The Cultural and Creative Night Market Isn’t So “Creative” – New Taipei: No Current Regulations to Restrict It

▲ New Taipei Cultural and Creative Night Market. (Photo / Taken from the New Taipei City website)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The New Taipei Cultural and Creative Night Market officially opened on the 11th to a lively crowd, attracting large numbers of visitors on its first day while also causing traffic disruptions in the surrounding area. The New Taipei City Government has asked the operators to make improvements, and conditions improved on the 12th and 13th. Regarding public feedback that the so-called “cultural and creative night market” isn’t very “creative,” there are currently no laws or regulations in New Taipei City that govern or restrict this, and the city government has also clarified that it has never subsidized this night market or collected any rent.

In response to the new traffic issues caused by the New Taipei Cultural and Creative Night Market, the Taipei City Government’s Market Administration Office has required the operators to add free parking spaces and adjust pedestrian and vehicle routes to achieve separation of people and vehicles. These measures have yielded preliminary results. The Market Administration Office emphasized that over the next two weeks, staff will be present throughout the night market’s operating hours to conduct on-site inspections. Relevant departments will also conduct unscheduled and random visits to measure and observe whether the operators are fulfilling their commitments. If the operators fail to follow through on these commitments and continue to cause traffic problems in the surrounding area, the Market Administration Office will work with the police to require the operators to suspend business immediately until improvements are made.


▲ Following a request from the New Taipei City Government, the operators urgently set up a temporary parking lot. (Photo / Taken from the New Taipei City website)

As for public feedback that the “Cultural and Creative Night Market” is not “creative” at all, the New Taipei Market Administration Office clarified that the night market was set up by private operators on privately owned land, and is not initiated or operated by the New Taipei City Government. The city government has neither subsidized the night market nor collected any rent. The addition of the word “creative” in the name is not currently subject to any legal regulation or restriction.