#11 Taiwan's Nightlife & Music Scene

On my third night in Taiwan we went to XCUBE, a former favorite club.

#11 Music Scene & the Nightlife; inexpensive, safe and absolutely wild

In my first couple of years in Taiwan, this could have been a top three addiction of mine. Easily. Due to the tropical weather, the season is seemingly always ON for a beach event, BBQ, food festival, park activities, and more. Not only are there continuous year round outdoor options, the clubs in Taiwan resemble the types of clubs you would find in Las Vegas, or in large cities in the USA. Smoke, lasers, dancing girls, incredible DJs, accessible VIP lounges, bottle service, etc. 

First night at a Taiwan club, the theme happened to be Playboy. 

The photo quality from the professional photographers hired for the club is exceptionally better. 

The best part, for young 20-some things that aren’t making much money yet, nearly every weekend you could find a club with a low cover fee and unlimited drinks. Yeah, you read that right, unlimited alcoholic drinks. And yes, you can already assume it is often the foreigners who use and abuse this iconic privilege. Not only are they allowing us to get absolutely plastered and dance our hearts out to a set list that could often be charged top dollar for, there is basically no crime, no robbery, no theft, while you’re out on the town. (However, no place is perfect.) You can check your coat and your bag (for free) if you’d like, but often you can just leave it at a table or booth and don’t need to worry about anyone snagging it. 

A picture is worth a thousand words. ^^

Met two of the greatest Taiwanese friends while dancing at the club! 

10/10/13 Taiwan's birthday.
Another great shot captured and edited by the club. 

Rock Star Themed Party as the S P I C E  G I R L S  6/15/14

Captivating lights and music videos play throughout the DJ's set lists.

Another fun tradition in Taiwan, (and many other places in SE Asia) is KTV or Karaoke Television. You can pre-book a room for X amount of hours, BYOB, and if you've got a big enough group you can get a VIP room with your own restroom, singing booth, and projector screens. KTV guarantees for one of the best times to be had. We usually did this 1-2 times per year with as many teachers who could make it. Other times, one might be asked by a random friendly family to join in their KTV room, or one could even go on a whim with a group a friends and strangers at 5 in the morning when they just don't want to say goodbye to a good night. 

N O C H E     L A T I N OMy favorite city in Taiwan is Kaohsiung. I like that it is noticeable that the ocean is nearby due to the harbors. I also like that the roads are much wider.  In my favorite city, sits my favorite club, Brickyard, (at least during the time I was regular clubber ^^). I liked that it was underground. I also really enjoyed the closeness of the stage / performers to the dance floor, and that they regularly played sets of Latin music. ^^ 

Halloween and making girl friends in the bathroom.
Two more late night favorites of mine. ^^

Quite a few big headliners have come to Taiwan as well, although sad to say, many have canceled at the last minute. Some with no reason (T.Pain, then Pitbull) and others due to unfortunate events (Ed Sheeran). We’ve also had Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande and Coldplay (the Taiwanese went NUTS).

The summer before I arrived, Lady Gaga had performed in Wenxin Park, this outdoor public amphitheater. 

C O L O R       P L A Y  

Sept. 2013 -  The best last minute decision I was forced into making. 

C O L O R     P L A Y 

The music festivals seem to grow in abundance and attendance every year. Yet the biggest event to happen as far as music and night life would be in the first week of April every year over the double holiday of Children’s Day and Tomb Sweeping Day. Always a four day weekend, sometimes five, Taiwanese and foreigners of (literally) all ages flee to the beaches of Kenting for three days of DJs, pool parties, beaches, volleyball, football (soccer), food, and more foreigners! It’s the only yearly event where I’ve met people who actually come to Taiwan for the event.

Free the Beach April 2014

DJ FAMOUS     / /      KENTING

Beach Parties

Pool Parties

After Parties 

Overall, the Taiwanese are night owls. It’s pretty regular to have a late dinner, a midnight movie, and a three am night. Mornings aren’t so rushed either. Our school day begins at 9 am, many shops aren’t even open until 10. I partially wonder if it’s the fact we are a half day ahead of the Western world, as far as time zone, that leads to the lenient times, or the more likely reason, they've just kept a good tradition (like taking short naps mid-day). Nonetheless, in a city of nearly 3 million, if you’re up at 7 am the streets are quiet. Waking up 5 or 6 am it looks like a ghost town, and you’ll be making your own breakfast. It’s a great time to snag a bus out of town and get a head start on traveling with significantly less people.

- K

"No one looks back on their life and remembers the nights they got plenty of sleep."