South Korean pop band Blackpink’s concerts over the weekend in Kaohsiung helped draw large crowds to local night markets, the Kaohsiung City Government said yesterday.
The two concerts on Saturday and Sunday at Kaohsiung National Stadium drew more than 90,000 people.
The city government offered NT$50 vouchers to spend locally to concertgoers who showed their ticket stubs.
Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung Economic Development Bureau via CNA
Liouhe Night Market (六合夜市) management committee head Chuang Chi-chang (莊其章) said that crowds over the weekend surged at about 10pm and the market remained packed until 1:30am.
“Almost all the seats were filled,” Chuang said.
Night market stall owners had stocked up in expectation of an increased number of customers, he said.
“We saw sales double,” he said.
Night market vendors are also looking forward to upcoming performances by Taiwanese rock band Mayday (五月天); Taiwanese pop diva A-mei (阿妹), also known as Chang Hui-mei (張惠妹); and the Megaport Festival, he added.
Mayday is to play four days of concerts in Kaohsiung from Wednesday next week to April 2, while A-mei is to play events on Friday and Saturday next week, April 3 to 5, April 8 to 9 and April 14 to 16. This year’s Megaport Festival is on April 1 and 2.
Rueifong Night Market (瑞豐夜市) official Ho Jung-pin (何榮彬) said the market experienced a 20 to 30 percent increase in sales over the weekend.
Shinkuchan Shopping District (新崛江商圈) manager Yang Hsiang-ming (楊翔茗) said that stores had received many of the city vouchers over the two days, giving them a boost in sales.
Store owners are also looking forward to holidays next month and crowds from upcoming concerts and events, he said.
Kaohsiung Economic Development Bureau Director-General Liao Tai-hsiang (廖泰翔) said the city government expects the series of concerts this month and next month to draw at least 400,000 visitors, which would benefit the 45 businesses partnering with a government program and more than 100 stall owners in night markets.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Sunday thanked Blackpink and their fans in a post on Facebook.
He also thanked the personnel who helped direct crowds at public transportation facilities after the concerts, helping to clear out the areas in less than 90 minutes.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
RSS