2026 Taipei Children’s Arts Festival and Taipei Fringe Festival

Together to See a Wider World: Let curiosity become the key to open the city. 

With Open for All as its core spirit, the 2026 Taipei Children’s Arts Festival invites adults and children alike to switch on “kids’ mode” and step into a city full of imagination and adventure. From 30 Jun – 6 Aug, 31 groups from France, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, Indonesia, Thailand, and Taiwan will gather in Taipei to present more than one hundred performances and events across theatres, plazas, public spaces, and unexpected urban corners throughout the city. The festival returns the right to question back to its audiences, allowing each artistic encounter to spark new ideas, conversations, and unexpected inspirations.  

The Paper Escaper (Image courtesy of Peter Mathew)

Within the theatre, audiences will encounter works that expand the possibilities of stage language and visual imagination. Productions such as Glow! transform light, shadow, and objects into poetic stage language through surreal visual design and traverse staging, while Not Falling treats gravity as a playful partner, encouraging audiences to rediscover the possibilities and potential of the human body. In The Paper Escaper, exquisite paper art techniques transform simple sheets of paper into delicate stage landscapes filled with surprise.  

Returning in 2026 after its highly praised 2025 performances, On My Way to Buy Eggs transforms everyday urban scene into a living stage, inviting audiences to rediscover the city through a fresh and theatrical perspective. Meanwhile, One to One Hundred: A Brave Journey brings together internationally acclaimed choreographer Lin Hwai-min and FOCASA Circus to reinterpret the poetic imagination of Jimmy Liao, creating a visually rich and emotionally resonant circus experience.  

Tāu-hue Grandpa’s Great Success (Image courtesy of Yu-quan Lin)

Puppetry also continues to demonstrate its enduring magic. A Bucket of Beetles weaves together rainforest sounds, beetles, and shimmering light; The Waltz of Hommelettes reimagines Grimms’ Fairy Tales; How the Moon Found His Friends offers a heartwarming reflection on loneliness, empathy, and companionship; Tāu-hue Grandpa’s Great Success channels the vibrant energy created through the collision of Taiwanese dialect and rock music.  

El Gran Laberint (Photo credtit: Itinerània)

Participation and interaction also take center stage throughout the festival. El Gran Laberint, a maze set within the city, invites visitors to wander freely and embrace the joy of getting lost while encountering surprises at every turn; the Relaxed Concert, where audiences are free to move and respond naturally, transforms classical music into a fairy-tale celebration; Gamelan Is So Much Fun! – A Balinese Sound Adventure is both a sonic adventure exhibition and a world music lesson about listening to one another.  

Beyond the Taipei Children’s Arts Festival, audiences are also invited to experience the vibrant creative energy of the Taipei Fringe Festival this summer. As one of Taipei’s most creative arts festivals, it provides artists with a unique platform free from artistic restrictions, encouraging bold ideas and unconventional performances to emerge. This year’s festival will take place from 15 – 30 Aug, bringing together 171 performance groups, 179 programmes, 39 venues, and 762 performances across the city. By inviting artists to challenge boundaries and bringing performances into everyday spaces and daily life, the festival continues to cultivate new artistic voices and foster diverse performance spaces.  

Throughout these festivals, audiences are encouraged to become more than spectators—they become essential participants in completing each artistic experience. Art becomes the guide, while curiosity serves as the key to opening the city. This summer, Taipei welcomes everyone to create unforgettable encounters through art. 

The Relaxed Concert (Photo credit: Taipei Performing Arts Center)