New Taipei hosts annual Dream Parade

新北舉辦年度夢想嘉年華

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Scantily clad samba dancers and six-meter-tall floats were among the highlights of the annual Dream Parade held Saturday in New Taipei City’s Xizhi District.

New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) presided over the event, saying the parade aims to promote social harmony through “inclusiveness, respect, and mutual love.” This year’s theme, “Change,” featured design elements symbolizing gender equality and balance, along with rainbow motifs representing inclusion, per CNA.

Forty art groups from around the world participated. Members of the Xizhi District Office joined the procession dressed in women’s clothing to express support for gender equality and self-expression.

Xizhi District Chief Lin Ching-feng (林慶豐) said this year’s carnival coincided with the United Nations’ International Day of the Girl Child, encouraging people of all genders to pursue their dreams and freely express themselves. He added that the event serves as a reminder for society to prioritize gender and family equality, noting that “every gender should be treated equally.”

Now in its 22nd year, the Dream Parade was founded by Gordon Tsai (蔡聰明), who created the Dream Community, a residential art development built on his family’s farmland. Tsai envisioned a place where art and creativity would be part of everyday life.

Early parades met skepticism from residents. To strengthen participation, Tsai later required homeowners to take part in several community art projects each year as a condition of ownership.

Seeking to elevate the parade’s artistic quality, Tsai traveled to international festivals such as Burning Man, sponsoring large-scale art installations and “art cars,” one of which still appears in the Dream Parade. He also established artist residencies for international creators who help design the event’s floats.

Tsai further boosted the parade’s energy by inviting Brazilian drummers to teach samba percussion to schools across Taiwan, creating local drum teams that now perform annually. The expanded scope of art and music has helped the Dream Parade grow into a major cultural event featuring hundreds of performers and drawing crowds of about 30,000.

The parade’s success even caught the attention of Taipei City, which once invited Tsai to move the event to Ketagalan Boulevard and align it with National Day celebrations in mid-October. Recently, however, the Dream Parade has returned to its original home in New Taipei’s Xizhi District.