There will not be a 12th Megaport Festival next year, event organizers said on Wednesday, while sources said that the popular music festival was canceled after facing pressure from the administration of Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜).
Organizers said in a statement that it had been feeling growing pressure since the start of this year and they had been asked to submit information on past events.
The festival has become a source of criticism at the Kaohsiung City Council and it is obvious that Han is not interested in supporting it, they said.
This has consistently stalled progress on organizing next year’s event, which has met with many unexpected obstacles and must be canceled, they said.
The festival, cofounded by metal band Chthonic frontman Freddy Lim (林昶佐), now an independent legislator, is frequently headlined by rock band Fire EX, which promotes Taiwanese independence.
Sources said that Han’s administration has launched a sweeping investigation into alleged illegalities by his predecessor, Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chu (陳菊), while financing for the past 11 Megaport festivals is among the items being scrutinized by Kaohsiung ethics officials.
The independent and free spirit that Megaport embodies will continue to live on in the hearts of everyone, organizers said.
Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) yesterday said that Tainan would welcome the festival, but organizers declined, saying that they had no plans to hold the festival next year.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that she hoped that the Kaohsiung City Government would cherish and continue to hold the festival.
Additional reporting by Yang Hsin-han and Chiu Shu-yu
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