Chiayi City GovernmentChiayi City Government

Chiayi – A City of Wind Bands 2024 marks the 32th Chiayi City International Band Festival (CCIBF). Throughout the years, Chiayi has been speaking to the outside world via wind bands. It is wind bands that set the city’s tone and image, both in the minds of locals and tourists. By inviting people to listen to wind music, the city government has successfully aroused their curiosity about Chiayi and wind music. Little by little, the city’s unique image has been built. History of the CCIBF The first student wind band in Chiayi was established in the sixth year of the Showa Period (that is, the 20th year of the Republic of China in 1931) during the Japanese Rule. Zealously embraced by the locals, wind music became popular in the region, and many more schools founded their student wind bands. In 1993, the first wind band festival was held, setting a milestone for wind music in Chiayi. In 1997, the city government invited overseas wind bands to take part for the first time, and this brought the festival to an international level. In 2000, the Asia and Pacific Band Directors’ Association Festival was held, making Chiayi known to the global wind-music community. In 2011 the city hosted the famous conference of the year of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, which drew 14 outstanding bands to take part. For this event, more than 3,000 performers and 300 musicians gathered in Chiayi, bringing the city’s musical heat and global presence to a new height. In its 30th year now, the conference has become Taiwan’s most renowned music occasion. Chiayi, once a small southern town, has transformed into a globally famous city of wind music today. Description of CCIBF The Chiayi City International Band Festival hosts a range of wonderful events. It not only assists wind bands home and abroad in fully expressing their culture and spirit as a major performing channel, but also presents to people memorable experiences. Other than exquisite indoor and outdoor concerts, a lively Marching Parade, and a much anticipated Evening Event, this year, there will be workshops for local bands to exchange ideas with their global counterparts, as well as wind-band campus talks for future talents. The super bands on invitation from overseas shall ring a different tone with outstanding bands from all corners of Taiwan, demonstrating a pompous, impressive musical chapter. The beautiful melody they create together shall resonate on and on at the Chiayi City International Band Festival.    

The Chiayi City Shopping Festival has been held for five consecutive years. The event period is from July 1 to October 10. By connecting various consumer industries in the city, a fair and impartial consumer lottery mechanism is designed. Through the arrangement of prizes, the festival aims to attract people to shop in Chiayi City and boost the overall consumption momentum of the city through the event.

To support the development of youth entrepreneurship, the Chiayi City Government assists entrepreneurs in establishing their market positioning. By organizing market events, the government attracts target demographics, providing youth entrepreneurial teams with opportunities for hands-on practice and real-world experience. This allows them to interact directly with potential customers, refine their products and services, establish successful business models, and ultimately increase the success rate of youth entrepreneurship. 2025 Chiayi City Open Possible Market Events Overview: 04.19 —— 04.20 → Vegetarian & Herb Market(Chiayi Park) This is a market themed around vegetarian food and herbs, offering related delicacies and products. 10.18 —— 10.19 → Chiayi Chicken & Beer Festival( Chiayi Cultural and Creative Industries Park): This is a market event combining Chiayi's signature chicken dishes and beer, suitable for those who enjoy food and drinks. Chiayi's chicken rice is very famous, so this event truly represents Chiayi's local flavor. 11.15 —— 11.16 → We Opened Chiayi Zoo(Chiayi Park): This is a market with the theme of pets. 12.20 —— 12.21 → Pink Christmas(Chiayi Park): This is a pink-themed Christmas market, featuring related decorations, products, and activities, creating a romantic and warm atmosphere.

In 2020, the Chiayi City Government for the first time hosted the " Dancing of Light and Shadows-Light Festival " at Beishianhu Park. The 32-day event attracted over 800,000 visitors, making Beishianhu Park a top-trending keyword on Yahoo Taiwan. The festival successfully established itself as Taiwan’s one-of-a-kind Mid-Autumn Festival tourism brand, contributing to the growth of the night economy.   The festival has introduced unique and creative artworks each year. In 2020, it featured "Taiwan's Largest Moon." In 2022, it showcased the "World’s Largest Egg Yolk Pastry" alongside a floating walkway just 2 meters below ground level, inviting visitors to experience the dreamlike romance of "Moon Fishing in the Lake." In 2023, the event kept up with trends by placing Taiwan's most romantic "Barbie Pink Moon" on the lake, reimagining Chiayi’s nighttime landscape.   For 2024, the event drew inspiration from Tao Yuanming’s "Peach Blossom Spring", featuring the theme "Chasing Light and Moon Shadows." It incorporated performances by Coming True Fire Dance Troupe, U-Theatre, and renowned vocalist Chou Hui, setting a new record with over 882,000 visitors.   Beyond light and shadow art installations, the festical continually evolves by introducing new elements each year. It collaborates with renowned performance groups to create event highlights. Cultural and creative markets feature gourmet food, strengthening ties with local industries. It caters to dining, accommodation, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment needs.   The "Dancing of Light and Shadows-Light Festival" has garnered prestigious international awards, including Silver Award in Pops-Ups, Display, Exhibit & Set Design at the 2020 New York Design Awards, Platinum Award (Highest Honor) at the 2021 MUSE Design Awards, Gold Award in Lighting Design at the 2023 MUSE Design Awards, and Silver Award in Lighting Design at the 2024 MUSE Design Awards.   These honors highlight Chiayi City's innovation in design and the mesmerizing beauty of light and shadow, further showcasing its creative energy on a global stage.   Venues: Chiayi Beishianhu Park, etc. Telephone: (05) 229-4593 Time: Every Mid-Autumn Festival

◆      Laying the Foundation for Science Education (1) Chiayi City has long been committed to science education and is dedicated to cultivating scientific talent. In 2024, the Science 168 Expo celebrated its 20th anniversary. Every summer vacation, it hosts a variety of exciting interactive science experiences and challenge-based courses to inspire children's creativity and imagination, encouraging them to actively explore, express their creativity, and develop transferable skills. (2) The city government's education team embraces the idea that life is science, allowing children to break free from traditional learning frameworks and discover the joy of learning in the realm of science. This fosters autonomous learning and builds students’ capacity to face future challenges ◆      A Rich and Diverse Scientific Feast (1) The expo brings together scientific resources from major universities, high schools, vocational schools, science education centers, and private organizations across the country to create an inspiring and extraordinary scientific feast. (2) The activities include: themed exhibitions, science challenges, science classrooms, science competitions, technology education achievement displays, orienteering, scout tree climbing, and science education mobile units. CCS-168 Education Expo - Facebook Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/sci.innovation.cy

Introduction Chiayi Youth Festival is Taiwan's first festival centered on youth  creativity. It encourages young people to address contemporary issues with creativity, emphasizing their role in these matters.By breaking through age boundaries and fostering innovative thinking to change the world, the festival features diverse activities that connect the city's creativity and energy with its youth. This positions Chiayi City as a progressive, inclusive, and representative hub for innovation. About Chiayi Youth Festival To encourage youth to return to, move to, stay in, and settle in Chiayi, the Chiayi City Government launched the "Chiayi Youth" brand in 2020. This initiative aims to empower young people to make a positive impact and drive societal progress. By actively connecting diverse resources, the city has established a platform for intergenerational knowledge sharing and networking while promoting local youth creativity. These efforts culminate in the Chiayi Youth Festival, which invites young individuals to take center stage, showcase independent thinking, and embrace a spirit of diverse creativity, enabling dreams to flourish everywhere. The Chiayi Youth Festival was first launched during the pandemic in 2020, highlighting the city's commitment to youth creativity and action. As Taiwan's first festival centered on youth innovation, the first year was featured music performances, bazaars, and outdoor talks. In its second and third years, the festival expanded to include inspirational talks and interdisciplinary collaborations, enriching the program to help young people explore contemporary issues more deeply and unlock their creative potential. The fourth year, it introduced a new visual identity inspired by "bubbles," symbolizing the vibrancy of youth and infinite possibilities. The minimalist double-circle design represents Chiayi as the larger circle and youth as the smaller one, with their interaction sparking dynamic and creative energy. This design embodies the core values of mutual support, inclusivity, and diversity. With unwavering passion for addressing contemporary issues and fostering cultural innovation, the Chiayi Youth Festival continues to channel this vibrant energy, providing a platform for creativity and self-realization.   Link https://youthsoullab.chiayi.gov.tw/

Chiayi - The Hometown of Baseball In 1931, the baseball team of THE KAGI AGRICULTURAL AND DENDROLOGICAL SCHOOL(KANO) represented Taiwan and made a historic run at the Koshien tournament in Japan, ultimately finishing as the runner-up. This remarkable achievement shocked the Japanese baseball community and earned Chiayi the honor of being called the "Heroic Battlefield, the Home of KANO." Since then, Chiayi City has been known as the Hometown of Baseball.   History of The Jhu-Luo Shan International Junior Baseball Tournament In 1998, the Chiayi City Baseball Committee began organizing The Jhu-Luo Shan International Junior Baseball Tournament. By 2005, the number of participating teams surpassed 100, setting a record for the largest number of teams in this event. In 2014, community baseball teams were first invited to compete. As of 2024, the 27th edition has been held, with 258 teams participating. The tournament has become highly popular, with 344 exciting matches held across 12 fields. The players, inspired by the perseverance and never-give-up spirit of KANO, engage in skill exchanges and competitions.   Legacy and Impact of The Jhu-Luo Shan International Junior Baseball Tournament The Jhu-Luo Shan International Junior Baseball Tournament has stood out among hundreds of international tournaments, earning recognition from the Ministry of Education′s Sports Administration as one of the “12 Featured Sports Event in Taiwan” in 2020 and 2024. It was also featured in the 2021 Sports Administration calendar, showcasing the pride of Chiayi City as the Hometown of baseball. Furthermore, more than 60% of the players on the Chinese Taipei team that won the 2024 WBSC Premier 12 World Cup had participated in the The Jhu-Luo Shan International Junior Baseball Tournament during their youth, highlighting the tournament's role in nurturing top-notch national baseball players.  

Introduction to Rhinoceros Beetle  Rhinoceros beetles belong to the scarab beetle family and are also known as "kabuto beetles." They typically live in low to mid-altitude mountainous areas. The life cycle of a rhinoceros beetle includes egg, larva, pupa, eclose, and adult stages. Male adults have horns, while females do not. Adult rhinoceros beetles primarily feed on tree sap, especially from the wax tree, or fruit juices.   Dingzhuang Community - Rhinoceros Beetle Conservation The Dingzhuang Community in Dingzhuang Village, Chiayi City, transformed an old Taiwan Sugar Corporation railway into a bicycle path over ten years ago, led by the village chief and community team. Community volunteers have conserved water sources and the environment, planted wax trees, and successfully conserved rhinoceros beetles. Eleven years ago, their conservation efforts bore fruit, and now there are about 1,000 rhinoceros beetles inhabiting the area.   The observation period for rhinoceros beetles is from May to July, with early June being the best time. Rhinoceros beetles can be seen everywhere on wax trees, attracting many visitors. The Chiayi City Government also holds the "Explore Rhinoceros Beetle Season" event, inviting local shops and specialty stores to participate. There are also DIY environmental protection activities for both children and adults. Through participating in the "Explore Rhinoceros Beetle Season" event, people can learn about the importance of ecological conservation and observe the successfully conserved rhinoceros beetle ecology. In daily life, people can choose products with carbon footprint labels to select products with lower environmental impact and join energy-saving and carbon-reduction actions. Let's respond to environmental protection in our daily lives and make Chiayi's environment better together!

As a livable city for people of all ages, Chiayi City celebrates New Year's Eve with a spectacular annual event featuring a diverse lineup of performers, including renowned pop singers, rock bands, and idol groups. This celebration brings together local businesses and market vendors, making it one of the most anticipated events of the year. The city transforms into a vibrant playground for families, where people of all generations come together to enjoy the festivities. More than just a celebration, the event showcases Chiayi’s passion, youthful energy, and vitality—placing the city on the world map.

The City God’s Night Patrol is a captivating religious and folk festival in Chiayi, rich with tradition and symbolism. Once lost to time for nearly half a century, it was revived in 2013 with support from the local government. Since then, it has been celebrated annually on the first day of the eighth lunar month, right after the gates of the underworld close. The event features a grand ancient-style parade led by the City God, along with the Cangue Blessing Ritual, a practice believed to drive away misfortune. The procession is a striking spectacle, with performers dressed as ancient officials, executioners, captors, and prisoners, vividly reenacting historical scenes with a prison cart in tow. Adding to the mystique, artifacts used in the City God's trial of souls—such as the Karmic Mirror, the Oil Cauldron of Hell, and the Book of Life and Death—are displayed, symbolizing divine justice and the consequences of one’s actions. Through these visually compelling experiences, the festival serves as a powerful reminder to cultivate virtue, do good deeds, and reflect on moral responsibility. During this solemn procession, participants wear a symbolic cangue—a traditional wooden restraint—as a sign of repentance and self-reflection, seeking to dispel misfortune. As the City God’s parade makes its way through the city and past significant landmarks during the Night Patrol, the Road-Cleansing Ritual is performed, sweeping away bad luck and inviting prosperity, ensuring blessings reach every corner of the city. Each year, the Night Patrol parade captivates audiences with different themes and creative innovations. The entire city comes alive in a dazzling carnival of lights and an electrifying atmosphere, creating an immersive and unforgettable experience. for both locals and visitors to appreciate Chiayi’s religious traditions and artistic heritage.

Chiayi’s unique folk event, High Swing, takes place at Wudangshan Xuantian Shangdi Temple in the Xialutou neighborhood. With more than 200 years of history, this tradition originated in Zhangzhou, Fujian, during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty. When settlers migrated to Chiayi, they brought with them the revered deity Wudangshan Xuantian Shangdi and this awe-inspiring swinging ritual. Every year, during Xuantian Shangdi’s birthday celebrations, offerings are prepared as expressions of gratitude for protection over the past year and for peace and prosperity in the coming one. With divine approval, the tradition of high swing has become an annual event and was officially inscribed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008. In 2013, the city launched a Swing Festival, granting it status as a landmark local cultural event. The 12-meter-high (nearly five stories tall) swings, featuring traditional craftsmanship, are the heart of this festival. During the Lunar New Year, skilled artisans go into the mountains to gather thorn bamboo and other natural materials used to build the swings. Additionally, the structure’s bindings are made of hemp rope and vine—completely free of nails or screws. This long-standing technique demonstrates ancient wisdom that has withstood the test of time, reflecting the ingenuity of traditional craftsmanship. More than just a cultural tradition, the high swing serves as a test of courage and physical strength. Contestants must launch themselves into the air, swinging at breathtaking heights as they compete to reach their limit. It’s often a thrilling spectacle that keeps onlookers on the edge of their seats. It has joined the ranks of Pingxi’s Sky Lantern Festival and Tainan’s Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival as one of Taiwan’s most popular tourist attractions. This high-flying experience is a must-see for visitors, offering a glimpse into Chiayi’s rich folk heritage and serving as a living testament to Taiwan’s vibrant traditions.

Chiayi City holds an annual Christmas Eve Street Caroling event, a tradition that started in 2003 and is organized by the City Government. On Christmas Eve, Mayor Huang Min-hui, along with the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Chiayi, the Chairman of the Chiayi Presbytery, and other religious leaders, lead churches, schools, civic groups, and nearly 2,000 participants in gathering in front of City Hall to sing carols and share the holiday spirit. The event features performances by local kindergartens, churches, social welfare organizations, and schools, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Led by a choir, the crowd sings familiar, heartwarming Christmas songs like Silent Night. A lighting ceremony follows the countdown, illuminating City Hall, the Police Department, and the Finance and Tax Bureau with enchanting Christmas lights, adding a festive energy to the city. Afterward, participants—including children and adults dressed as angels, Santa Claus, and cartoon characters—parade around the Zhongshan Road shopping district toward the Central Fountain Roundabout. Along the way, they share candies and holiday greetings with passersby. The event also extends into the Wenhua Road Night Market, where locals and visitors alike take part in the celebration. This event provides an opportunity for people to come together, enjoy the season, and appreciate the city's cultural diversity and religious harmony. Over the years, it has become a simple yet meaningful tradition that many look forward to.

Every year, Chiayi City comes alive with its vibrant indigenous harvest ceremony, where the rich and diverse traditions of different indigenous groups are brought to life through their unique rituals. This event not only strengthens the connection between urban indigenous communities and their cultural heritage, but also invites non-indigenous residents to appreciate the depth of indigenous traditions and values. With growing participation, the festival plays a crucial role in ensuring that these cultural treasures are preserved for future generations. The festival is a colorful showcase of indigenous culture, featuring everything from traditional ceremonies and attire to dance, crafts, and local industries. By weaving together the distinct customs of multiple tribes, it creates a one-of-a-kind experience that is uniquely Chiayi. This celebration offers indigenous communities a stage to express their cultural identity and traditions, while inspiring a deeper appreciation for the richness of Taiwan's indigenous heritage.

Every April marks the peak of the Tung flower season. The Yuanlinzi neighborhood in Houzhuang, Chiayi, is famous for its "April Snow," referring to treetops covered in snow-white Tung flower petals. This enchanting scenery has become a favorite among photography enthusiasts who flock to the area during this time to capture the perfect shot, making Chiayi one of the first cities in Taiwan to host the festival. As one of the first communities in central and southern Taiwan to successfully cultivate Tung flowers, Yuanlinzi has long been committed to ecological preservation. At the same time, it has incorporated Hakka cultural elements into the Hakka Tung Blossom Festival. With the festival’s growing popularity, more visitors come to Chiayi to admire the beauty of the flowers, especially at "Happiness Hill," which in recent years has become a popular Instagram hotspot. The city government blends the Tung flowers, Hakka culture, arts, and local ecology into the festival, inviting everyone to experience the natural beauty and peaceful atmosphere of the Yuanlinzi Community.

Centered on the theme of "Shared by All Ages, Livable for Generations," the festival showcases a magnificent flower sea, cultural arts, and sustainability concepts, making it a highlight of the year. With cosmos, zinnias, and sunflowers forming a dreamy landscape, the event combines music performances, themed markets, natural beauty, and sustainability advocacy. It encourages the use of eco-friendly containers and bringing your own utensils to reduce plastic waste, promoting a sustainable lifestyle. Whether gathering with friends and family or exploring alone, everyone can find joy amidst the flower sea, create cherished memories, and experience the unique charm of happy Chiayi.