Department of Land Administration,Taipei City Gov

The annual Tianmu Halloween Festival is here again! Now in its 14th edition, the galore of ghosts and goblins attracted numerous visitors every year. Mayor Ko Wen-je, who arrived at the venue on October 29, described the scene using the popular internet expression “People Mountain People Sea.”

The mayor pointed out that in addition to the Halloween festivity, Tianmu also hosts popular events like the Tianmu Beer Festival. Noting that crowd flow is equivalent to cash flow, successful events often attract large numbers of visitors. The important thing about annual event is the accumulation of reputation and experience over the years. Furthermore, the festivities benefit neighborhood stores as well as the department stores in the vicinity. According to the statistics from the Tianmu Beer Festival, the department stores attracted roughly 134,000 visitors, compared to the 120,000 revelers who showed up at the event itself.

Ko remarked that Tianmu is a neighborhood that boasts a unique atmosphere shaped by many foreign cultures. This could be seen from the exotic cuisine and clothing at local shops. He hopes to take advantage of this element and create a more authentic Halloween experience for visitors. He also expressed his gratitude to the longtime event co-organizers Tianmu Marketplace Development Association and Taipei Business District and Industrial Confederation for their continued support.  

During his interview with ICRT, the mayor suggested that every district should highlight their local characteristics during development of the community Citing Tianmu as an example, the fact that it is the home to many expats allows the neighborhood to work on developing Halloween-related activities. It even helped in bringing unique characteristics to the Tianmu Beer Festival. He attributed this success to the Chairperson Tang of the Tianmu Marketplace Development Association, who works hard to integrate these exotic and local elements of Tianmu into related events.