By MOOK Travel Life Network, Chen Guanxin, compiled and reported
Entering its 9th year, the Taipei Dadaocheng Fireworks Festival will take place on August 10th, the weekend before Qixi Festival, in Dadaocheng. This year, the event features “music” as a key element, incorporating the word “music” into its title and renaming it to the “2013 Taipei Dadaocheng Music Fireworks Festival,” aiming to deliver a double sensory impact of sight and sound. This year’s festival has especially set up a secondary stage at the venue and invited the Taipei Municipal Symphony Orchestra’s Wind Ensemble to perform live musical scores for the fireworks, elevating “music” from a supporting role to the main attraction. The melodies complementing the fireworks make the summer nights in Dadaocheng resonate with joyful symphonies.
The image shows a simulation of this year’s fireworks display, where the public can witness the “Lover’s Rain” fireworks, crowned as the favorite among lovers by the Japan Fireworks Association. (Image provided by Taipei City Government Tourism and Travel Bureau)
The grand finale fireworks show will be launched from 8:30 PM to 8:50 PM, featuring 20 minutes of dazzling displays accompanied by live music performed by the Taipei Municipal Symphony Orchestra’s Wind Ensemble. It kicks off with a 5-minute waterfall of fireworks over the Zhongxiao Bridge, with a soundtrack that blends electronic music and classical elements, co-performed by a DJ and the wind ensemble, aiming to let audiences “see” the exciting collision between EDM and classical music. Other pieces to be played in sequence with the fireworks include the light-hearted ballet tune “Bacchus’ Procession,” an adaptation of the famous Dadaocheng song “Longing for the Spring Breeze” by renowned composer Deng Yu-xian, the Irish dance tune “King of Dance,” the majestic “Carmina Burana,” and the climactic “Galliard,” which concludes the fireworks spectacle. A variety of musical styles accompany equally romantic fireworks, illuminating Taipei’s night sky and warming the hearts of couples.
The Tourism and Travel Bureau noted that the colors and patterns of the fireworks have been specially chosen to match this year’s theme, featuring special effects that create Z-shaped, C-shaped, W-shaped, and fan-shaped bursts in sync with the music’s rhythm. Additionally, the “Lover’s Rain” (also known as Golden Rain), crowned as the most romantic fireworks by the 2012 Japan Fireworks Association’s lover-voted champion, will light up Taipei’s night sky in a shower of golden sparks. Other highlights include underwater missiles, custom-made large 3T bouquet fireworks, and various rising-tail fireworks. The always-popular Zhongxiao Bridge fireworks will also feature multicolored elements this year and, in collaboration with New Taipei City, extend the display to the Sanchong end, presenting a colorful waterfall effect for all to enjoy.
A spectacular and dazzling fireworks extravaganza brings radiant brilliance to the midsummer night. (Image provided by Taipei City Government Tourism and Travel Bureau)
Starting at 4:30 PM on the day of the event, there will be booths and activities at the site near Gate 3. From 6:00 PM onward, different music performance groups will take turns performing on the main stage (near Gate 4). First up is the Latin band “Soy la ley,” one of the few in Taiwan that continues the tradition of Cuban music, bringing the charm of Cuba to the public with their rhythmic and varied Latin tunes. Next, DJ Bayer, winner of the Best Electronic Single at the 2nd Golden Indie Music Awards, will energize the crowd with a dynamic blend of EDM and hip-hop performances. Finally, the jazz band “Dorian” will reinterpret well-known classics such as “South of the Border” (theme song of the movie Cape No. 7), “Tuberose,” and other timeless romantic jazz standards, offering audiences a rich variety of musical styles in one night.
In addition, the Tourism and Travel Bureau has partnered with Taipei Xia Hai City God Temple to distribute giveaways at the event, including “Taipei Xia Hai City God Temple Bookmarks” and “Heart-Shaped Glow Necklaces.” Both types of gifts will be handed out starting at 6:00 PM at separate booths, while supplies last. The Tourism Bureau reminds those wishing to receive the “Taipei Xia Hai City God Temple Bookmark” that they must hold hands with another person and recite a secret phrase to qualify. For details, visit the event website: taipeitravel.net/2013fireworks.
● Extended Reading: The Most Beautiful Weekend Before Qixi Festival – Dadaocheng Fireworks Festival Lights Up the Sky on August 10th
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