HUALIEN, Taiwan News — Ocean Home Wild Market’s (海或 瘋市集) wildly successful 11th anniversary crafts fair and festival concluded on Wednesday (Aug. 17) in Hualien’s Shoufeng Township, after being canceled for two years due to the pandemic.
More than 200 volunteers put up bamboo structures to make market booths and performance stages. There were also plentiful art installations, a cinema, shows, and eco-friendly toilets.
Over 300 vendors showed off hand-crafted goods, including woodwork and boutique collectibles. There were mind-body workshops every morning, along with three stages for bands, DJs, and performance artists from afternoon until late at night the whole week.
Record crowds turned up for the event, with more than 10,000 people estimated to have taken part on both Saturday and Sunday. Ocean Home, as is customary, offered free entry, drew in a wide variety of people — from hippies to nuclear families — and saw a lot of creative energy.
DJ Allen Blow. (Taiwan Beats photo)
The music on offer was also varied and lively, with a cool vibe and lots of jamming. Well-known indie musicians such as L8ching and Zun Long (the drummer from Sunset Rollercoaster) were booked under different names, dub rockers Penglai Xianshan (蓬萊仙山) wowed and the afro-jazz inspired big band Island Futurism inspired, among the many acts over seven days.
A 3CD compilation of the event’s diverse sounds, Jump Into the Sea or Dance (跳海或是跳舞), features 25 musicians or bands. It was produced by Chen How (Hang in the Air/Inhuman/Island Futurism), the veteran guitarist who has been on the scene for almost 20 years, mastered by Mong Tong and remixed by the future bass pioneer Qin Qin Qin.
For over a decade, Ocean Home has promoted alternative consumer choices, conservation-based lifestyles, and creative paths for artists. However, there have been unconfirmed reports the owner may sell up and so this year’s event may have been the last at the beautiful seaside spot on the 11K (Yen Liao section) of Provincial Highway 11.
Seashells on the seashore. (Taiwan Beats photo)
The beach with a view. (Taiwan Beats photo)
