsai Ping-kun said Taipei’s charismatic spirit will be on full display at the festival. It is expected that this year’s edition will draw crowds as large as those at last year’s event, which attracted 400,000 art lovers per night, he added.
Echoing his remarks, David Kibler, head of the French Office in Taipei’s Culture, Education and Science Section, said he is excited to participate in the event for his third running. The fact that this year’s festival will be held as scheduled is a tribute to the effectiveness of Taiwan’s COVID-19 response, he said.
Originating in France in 2002, Nuit Blanche takes place annually on the first Saturday of October in cities around the world, with art galleries, museums and cultural organizations open throughout the night and free of charge. Taipei was the second city in Asia to stage the event in 2016 after Kyoto in Japan. (YCH-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw