Toronto 
The TAIWANFest Toronto will introduce you to the world of Taiwanese stories, culture, food and music this weekend.
TAIWANfest Toronto
The TAIWANfest has been an annual festival since 2005. This year, discover Stories of Independence told through music. The performance by Maestro Ken Hsieh, the founder of Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, will answer questions about peace, freedom and independence. It will also start a dialogue with Indonesia and Malaysia.
Follow the journey of Kanatal, a band, that continues to rediscover their indigenous heritage through their music. The band has 4 members who grew up in the city. “Kanatal” means Island in the Amis language and refers to their home island of Taiwan.
Blossoming Indonesia is a combination of traditional music, choreography and vocal performances. These performances include Legong, Tari Piring, and Topeng in which performers wear masks and dance to traditional Javanese music.
The Cowet Cowetan is a famous dance from Banyumas in Indonesia, which will surely have you dancing along with the dancers. The Orkes Garasi band from Toronto will play traditional music and The Voice from the East will display the beauty of Indonesia using the concept of togetherness.
The band Cutsleeve, a queer East Asian rock band, will perform songs from their debut EP, ‘The Parts We Could Not Abandon’.
In the Batik Library and Workshop, you can learn the art of making Batik Tulles or handwritten batik and beautiful patterns. Batik is a dying technique which is wax resistant. This is used to tell stories, events, legends and mark important events in the fabric. Each workshop will include only 10 people and will take around 30 minutes.
TAIWANfest Toronto
Taste Taiwanese cuisine with the bento which includes a variety of dishes from different cultures in Taiwan. The bento is described as the epitome of a family story.
Learn about Taiwanese social activism in Indonesia with Eden Liu. This project focuses on restoring historical sites, old spaces and so much more.
The Let Taiwan be Taiwan performance includes illustrations by Chin-Wen Cheng and music by the late Mr. Yung-neng Yen. This performance tells the story of Mr. Hideki Nagayama (an activist) and several others like him.
Attend Charlie Wu’s Making Taiwan Relevant in Canada and learn about his book on TAIWANfest and his life story.
TAIWANFest Toronto: Trip Planning
When: Immerse yourself in the sounds and sights of arts and culture from Taiwan, Indonesia, and Malaysia at TAIWANfest to hear, taste, and see the Stories of Independence.
When: Friday, Aug 26 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Saturday Aug 27 12:00pm – 10:00 pm
Sunday, Aug 28 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Where:
The Harbourfront Center, 235 Queens Quay West Toronto, ON
How Much: Free
