Several markets are also planned in Pingtung City. The “Ping Hua Yang” market will run from July 3 to 5 under the railway bridge corridor on Wancang Street (萬倉街), with flowers, food, and cultural-creative vendors. Shengli Star Village (勝利星村) will host markets built around beer and taro themes, a secondhand goods market on Aug. 15, and a NEKO MARKET event later in August featuring pet-friendly activities, crafts, and street performances.

There has also been growing cooperation between expat groups in northern and southern Taiwan. Te’Qin Windham, chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (CanCham), told KHT she was looking forward to this weekend’s event and was pleased to work with the American Chamber of Commerce in Kaohsiung to help bring Canada Day activities to southern Taiwan.

Music festival Waterbomb, first launched in 2015 in Seoul, South Korea, is scheduled to hold a Kaohsiung edition on Sept. 12-13 at the plaza opposite Dream Mall (夢時代).

Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), serving as flag bearer, said before the race that the team had to win after finishing third last year. He joked that if the city team failed to take first place, everyone would have to jump into the Love River.

As the city’s concert economy draws more political attention, claims have circulated that local borough offices received “community benefit” tickets from concert organizers. The implication was that neighborhood representatives were receiving ticket benefits while residents were still dealing with noise problems.

Ko’s proposal calls for venue fees to be used as an incentive to encourage real-name ticket purchasing, with the stated goal of reducing ticket scalping and protecting fans. Her campaign has also proposed linking concerts with certified “friendly lodging” programs and local travel packages.

The Transportation Bureau (高雄市交通局) said traffic controls would be introduced around major tourist sites during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday from June 19 to 21, with large crowds expected at Cijin, Sizihwan, Hamasen, Pier-2, Shoushan Zoo, Fo Guang Shan, Cishan, Meinong, and Dream Mall. During the holiday, tourists with gasoline-powered scooters will be barred from boarding the Gushan-Cijin ferry from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. Cijin residents, electric scooter riders, cyclists, and people on official business are exempt from the restriction.

A free exhibition featuring artist Chang Li-jen’s (張立人) highly detailed “Battle City” series is now open at Neiwei Arts Center (內惟藝術中心), giving visitors a chance to walk through a miniature urban world built over 14 years. The exhibition, titled “RE: Battle City” (RE：戰鬥之城), runs from June 6 to Oct. 26.

The day’s larger theme was Taiwan’s maritime future. Cho said Taiwan’s technology sector and position in the Indo-Pacific have made it central to regional stability, adding that the country now has the confidence to “look at the world from Taiwan.” Taiwan, he said, should face the Pacific and the wider world rather than remain locked in a China-centered view.

The group is scheduled to perform three shows in Kaohsiung on Nov. 19, 21, and 22, marking a major pop-culture event for southern Taiwan and one of the city’s highest-profile international music bookings of the year.