The 2026 Taichung International Dance Carnival will take place from September 12 to 13 across Tanzi, Houli, Beitun, and North Districts. The Taichung City Government Tourism and Travel Bureau has brought together outstanding dance and performing arts groups from Taiwan, presenting everything from traditional Malay dance, Indonesian dance, Indigenous music and dance, and Japanese dance to school dance performances, professional dance troupes, and honor guard shows. International teams from Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and other countries will also join the celebration, showcasing diverse cultures and dance styles.

Tourism and Travel Bureau Director Mei-Hsiu Chen said this year’s Dance Carnival features a strong lineup of dance groups. Malaysia’s Dazzle Dancers, founded in 2024, specializes in a variety of traditional Malay dances. The group competed in the 2025 Bandung International Dance Competition in Indonesia, winning gold, the overall championship, and several other top honors. It has also appeared in television programs, performed as backup dancers for artists, and taken part in international cultural exchange performances, showing solid dance skills. The Yinzheng Xingfu Cultural Exchange Dance Troupe is made up of Indonesian new residents and second generation new residents. Since its founding in 2016, the troupe has continued to promote traditional Indonesian dance and multicultural exchange, helping more people understand Indonesian culture through cultural events and public welfare performances. The Hwei-Lan Dancer Troupe was founded in 1998 and has long performed Indigenous music and dance in Taiwan and abroad, with appearances in Japan, the United States, Korea, Turkey, Singapore, and Australia. The troupe also continues to promote culture in schools and communities.

Sumin Nishikawa Dance House was founded in 2015 by Sumin Nishikawa, head of the Taiwan branch of the Nishikawa Ryu. It carries on the long history of the Nishikawa Ryu of Japanese dance while blending Taiwan’s diverse cultures with interdisciplinary creation to form a distinctive performance style. The Dynamic French Cancan Dance Troupe, made up of professional international performers, presents passionate French flair through powerful and graceful physical performance.

Local school teams are also bringing strong performances. The Department of Performing Arts at Shin Min High School once represented Taiwan at the Domatsuri festival in Nagoya, Japan, and was recently selected to represent Taiwan at the Anotsu YOSAKOI in Japan. The dance class at Wen-Hua Senior High School has been established for more than 30 years and won first place with top honors in classical dance, modern dance, and folk dance in the group finals of the 2025 National Student Dance Competition. The Department of Performing Arts at Youth Senior High School and Taiwan Youth Dance Company have taken part in international arts festivals in Europe, the United States, and New Zealand many times, showing the energy and strength of young performing artists in Taichung. The Mingdao High School Traffic Patrol & Honor Guard will showcase youthful energy and teamwork through crisp formations, difficult rifle drills, and stunt performances, having won strong results in national honor guard competitions. The four teams will enrich the event with different performance styles and show the diversity and vitality of Taiwan’s performing arts.

In addition, Miao-Hsuan Dance Troupe and Butterfly Dance Troupe will also deliver exciting performances. Miao-Hsuan Dance Troupe has long been devoted to dance creation and promotion, and has been recognized with honors including the Taichung City Performing Arts Golden Arts Award. Through diverse works, the troupe shows the rich possibilities of dance. Butterfly Dance Troupe is led by Li-Jung Lin, a world gold medal winner in belly dance. Blending Middle Eastern belly dance, Bollywood, and Chinese classical dance, the troupe presents stage charm that is both artistic and entertaining through rhythmic and captivating movement.

The Tourism and Travel Bureau said this year’s Taichung International Dance Carnival brings international dance groups and local teams together, allowing different cultures and dance forms to meet in Taichung. The Bureau also thanked its partners, including Tourism Authority of Thailand, Taipei Office, the Tourism Division of the Tourism Malaysia, Malaysian Friendship and Trade Centre, Taipei, EVA Air, and the Vitalon Foundation, for making the program even more colorful and exciting. Residents and visitors from Taiwan and abroad are invited to join the event from September 12 to 13 and experience the charm of a city festival and multicultural celebration. The Tourism and Travel Bureau also reminded the public that traffic controls will be implemented on some road sections during the event to accommodate street performances. Visitors are advised to check relevant traffic information. For more event details, please visit the “Travel Taichung - Taichung Tourism and Travel Bureau” Facebook page and the 2026 Taichung International Dance Carnival event page on the Taichung Tourism website (https://travel.taichung.gov.tw/zh-tw/event/activitydetail/10238), or download the Travel Taichung app to explore Taichung’s many attractions and special itineraries (iOS: https://shorturl.at/9axbD; Android: https://shorturl.at/0uKP2).