Three Giant Elephants Turn Taipei Streets Into Theatre
Friday, 2026/09/11176 words3 minutes341 reads
Three giant mechanical elephants became the center of a large outdoor parade in Taipei's Shilin District on September 5. The first night of Trois éléphants passent... drew about 100,000 Taiwanese and foreign spectators, according to the Taipei Performing Arts Center. The event opened the 2026 Taipei Arts Festival.
The three elephants were made for the show by the French troupe Compagnie Oposito. Each was about 4.5 meters tall and 8 meters long. They moved through the district with musicians and performers, changing an ordinary road into a temporary stage.
The production also included local groups Sun Son Theatre and Hsuan-yu Music. Their collaboration combined classical music, Breton folk tunes and street percussion. The troupe's artistic director said the groups learned to work together while keeping their own cultural identities.
A crowd that large needs careful planning. More than 400 police officers were stationed on Saturday, and organizers planned to add dozens more for Sunday. The Taipei Metro adjusted train schedules to accommodate large crowds. Officials encouraged visitors to use public transportation because nearby parking was limited.
