Shout to your heart's content on the beach—the Gongliao Ocean Music Festival celebrates its 17th anniversary on July 28!

▲ This year’s Gongliao Ocean Music Festival will take place on July 28 and 30. (Photo / Provided by New Taipei City Government; the same applies to the following images) (Image is for reference only)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The annual ocean music extravaganza is back again. The 2017 New Taipei City Gongliao International Ocean Music Festival will be held from July 28 to July 30 at Fulong Beach. In addition to the highly anticipated Ocean Indie Music Awards, the event has invited numerous outstanding indie bands from both home and abroad to join the celebration, offering music fans three days packed with exciting content. This year marks the 17th anniversary of the New Taipei City Gongliao International Ocean Music Festival. To commemorate this milestone, the organizers have specially invited 17 guitar masters to compete on stage, making it one of the highlights of the three-day festival.

▲ The Gongliao Ocean Music Festival attracts many music pilgrims every year.

A total of 141 bands have registered for this year’s Ocean Indie Music Awards competition. Professional musicians and critics in Taiwan served as preliminary judges to select 30 outstanding independent music bands to advance to the top 30 pre-competition rounds. These will be held on July 1 at The Wall in Gongguan, July 2 at Red House Riverside Memo, and July 9 at the San-Yi Art Village. From these, the final top 10 will be chosen to compete in the Ocean Indie Music Awards. All three pre-competition rounds are free to attend, and music fans are welcome to join in the fun!

▲ Music fans cheer excitedly on the beach.

The 2017 New Taipei City Gongliao International Ocean Music Festival is themed “Ocean 17, Together with You!” The three-day program is centered around musical exchange, competition, and sharing: On July 28, the theme “Spinning Around” kicks off with ten bands of different genres competing in pairs. The left and right stage setup allows for continuous performances, promising surprises for the audience. On July 29, the highlight of the event—the Ocean Indie Music Awards—takes center stage. In addition to the stellar performances by the top 10 bands, the day’s climax features a special performance by 17 guitar masters, creating iconic moments of the festival. On July 30, the international night “Shake It Up” invites international bands and classic Taiwanese rock bands to rock together and bring a fresh vibe to the festival!

Gongliao Ocean Music Festival
Dates: July 28, 29, and 30
Location: Fulong Beach