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.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
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
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS