Taipei City Government

Now in its 29th year, the Taipei Hakka Yimin Festival is one of the most important events for Taipei’s Hakka population. This year’s festival will take place at the Taipei City Hakka Cultural Park between October 15 and 17.

Established upon the basis of Yimin belief, the ceremony this year invites representatives from Yimin temples across Taiwan to participate in the activities.

The organizers seek to explore Hakka culture from the perspective of a festival for immigrants and spotlight traditional Hakka customs through the staging of the rites. The shoulder pole meal-giving event taking the form of a parade expresses the Hakka people’s gratitude to Lord Yimin’s blessing and protection. Furthermore, the performance at the venue brings out the three core themes of this year’s activities, highlighting the content and characteristics of Hakka culture in Taipei City.

Hakka Yimin Carnival Events

This year’s Hakka Yimin Carnival will feature a series of exciting events throughout the 3-day period. The organizers invited top performers and performing groups in Taiwan to take part in the carnival, seeking to combine the latest trends with Hakka diversity and live performance to present the perfect merging of Hakka culture and performing arts.

The Featured Hakka Play section spotlights the “Real and Fake Monkey King” staged by Rom Shing Hakka Opera Troupe. The show will feature exciting martial arts combat displays combined with touching storyline. Other performances at the Hakka Yimin Carnival include concerts by 15 artists and groups, including the winner of Golden Melody Awards Hakka Music category Wing Lo; Hakka pop music singer Hsieh Yu-wei; Hakka jazz music band UrbanCat; Hakka A Cappella group VOX; cross-discipline music band Sizhukong; DaBangNi, a band merging the old and the new; jazz group Gina’s Can, and more.

There will be major concert events for two consecutive nights. In the evening of October 15, the Academy Orchestra of Taipei Chinese Orchestra will join hands with the Chamber Orchestra of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra to present the world’s first “Grandpa Yimin Visits Taipei” concert. On October 16, the organizers invited the members from Dark Eyes Performance Lab to stage the skit “I am North South East West Banana Man” at the venue. The show is an innovative work merging Hakka-flavored, rock-and-roll-style play, seeking to open up a new frontier for Hakka musicals.

2016 Hakka Yimin Carnival
Dates: October 15 – 17, 2016
Venue: Taipei City Hakka Cultural Park