Kinmen Welcomes City God: Special Art Troupe Parade Debuts Early on May 2 to Boost Holiday Tourism

(Central News Agency reporter Wu Wen-rong, Kinmen, May 1st) The 2026 Kinmen Wudao City God Culture Festival officially opened today, launching nearly a month of activities. Jincheng Township Mayor Li Cheng-chih said that the special art troupe parade, which traditionally was the finale, will be moved up to tomorrow, May 2nd, hoping to attract tourists during the long holiday to experience different religious and cultural activities.

The opening ceremony for the 2026 Wudao City God Culture Festival was held this afternoon at the square in front of the Wudao City God Temple in Jincheng Township. Kinmen County Deputy Magistrate Li Wen-liang and Jincheng Township Mayor Li Cheng-chih jointly struck a gong, announcing the start of the nearly month-long series of events.

Li Cheng-chih stated in his speech that this year's culture festival was chosen to open on May 1st because it is a national holiday, and mainland China is also on a long holiday. He hopes that the series of activities will create greater economic benefits for Kinmen. For example, the special art troupe parade, which used to be the grand finale, has been specially moved up to tomorrow afternoon, hoping to attract tourists from Taiwan and mainland China to experience different religious and cultural activities.

Wudao City God Temple Chairman Yang Yao-yun said that this year's City God parade will also tour Jinhu Township on the 11th day of the fourth lunar month. In the future, various townships can discuss and plan with the Wudao City God Temple in advance, so that every township has the opportunity to host.

The Jincheng Township Office stated in a press release that this year marks the 346th anniversary of the Wudao City God's relocation. The Kinmen County Government and Jincheng Township Office continue to integrate tourism and cultural resources, planning art troupe street performances, special exhibitions, and immersive experience activities every week, allowing visitors to fully experience the lively atmosphere of Kinmen's traditional festivities.

The Jincheng Township Office pointed out that the series of activities includes local special art troupe street performances, centipede cart experience activities, theme painting competitions, blessing activities, and guided tours of Houpu Old Town; the main event, the "Welcoming the City God" procession on the 12th day of the fourth lunar month, will still be conducted by the Wudao City God Temple following ancient rites, fully presenting the traditional Minnan religious ceremonial style. (Editor: Li Shu-hua) 1150501

Stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.

Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to grasp the latest news instantly.

The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization. Keywords: