The opening performance of the 2026 Taipei Arts Festival "The Elephant is Coming" attracted more than 150,000 people to watch it in person and more than 220,000 people to watch it online in two days.

The opening show of the 2026 Taipei Arts Festival "The Elephant Is Coming" is limited to two performances. After an influx of 100,000 people on the 5th, the number of people dropped due to rain on the evening of the 6th. Tens of thousands of spectators spontaneously sang Happy Birthday to the 100th performance of its global tour, and the warm singing resounded in the night sky of Shilin.

The Taipei Performing Arts Center released the statistical results of the 2026 Taipei Arts Festival's opening outdoor show "The Elephant is Coming", which was limited to two performances. Over two nights, more than 150,000 people flocked to the venue. More than 220,000 people watched the online live broadcast, and more than 6,000 messages were interacted with and praised, driving the performance of the Shilin Night Market business district to more than triple.

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The three giant mechanical elephants that were the focus took to the streets, evoking memories of the relocation of the municipal zoo 40 years ago. Three elephants marched along Jihe Road, temporarily turning the city into a boundary-less field. Corners, arcades, windows, and overpasses all became part of the stage. They were combined with bagpipes, drums, and costumes depicting imagery from five continents to realize the concept of "street as theater."

Although the crowd was less than the previous night due to the drizzle, the audience size on the evening of the 6th was still large. The Beijing Art Center stated that the performance of "Here Comes the Elephant" on the evening of the 6th coincided with the 100th milestone of the show's global tour since its birth. When the giant elephant team arrived at the outdoor square of the Beijing Art Center, tens of thousands of spectators spontaneously sang Happy Birthday in unison, and the heartwarming singing resounded throughout the Shilin night sky. Some viewers said: "This is not an elephant, this is art!"

The French Oposito Theater Company also expressed its gratitude to the city government and the public for the smooth success of the event, saying, "In the past two days, residents from all over Shilin opened their streets and warmly welcomed the event. The profound resonance felt in the streets and squares has become an unforgettable chapter of this production's global tour."

The Beijing Art Center stated that the police deployed more than 800 police officers and volunteers during the two-day event, especially at Exit 2 of Shilin MRT Station, Jiantan Station and surrounding moving line nodes to increase the police presence and strengthen guidance.

The Beijing Arts Center pointed out that the public showed a sense of charity and cooperated with the "Full Front" hand-held sign to divert traffic to the playground of Bailing High School and the large-screen broadcast area in the Taipei Xintiandi parking lot. At the end of the performance, the "crossings and crossings" were added on both sides of Jihe Road, which also smoothly evacuated the crowds to main roads such as Chengde Road. Beijie has intensively opened additional trains for two days to divert more than 80,000 passengers.

According to statistics from the Bei City Fire Department, no cases were received from "The Elephant is Coming" until the end of the service on the evening of the 6th. However, 2 people were unwell, 1 person slipped while walking, and a total of 3 people went to the ambulance station to be bandaged, rested, and then left on their own. (Editor: He Hongru) 1150907