Keelung 400th Summer Night Play Craziness: Mountain-Sea Arts Festival Sweeps Three Major Venues in August, Accompanying Parents and Children to Watch Circus, Gezaixi, Glove Puppet Theatre, and Have Fun Until Late

During the summer vacation, bring your children to Keelung to watch a grand show. Coinciding with the 400th anniversary of Keelung's establishment, the 2026 Keelung Mountain-Sea Arts Festival, organized by the Keelung City Cultural and Tourism Bureau, will be held from August 1st to 15th. This year, with the theme 'Children in Flight,' the festival will connect three major venues: Guomen Square, Fort Command Headquarters, and Cidu Railway Memorial Park. It will gather performances of circus, music, Gezaixi, Glove Puppet Theatre, dance, and indigenous cultural performances, transforming the entire city into a large outdoor theater.

City as Theater: Three Venues Open in Relay The 2026 Mountain-Sea Arts Festival continues the exhibition concept of 'City as Theater,' using 'Flight' to symbolize children's courage in pursuing their dreams and representing Keelung's continuous innovation and creativity. The activities transform mountains, seas, ports, and historical buildings into cultural stages, allowing citizens to enjoy professional performances up close in urban areas without entering a theater.

Jiang Tingmei, Director of the Keelung City Cultural and Tourism Bureau, stated that the 400th anniversary of Keelung is not only a time to review the city's history but also an important moment to look ahead to the next century. As Keelung's representative summer arts and culture brand, the Mountain-Sea Arts Festival will bring performances into communities and cultural venues this year, integrating art into daily life and leading citizens to rediscover Keelung's unique landscape where mountains and seas intertwine.

Figure 1: Top Teams Gather: Traditional Arts Clash with Contemporary Circus This year's performance lineup is quite spectacular, including Tang Mei-yun Gezaixi Troupe, Thunder Glove Puppet Theatre, Taiwan Special Techniques Team, Unik Contemporary Circus, Creative Focus, Circus Gate, Point Creation Workshop, and Shen Se Dance, and inviting local performers in Keelung to participate together.

The performance content spans Gezaixi, Glove Puppet Theatre, contemporary circus, drama, dance, puppet shows, and indigenous cultural performances, allowing traditional arts to directly collide with contemporary creations. From classic operas familiar to adults to special effects and puppet shows that children love, it satisfies the viewing needs of the whole family at once.

Indigenous Peoples Take the Lead: Badou Elementary School Original Dance Team Opens the Show The first event coincides with Indigenous Peoples' Day on August 1st, specially inviting the Badou Elementary School Original Dance Team to open the curtain, showcasing the cultural vitality of local students in Keelung. The Taiwan Special Techniques Team will also bring the indigenous-themed circus work 'Pulse of Formosa,' using body, music, and special effects to present the vitality of land and ethnic culture.

The activities will first appear at Guomen Square in Keelung City on August 1st and 2nd, move to the Keelung Fort Command Headquarters on August 8th, and conclude with a grand performance at the Cidu Railway Memorial Park on August 15th. The three venues each integrate harbor scenery, historical buildings, and railway culture, allowing citizens to enjoy performances while experiencing different aspects of Keelung.

The Cultural and Tourism Bureau stated that they hope to deepen Keelung's summer cultural brand through the Mountain-Sea Arts Festival, making 'Children in Flight' not just a theme of the event, but also a symbol of children courageously pursuing their dreams and the city's continuous progress. They invite parents and children from all over Taiwan to come to Keelung during the summer vacation and experience the charm of art between the mountains and the sea.