Though it gave its name to the weekend, the Spring Scream arts-music festival is by now almost incidental to the events it has spawned in Kenting, where parties on the beach and other dance-music events draw tens of thousands of young people for three days of fun that scandalize the nation.
The rave parties began four years ago with the first Moonlight party on Dawan beach and grew exponentially in scale the next year, when local and national promoters tried to capitalize on a cash business in a good location. It was perfect weather, there were many good parties, arrests, a drowning and livid coverage in the media.
Last year came the backlash, as police raided five out of seven parties on the Saturday night. There were, in addition, other publicized busts on the town's main drag and beach, even on a hotel room, where a sex and drugs party was allegedly held.
Breathless reporting about drugs, women in skimpy bathing suits, foreigners, gangsters and raids guaranteed coverage on the news at six, in popular dailies and the weekly Next Magazine. Reporters were informed before the raids took place and TV cameras were ready with their arc lights when they happened.
Also the weather was unseasonably bad, wind tore at the marquees and blew down speaker stacks. Sound systems were flooded and it was cold. It was a financial slap in the face for many of the promoters.
The best party was "Love Mansion," held in a pleasant hotel with gardens. A lot of money had been put into the production and to bring over foreign DJs. But this did not deter the police, who stopped the music briefly, looked on the floors, searched people, but found nothing, said Alan Hsia of Loop production, who organized the event. He confirmed there was one arrest for fighting and an ongoing lawsuit alleging police harassment when a male officer "searched" a woman at the party.
Elsewhere, police reported the arrests of 10 suspected drug users and two suspected dealers. Drugs seized included 10 ecstacy pills and small amounts of cannabis, ketamine and heroin.
"I think this year there will be many free parties and special events on a smaller scale. The promoters are doing this so as to pick it up. Last year we paid out so much, like for the place and the permit and everything [to comply with the law]. And the promotion was fierce. But it was a kind of set up and they [the police] still raided us," Hsia said.
"Maybe there won't be so much going on this year. No one wants to take the financial risk, so there's not so much publicity this time round. I even heard from one of the local guys that police have been getting criticism from local traders about disrupting the event."
Hsia has put together the "The Love Shuttle" road show this year and got sponsorship from blue-chip companies like Sony, Coors and Pioneer to cover the bottom line. Maybe, the reasoning goes, the police will think twice about busting up a large corporation's party.
DJ Victor, one of Taiwan's most respected DJs, said there was a problem with the perception of the Spring Scream weekend's associated events, which he said had become an important festival for young Taiwanese.
"It's culture for Taiwanese youth. Until now, there haven't been any really major festivals, but for youngsters it is a big event. I've gone down to `Spring Scream' and don't really go to the [arts-] music festival, because it's not really my thing. But [Spring Scream] has got to be a good thing. I mean, it is a good thing for Kenting, for the economy, it does no harm," Victor said.
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