Formoz Festival organizers are putting the final touches to this year's three-day event which should be bigger and better than ever. The Taiwan Rock Alliance (TRA) has confirmed appearances by Grammy nominated producer DJ Moby and alt-rock songstress Lisa Loeb as the main highlights of the Formoz Festival.
Along with the two hugely popular US performances, four Japanese acts have also been confirmed, comedic pop and rock combo Kishidan, punk rockers The Vickers and Last Target plus downbeat indie act Rolly Polly Rag Bear.
The only local act to have been confirmed to date is the three-piece band, Tizzy Bac. The full roster of local bands is due to be confirmed next week, but organizers predict that there will be performances by at least 100 bands over the three-day festival period.
The Formoz Festival will take place at the Taipei Children's Recreation Center in Yuanshan Park from July 29 to July 31 from 5pm until 11:30pm. As in previous years Formoz will feature four stages -- Wood, Wind, Fire and Mountain -- an area for electronica music, an outdoor movie screen and a wrestling ring.
Last year's three-day event attracted about 50,000 people and although tickets are more expensive this year, organizers expect a bigger turnout because of the inclusion of Moby in the line-up.
Advance three-day passes cost NT$1,200 while those purchased at the door during the festival will cost NT$1,500. Daily passes will once again be available and cost NT$900.
This year TRA will be closely monitoring tickets sales as well as on-site entry and exit points due to problems from gatecrashers.
"We've had to go all-out to enforce the ticketing regulations this year simply because of the cost of bringing Moby to Taiwan," TRA's Anita Chia said. "In previous years large numbers of people have managed to get in for free because ticketing was a bit lax. We'll be trying to ensure that nobody gets in for free this year, as we'd like to be able to cover our costs."
IDs will for the first time be checked at the gates to ensure that names correspond to those on the tickets before wrist bands are allocated and some form of identification must be carried at all times for the duration of the three-day event. Festival-goers who lose their wrist bands will not be guaranteed re-entry unless they produce a ticket stub and ID with the corresponding personal information.
Festival Facts:
Formoz Festival 2005 ticketing agents: Advance three-day passes for the event cost NT$1,200 and are currently available at the following locations.
All branches of Eslite and Kingstone bookstores nationwide
White Wabbit Records 200, Roosevelt Rd, Sec 4, Taipei (02) 8935 1454
Wanna Play 200, Roosevelt Rd, Sec 4, Taipei (02) 2931 1031
IN-PO Records 3F, 16, Ln 316, Roosevelt Rd, Sec 3 (02) 2365-7287
Nine-Five Music Store 11, Ln 20, Hankou Rd, Sec 2, Taipei (02) 2312 2251
Tickets are also available online from the Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center's ticket office at www.artsticket.com.tw
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