The Spring break weekend in Kenting got off to a smooth start, with thousands of young people flooding into the southern resort town Friday and yesterday under crystal blue skies for the annual weekend of music festivals and parties.
Kenting is host this weekend to the five-day rock music festival Spring Scream and a handful of late-night rave parties that every year draw revelers from every part of the country to the southern tip of the island.
Events in past years have been plagued by a heavy police presence and drug raids that have earned the weekend festivities a dubious reputation. And that was the case on the first few days of the weekend, as police authorities reported six women and five men were arrested, and controlled substances had been seized.
Even so, a spokesperson for the Kenting police precinct said yesterday, "It's been very quiet, this year, very smooth. The Kenting precinct has had its force boosted -- by up to 200 officers, according to reports yesterday -- from nearby Hengchun and other local precincts to handle the massive crowds that turn the normally sleepy town into a heaving street carnival during the day and a rowdy party by night.
Drunk-driving test points were set up Friday night outside the town to screen drivers arriving from the north and uniformed police were posted at the entrances of parties, while plain-clothes police mingled with partygoers, giving the town a surprisingly sober atmosphere Friday night.
The strengthened police force has come in response to the widespread use of drugs at the events which has been the focus of media coverage in years past and to the death three years ago of a South African resident who drowned at a beachside party.
Indications thus far were that crowd numbers will be slightly lower this year than last year, according to police.
Reports in local media said that upward of 30,000 people will pour into the town over the weekend, while police said they could not yet comment on the number of tourists in town.
But the festivities -- usually timed to coincide with Tomb-Sweeping Day which falls on Tuesday this year -- are not part of a national long-weekend holiday, which has long been cited as the main reason behind lower than anticipated crowd numbers at events.
Nevertheless, the throngs that had arrived by press time were already overwhelming the small town, with traffic backed up several kilometers on the only road from the north and traffic in the town at a virtual standstill.
Local businesses, however, were enjoying the windfall that comes with the inconvenience and bicycles, scooters, hotel rooms and even some menus have seen their prices raised for the weekend.
"This is our biggest weekend. Of course the prices are boosted," said one bicycle rental operator.
Last night was to feature the main events for all of the weekend's festivities, with major Taiwanese acts, such as Backquarter, Chairman and MC Hotdog and international bands like Dynamite Club set to perform at Spring Scream.
Marco V, a Dutch DJ frequently ranked near the top of best DJ lists in music publications such as DJ Mag (ranked 15), was set to play at the largest late-night event taking place in Kenting called Moonlight Gathering.
Tonight, the final night of the Spring break festival, will see Brian McGuire from the LA nightclub Red performing at Moonlight Gathering and Taiwanese acts such as Chicken Rice and Shino Lin serving as the highlights of the full day's worth of music taking place on five stages spread out over fields in Kenting National Park.
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