TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taipei Arts Festival’s opening outdoor spectacle, “Three Elephants Pass...,” concluded its second and final procession in Shilin on Sunday (Sept. 6).
Guided by glowing red torches, three massive mechanical elephants paraded alongside mechanical phoenixes and a tin-soldier band through busy streets and night-market arcades.
Accompanied by bagpipes and double-reed instruments, performers representing five continents marched alongside tens of thousands of spectators, turning Shilin into an immersive outdoor theater.
According to the Taipei Performing Arts Center (TPAC), the two-day event drew more than 150,000 visitors, while official livestreams attracted over 220,000 views.
Produced by French street theater company Compagnie Oposito, the performance drew on Taipei’s local history.
The procession’s precise 7:14 p.m. start time honored 1914, the year Taipei’s first zoo was established. For longtime residents, the parade also evoked memories of 1986, when crowds lined the streets to watch animals being relocated from Yuanshan to Muzha.
Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tsai Shih-ping (蔡詩萍) said the record turnout resulted from long-term cultural cultivation rather than a short-term campaign.
Tsai said the effort began in 2025 after local borough chiefs proposed revitalizing the commercial district. The city subsequently collaborated with TPAC on a multiyear initiative to promote urban regeneration through the performing arts.
Tsai said sales for vendors at Shilin Night Market doubled over the weekend compared with typical days, demonstrating a successful connection between public cultural policy and the local economy.
Founded in 1982, Compagnie Oposito is a pioneer of European street theater.
Co-founder Jean-Raymond Jacob maintains that “the street is both a battlefield and a stage,” emphasizing that the urban environment is a living component of the work rather than merely a backdrop, according to TPAC.
Jacob likened adapting productions to “mixing anise liqueur with water,” noting that while cities, laws, and physical spaces vary, the core structure and rhythm remain intact.
TPAC said Jacob’s choreography relies on geometric concepts such as circles, straight lines, and M-shaped formations. The troupe adapts the performance to each city by recalculating travel times based on distance, road conditions, and slopes.
Technical director Veronique Charbit highlighted the logistical realities of outdoor productions, saying tools suited to indoor stages often fail on uneven street pavement. Charbit works closely with local authorities in each host city to review safety protocols and mitigate risks.
Jacob cited the troupe’s past work “Blue Skins,” which explored the Black experience in France by inviting actors to share their stories and control their choreography, attire, and music rather than reproduce societal stereotypes.
For the Taipei production, the troupe partnered with Taiwanese groups Sun Son Theatre and Hsuan Yu Music, along with dozens of local volunteers, to adapt the performance to its setting.
