This year's event will kick-off Taipei's tenure as World Design Capital® 2016 with a bang
TAIPEI, Taiwan, Dec. 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Rated one of CNN's top cities in which to spend New Year's Eve, Taipei is annually flooded with foreign visitors who come to view the spectacular fireworks show at the Taipei 101 skyscraper. This year's event will coincide with the launch of Taipei's tenure as World Design Capital® (WDC) 2016, which is primed to charge the festivities with new design thinking. Here are some ways visitors can get the most out of a trip and make their New Year's visit to "the Adaptive City," Taipei truly "new":
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151224/318091-INFO
Make new friends at "New Year's Eve of Design"
Held in unison with the launch of WDC Taipei 2016, this year's fireworks show will explode with an even more artistically thrilling display along with an international stage show featuring lighting and audiovisual effects injected with design. Also, a special ceremony will welcome international and local officials to the stage ahead of the countdown to usher in the new year of WDC Taipei 2016. Just make sure to secure a good seat in advance.
Location: No. 7, Section 5, Xinyi Rd, Xinyi District, Taipei City (map)
How to get there: Taipei MRT Red Line to Taipei World Trade Center station
Visit Songshan Cultural & Creative Park
An abandoned cigarette factory dating to the Japanese occupation of Taiwan now renovated and repurposed into an art park, Songshan Cultural & Creative Park houses ongoing exhibitions, the Taiwan Design Museum, and much more. The park is just another stunning example of Taipei's dynamic urban regeneration, one of the key missions of WDC Taipei 2016.
Location: No. 133, Guangfu S Rd Xinyi District, Taipei City (map)
How to get there: Taipei MRT Blue Line to Taipei City Hall or Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall stations
Explore Taipei's creative cuisine
In terms of Taipei's world-renown cuisine, "local" does not in any way equal lacking in creativity. A stroll through the Raohe Street Tourist Night Market will expose visitors to the full gamut of Taiwanese culinary ingenuity. The idea of food design was taken to the extreme at the recent WDC Taipei 2016-organized EATAIPEI show at Tent London 2016, during which Taipei designers narrated the story of their city to visitors through a series of thematically crafted dishes.
Location: Raohe Street Tourist Night Market, Section 4, Bade Rd, Songshan District (map)
How to get there: Taipei MRT Green Line to Songshan Station
Take a riverside tour via YouBike
Taipei's YouBike public bicycle sharing system is one of the best ways to see this exceedingly cycle-friendly city. Take a ride along Taipei's Dajia Riverside Park or GuTing Riverside Park and stop to browse scenic design spots in the neighborhood, such as the secluded Treasure Hill Artist Village, a former housing community reconfigured into a winding artists' retreat. The hi-tech YouBike system is just one example of how Taipei is adapting to challenges such as ecological sustainability and smart living, two areas that will be actively addressed during WDC Taipei 2016.
Location: Treasure Hill Artist Village, No. 2, Alley 14, Ln. 230 Dingzhou Rd. Sec. 3, Taipei (map)
How to get there: Taipei MRT Red Line to Gongguan Station
Visit a museum, in a new way
Taipei remains a premier destination for art lovers ranging from the classical to the contemporary. In cooperation with WDC Taipei 2016, some of Taipei's leading museums (such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei) will host a series of activities including pop-up galleries at Dajia Riverside Park, all night art film marathons, and 24 hour opening times. One of the most unique events will be the 2016 Taipei Break-Of-Dawn Concert held on January 1st - 3rd of 2016 to welcome the New Year with citizens from all over Taipei.
Location: Dajia Riverside Park (map)
How to get there: Taipei MRT Red Line to Yuanshan Station, bus transfer 102, 103 to No.9 water gate Dajia Elementary School stop
About World Design Capital®
With more than half the world's population now living in cities, design has become an increasingly fundamental tool for making cities more competitive, attractive, livable and efficient. The World Design Capital® (WDC) is designated by Icsid every two years to recognize a city's innovative use of design for economic, social and cultural development and to showcase effective design-led revitalization strategies and projects that other cities can benefit from. Past cities to hold the WDC title include Torino (Italy) in 2008, Seoul (South Korea) in 2010, Helsinki (Finland) in 2012, and Cape Town (South Africa) 2014. Mexico City has just been named WDC 2018. For more information please visit http://www.worlddesigncapital.com
