TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The long Tomb Sweeping Holiday weekend has drawn a number of concerts to the Kaohsiung area beginning Friday (March 31).
Taiwanese rockers Mayday performed at the Kaohsiung National Stadium, while across town, the queen of Taiwanese pop music, A-mei (張惠妹), entertained fans at the Kaohsiung Arena. An influx of music fans led municipal officials to work overtime to transport large crowds to the venues, per UDN.
According to KaohsiungTransportation Bureau, 43,000 traveled to the Kaohsiung National Stadium while 12,000 traveled to Kaohsiung Arena. Officials said all concertgoers were able to leave the two venues within 70 minutes and 30 minutes, respectively.
On Friday, the Kaohsiung MRT ran on three-minute intervals, with the daily passenger volume reaching 226,000. Additionally, some 6,813 people were transported by shuttle bus to and from HSR Zuoying Station and Kaohsiung Station.
On the roads, traffic was equally bad as Friday, the start of the Tomb Sweeping Holiday, putting more cars on expressways and in downtown areas. Kaohsuing Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) visited MRT stations adjacent to the two music venues to monitor traffic conditions.
Only one incident was reported when a 29-year old Mayday fan surnamed Wu (吳) collapsed to the ground while leaving the venue at 11:05 p.m. Friday. An off duty nurse passing by used a public AED device to revive the individual before the patient was transported to the hospital. She is recovering while under medical supervision, per UDN.
Despite managing large crowds yesterday, municipal officials will face an even bigger test Saturday as both Mayday and A-mei continue their multi-day performances. Also, another 80,000 music lovers are expected to descend on Kaohsiung for the two-day Megaport Festival.
