Department of Cultural Affairs

Street art has been a part of the scene in the Chinese world and elsewhere since ancient times. Artistic activities were not limited to certain places in a city. In promoting the legalization of street performances, the Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government is in fact only lifting restrictions imposed on public space by the government and returning it to the public. The department is working to re-create cultural life and free the artistic environment, in the hope that art will come down from its ivory tower and reawaken the public's natural desire for art.

The regulation regarding street entertainers officially took effect on April 27, 2005. The regulation stipulates that any street performance groups and individual entertainers who are granted a license can perform their art in the capital city, including areas inside the mass rapid transit system and in public parks.

Each year the Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government will hold one license test for street entertainers in May, and the application will be accepted in April. According to the department, so far a total of nearly 1500 street performance groups and individual entertainers have been granted the qualification certificates. These talented street entertainers include artists who do portraits for people, musicians who sing and/or play instruments, acrobats, jugglers and living statues, magicians and street dancers, candy boilers, rice dough figure makers, balloon artists and others.

Currently, Taipei has 75 open venues: underground Beitou Park (Beitou District), Guandu Riverside Park, Beitou Metro Station, Xinbeitou Metro Station, Beitou Qixing Park, Shilin Resident Park (during large-scale floral exhibition, only open during exhibition period), Tianmu Sports Park bandstand, Taipei Children’s Amusement Park (not including Tree Frog Arena), Taipei Children’s Amusement Park—Tree Frog Arena, Taipei Astronomical Museum main plaza, Taipei Astronomical Museum back entrance plaza, Shilin Market Art Space, Shilin Metro Station, Jiantan Metro Station, Taipei Performing Arts Center, Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei, Shuanglian Metro Station, Yuanshan Metro Station, Dajia Riverside Park, Meiti Riverside Park, Taipei Expo Park public plaza, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Miranew Square, Miramar Entertainment Park, Jiannan Road Metro Station, Zhongshan Metro Station, ATT e Life, Breeze Center, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Metro Station, National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute Taipei Branch, Daan Forest Park, Xinyi Walking Trail, street dance areas around Taipei Civic Plaza and Taipei City Hall, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Taipei 101, Taipei Zoo (during specific event periods, suspended during pandemic), and Maokong Station outdoor plaza.