The opening program of the 2026 Taipei Arts Festival "The Elephant is Coming..." lively parade attracted more than 150,000 people in two days

Taipei Arts Festival's "The Elephant is Coming..." lively parade and stage performance attracted more than 150,000 people for two consecutive days.

The French Oposito Theater Company has been touring the world with large-scale street productions for many years. A single performance in Santiago, Chile, attracted about 50,000 to 60,000 people. Now back in Taipei, more than 150,000 people poured into the streets of Shilin in two nights. Director Jean-Raymond Jacob reviewed "The Elephant Is Coming..." before leaving the stage and said bluntly, "Taipei's experience is very unique." Even with extensive international touring experience, he was still impressed by the scale and the city's response.

"The Elephant Is Coming..." was performed in Taipei, attracting a large number of people to enjoy the parade performance.

The Beijing Art Center stated in a press release that director Jacob mentioned that the Oposito Theater Company has performed in cities such as Santiago, Chile, and large-scale outdoor productions can attract about 50,000 to 60,000 people per performance. However, this Taipei performance still left a deep impression on him, describing the results as "very unique and admirable."

"The Elephants Are Coming..." is the opening program of the 2026 Taipei Arts Festival. Three metal mechanical elephants 4.5 meters high and 8 meters long, accompanied by phoenixes, bands and Taiwanese and French performers, marched all the way from Shilin Jihe Road to the Taipei Performing Arts Center. The crowd exceeded 100,000 people on the first night. After the second night, the city government announced that the two-day total exceeded 150,000 people, and the online live broadcast also attracted more than 220,000 viewers.

"The Elephant is Coming..." paraded in the rainy night, adding a touch of fantasy to the streets of Taipei.

Jacob mentioned that news of the performance even spread back to France, letting the team feel that this event had gone beyond a single performance and entered the daily lives of Taipei citizens. He also mentioned that while the team was working in Taiwan, they felt the high attention and enthusiasm from the people, so they "fell in love with the city of Taipei."

For Jacob, what is truly special about this production is that the city itself becomes part of the performance. There is no fixed stage or auditorium. The three elephants pass directly through the roads, crowds and daily traffic. The audience also moves with the team. The huge crowd formed during the two-day performance also became an unexpected sight for this street theater.