No competition with Taoyuan County Government—Zhongli City cancels its New Year's Eve event this year and switches to a Christmas party

▲The Zhongli City Office decided to cancel this year’s New Year’s concert after last year’s event was accused of exceeding the scale of the Taoyuan County Government’s celebration. The photo shows a fireworks display from the 2012–2013 Zhongli New Year’s concert. (Photo/Youtube screenshot)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The Zhongli City New Year’s Eve celebration, held for over 10 years, has been canceled this year. Last year, residents criticized the Zhongli event for being more extravagant than the one hosted by the Taoyuan County Government, putting the Zhongli City Office in an awkward position. This year, they’ve decided not to “compete” with the county government and will instead hold a Christmas party.

The Zhongli City Office has hosted its New Year’s Eve celebration for many years, and when the Taoyuan County Government began holding its own, the two events coexisted peacefully—one in the north, one in the south—without clashing. However, last year, the city’s event was seen as having a larger scale and budget than the county’s, which some felt was like “competing directly” with the government. To avoid wasting resources, the Zhongli City Office has opted to cancel this year’s New Year’s celebration and hold a Christmas concert instead.

The Zhongli City Office explained that although the New Year’s Eve event has been canceled this year, the Christmas party lineup remains exciting. The planned Christmas bash on the evening of December 21st from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM will feature performances by popular artists such as JJ Lin and Jolin Tsai, though the exact venue has yet to be determined. The hope is that this arrangement will help concentrate the crowd and allow residents to enjoy both events.