2026 Chiayi City International Band Festival: Dates, Tickets & Venue (Chiayi)

Two weeks of brass in Taiwan’s band city

Chiayi has called itself a city of wind music for decades. The International Band Festival has been held here since the 1990s, and it brings school, community, military and overseas ensembles to one mid-sized southern Taiwan city each December.

The 2026 edition runs from December 18, 2026 to January 1, 2027. That puts the final days over the New Year holiday, when domestic visitors fill the city. Expect drumlines and full brass sections in matching uniforms, playing in formation rather than standing on a stage.

Dates, venues and tickets

The programme lives with the organiser. Chiayi City Government runs the festival, and its official festival channels carry the schedule, performance locations and any ticket information for this edition.

What you can rely on:

• Dates: December 18, 2026 to January 1, 2027.
• Format: marching band performances spread through the city, not one fenced site.
• Lineup and times: these come from the organiser’s own schedule. This guide does not list them.

In past editions, outdoor marching performances on city streets drew the biggest crowds. Indoor concerts were run as separate events from the street programme.

Getting to Chiayi in December

Most visitors come by rail. You have two choices:

• TRA Chiayi Station is on the western main line, right in the city centre and within walking distance of downtown streets.
• HSR Chiayi Station is in Taibao, Chiayi County, outside the city. Shuttle buses and the BRT link it to downtown, and the ride adds a fair chunk of time to the trip.

Fast HSR trains reach Chiayi from Taipei in roughly an hour and a half. Kaohsiung is closer still. December evenings in southern Taiwan are cool and usually dry, so people at outdoor shows tend to bring a light jacket.

The Central Fountain roundabout, where Zhongshan Road meets Zhongzheng Road, is the city’s main landmark. Most downtown walks start from there.

Watching the parades the Chiayi way

Street performances work like a parade, not a gig. Locals usually claim a stretch of pavement well before the bands appear and bring folding stools. Families with children often take the kerb, so the view is better a few steps back where the ground rises.

Some habits worth knowing:

• Pay with an EasyCard or cash. City buses take the card, and most food stalls only take cash.
• Clap between pieces, not during formations. Bands often move into a new shape mid-song, and the crowd watches it play out.
• Keep walkways clear. Marshals hold routes open for the moving bands.

Between sets, people eat. Chiayi’s signature dish is turkey rice (huoji roufan): shredded turkey over rice, dressed with fat and shallot oil and served in a small bowl. Wenhua Road Night Market, a short walk from the Central Fountain, is where most visitors go after evening performances.

If you stay an extra day, Chiayi is the usual base for the Alishan Forest Railway and the mountain tea country above it. Hinoki Village, a group of Japanese-era wooden houses near Chiayi Park, is an easy stop in the city itself.