To celebrate International Museum Day on May 18, a wide range of exciting activities will take place at arts and cultural venues across Taichung. The "Museum Fun City" series organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government will run from May 16 to June 14, bringing together cultural venues across the city and featuring literary walks and an art map stamp collection activity. The public is invited to visit participating venues in person, collect limited edition stamps, and redeem special gifts. The new exhibition "Horizon Ablaze: The Culture of Heat and Contemporary Art", which opens at the Taichung Art Museum on May 15, will offer free admission for its first three days, from May 15 to May 17.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau stated that the opening event for "Museum Fun City" will be held at 1:00 p.m. on May 16 at the Literary Park of the Taichung Literature Museum. A limited time market will be featured that day, with 14 museums and local cultural halls from Taichung presenting a rich and diverse lineup of activities. The event will also include street performances, booth stamp collection for gifts, lacquer craft workshops, yarn chick crafts, rush weaving deer crafts, and many other DIY activities. It will be fun, engaging, and photo worthy, making it an event that art and culture lovers of all ages will not want to miss.
In addition to the limited time market on May 16, the event will also connect multiple museums and local cultural halls across Taichung to launch a month long literary walk and art map stamp collection activity. Citizens are invited to pick up a stamp collection map and follow it to explore cultural venues and artworks throughout Taichung. Those who collect five commemorative stamps may redeem limited edition gifts such as venue admission tickets, exhibition merchandise, and ice dessert vouchers.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau pointed out that this year’s activities respond to the 2026 International Council of Museums theme, "Museums Uniting a Divided World", which emphasizes the role of museums as important bridges connecting society and culture. Through dialogue, understanding, and inclusion, museums enable people from different communities to meet and resonate through culture.
The Taichung Art Museum will launch "Horizon Ablaze: The Culture of Heat and Contemporary Art" on May 15. The exhibition will tour Taiwan, the Philippines, and Panama, with Taichung as the first stop, inviting audiences to reconsider the layered meanings of heat from an artistic perspective.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau further explained that, for the first time this year, it is collaborating with the Taichung Association of Story Houses to launch "Taichung Story Mini Tours". Through themed guided tours and cultural experiences, the program will lead the public in exploring industrial culture and urban stories in greater depth. The Bureau hopes that these relaxed and engaging activities will attract more people to museums and help them create wonderful cultural memories through participation.
As summer approaches, Taichung’s museums and local cultural halls will launch a vibrant lineup of activities throughout May. For more information on "Museum Fun City" and "Horizon Ablaze", please visit the Taichung Museums and Local Cultural Halls website (https://community.culture.taichung.gov.tw/tclc/), the Yidian Tong Facebook fan page (https://www.facebook.com/tclc.office103/), and the official website of the Taichung Art Museum (https://www.tcam.museum/zh).