Summary of 2018 Major Events
February 1st The Taipei City Office of Commerce held the “Taipei Lunar New Year Festival.” The event attracted about 830,000 participants and saw a turnover of approximately NT$1.4 billion. The Festival concluded on February 14th. March 30th The Department of Economic Development organized the 2018 Zhuzihu Calla Lily Festival. The theme of this year’s event was When Happiness Blossoms, with a sea of white calla lilies creating what can only be described as a “vision of happiness”. The festival attracted around 500,000 people and saw a turnover of NT$105 million. The event concluded on April 29th. April 11th The Taipei City Market Administration Office held the 2018 Taipei Traditional Market Festival with the theme of New Market, New Transformation. A press conference was held on April 11th. A total of 77 famous vendors set up stalls at the Promenade Square of Taipei Expo Park on April 14th and 15th. More than 45,000 people attended the event on these two days, significantly increasing the overall turnover. The event concluded on October 31st. 30th The Department of Economic Affairs held a press conference for the signing of the “BOT Development Project of Biotech Industry Cluster in Nangang, Taipei (At the Original Site of the Zhongxiao Barracks and the City-Owned Lands to the West).” The plan is to establish a Medical Innovation Center covering over 16,500m2 in area, dedicating over 39,600m2 to the biotechnology industry. This plan is expected to create an annual biotechnological revenue exceeding NT$50 billion. July 19th The 2018 Taipei Night Market Festival event, held by the Taipei City Market Administration Office, saw the participation of 6 night markets and 12,000 consumers. The event concluded on August 10th. 26th The Department of Economic Development held the 2018 Taipei Vision: Developing towards a Circular City International Forum, inviting experts in the field from both Taiwan and abroad (including the Netherlands, Britain, and France) to hold discussions and explore topics regarding a circular economy. Nearly 450 people participated in the Forum, which presented Taiwan’s first “Action Plan for promoting Taipei as a Circular City – Draft White Paper.” This document presented 8 major policies regarding the implications of a circular economy, 17 strategic implications, and 35 development measures. These are expected to help solidify the concept of a circular economy within various fields’ policies and build a friendly environment in Taipei for sustainable development. August 16th The Taipei City Office of Commerce held the 2018 Fashion in Taipei event. A total of 12 fashion designers – who were also former finalists – voted on the product winning first place and combined past gold award designer brands in the demonstrative runway. The event provided an excellent stage for designers in Taiwan to present their products and connect with the global design industry. October 13th The Taipei City Animal Protection Office and the Guandu Nature Park Headquarters co-hosted the Guandu International Nature Art Festival beginning on October 13th at the Guandu Nature Park. Seven groups of artists from Australia, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, and Taiwan were invited to use natural materials found in Guandu Nature Park to create products that speak for nature. A total of 48,773 people participated in this event, which concluded on December 31st. 23th The Department of Economic Development held the award ceremony of the 2018 Taipei International Design Award at Clapper Studio on the 5th floor of Syntrend Creative Park. The event attracted a total of 4,896 entries from 71 countries: Over 70% of entries were from abroad and 57 finalist and winning entries were exhibited on-site. In addition, the Excellent Achievement Exhibition and business opportunity event of the 2018 Taipei International Design Award were held in the Central Display Area of the Ximen Red House from November 16th through 18th. Various renowned retail brands were invited to share start-up resources, arrange collaborations, and help Taipei establish a design communications platform. 27th The Taipei City Animal Protection Office and the Wild Bird Society of Taipei organized the 2018 20th Taipei International Birdwatching Fair. The scope of this event is only second to that of the British Birdwatching Fair, and is the largest birdwatching fair in Asia – acting as an important communications platform for the ecological protection of the East Asian region. The theme was A Bird’s-Eye View of Taipei and integrates VR video experience in hopes of inspiring people to see the city from the view of wild birds, and thus recognize the need for environmental change. A total of 10,542 people participated in this event, which concluded on October 28th. November 3rd The Taipei City Market Administration Office organized the Guanghua Market-Consumer Electronics 10th Anniversary with the theme of eSports, which attracted consumers from the domestic and foreign market. The event lasted from November 3rd through 25th; around 100,000 people partook in the Anniversary celebrations. 6th The Department of Economic Development and the Netherlands Trade and Investment Office co-organized the 2018 Taiwan-Holland Circular Economy Communications Forum. The theme of circular building, the circular economy of the financial industry, and the agricultural food industry attracted over 160 domestic enterprise representatives and international expert scholars to partake in the discussions. By learning from the Dutch circular economic policies, Taipei hopes to develop towards becoming environmentally friendly and sustainable city. 13th The Department of Economic Development of the Taipei City Government held the 2018 Taipei International Startup Week around the theme of Leap Up! The agenda included the StartUP@Taipei Global Linkage Forum and the StartUP@Taipei Demo Day on November 13th; the StartUP@Taipei XR Summit on November 14th; the StartUP@Taipei Pavilion from November 15th through 17th, and Pop Up Asia from November 15th through 18th. The series of events presented the diverse startup potential of the various industries in Taipei. December 8th The Taipei City Animal Protection Office and the Huajiang Community Development Association of Wanhua District co-organized the 2018 Taipei Waterfowl Festival to open this year’s migratory bird season. Around 2,000 people participated in the event, which concluded on December 9th.
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