"Spring Wave Music Festival" was founded by "Friendly Dog" and has been held at Nanwan, Kenting since 2006, inviting renowned pop artists from Taiwan and abroad to perform on stage. Since 2013, it has expanded to places like Singapore and Hong Kong, bringing Taiwanese local music to the world.
Starting in 2021, the "Spring Wave Music Festival" transformed its brand through the themes of "Mountain Line" and "Sea Line," pioneering the integration of camping activities into music festivals in Taiwan, upgrading to an outdoor leisure music festival experience.
This year, the "Spring Wave Music Festival" returns to Taichung's Senmian Garden, inviting popular performers like Mika Nakashima, Creepy Nuts, and Accusefive.
This article will take you back to review the background story of the "Spring Wave Music Festival." How has this well-known music event achieved the remarkable feat of creating over a million attendees in the past 19 years?
Settling at the southernmost tip of Taiwan, inviting online singers while discovering local talents
The "Spring Wave Music Festival" originated in Kenting in 2006 and was established by the "Friendly Dog Culture and Events Co., Ltd." In fact, "Friendly Dog" was originally a record company initiated in 1986 by two excellent music producers, Shen Guangyuan and Luo Hongwu.
Shen Guangyuan came from a medical background and once formed the "Red Ant Chorus." The classic song "Wine Brewed from Love," which is widely sung, originated from this group. He served as the music director at Rolling Stone Records and later founded Friendly Dog Records, becoming its general manager. In the 1990s, when the Taiwanese music scene thrived, the Friendly Dog team produced many popular albums and assisted famous musicians like Jacky Cheung, Stephin Chen, and Huang Yungling in releasing records.
From 1991 to 2000, Friendly Dog released 70 albums, making it one of the most creative and experimental independent brands among Taiwan's record companies, and arguably the first systematically organized independent music record company.
During the period of producing records, the Friendly Dog team also promoted live music and other activities at schools and cities, becoming a pioneer in Taiwan's concert production teams. In 2005, "Friendly Dog Culture and Events Co., Ltd." was officially established, and in the spring of 2006, it organized the "Spring Wave Music Festival," taking root in Kenting to open a new route for live performances.
The "Spring Wave Music Festival" is often confused with another music event in Kenting, the "Spring Shout." In reality, the "Spring Wave Music Festival" focused on online pop artists at that time; while "Spring Shout" centered around independent musicians, and the music festival currently held in Kenting is primarily organized by the Pingtung County Government as "Taiwan Festival."
"Spring Wave Music Festival" primarily targets young adults aged 19 to 35. It has invited artists such as Mayday, Eason Chan, Wu Bai, and Sodagreen to perform on stage. The unique "Earth Spring Wave Award" has discovered many future musicians.
Moreover, the "Spring Wave Music Festival" considers not only the mainstream music audience market; its "Earth Spring Wave Award" also provides independent bands a chance to perform on the grand stage. Musicians who win the final selection can perform on the main stage of the "Spring Wave Music Festival," attracting many music creators who are eager to participate. Each session sees more than a thousand groups applying.
At the same time, the Earth Spring Wave Award also attracts many overseas talents to participate. Shen Guangyuan has previously stated in interviews that as a musician, he deeply understands the importance of independent music to the overall development of pop music. While the "Spring Wave Music Festival" gradually expands to various parts of the globe, he hopes that a music exchange platform like the Spring Wave Award can bring together musicians from all around the world to participate.
Therefore, the Earth Spring Wave Award does not restrict age or occupation. Even those who have recording contracts can apply. So far, more than ten performing groups have secured management contracts through the Earth Spring Wave Award, and talented musicians are gradually being recognized by the market.
Love the Earth, Love Music, Love Yourself – Experiencing the wonders of nature on the front line
The core spirit of the "Spring Wave Music Festival" is "Super Love for the Earth, Super Love for Music, Super Love for Oneself." After its transformation, the "Spring Wave Music Festival" started from nature, choosing the most nature-friendly outdoor venues, integrating camping elements, encouraging attendees not just to enjoy performances but also to get close to nature, appreciate it, and give back to the environment.
For instance, the "Spring Wave Mountain Line" was once held in Taichung's Senmian Garden, a mountain secret spot and an excellent camping place. The "Spring Wave Sea Line" team chose Tainan's Fishing Light Island, feeling the sea breeze and the salty air. Through the fusion of nature and music, therapeutic sparks were ignited.
Furthermore, since the founding of the "Spring Wave Music Festival" in 2006, it has long promoted environmental protection at the festival site. From the beach clean-ups held in Dawan and Nanwan during the Kenting period to inviting artists to donate second-hand clothes for charity sales to support local children who lack nutritious lunches, the festival hopes to leverage the power of music and artists to create a more friendly environment. It practices the environmental concept of not letting garbage fall to the ground, inviting audiences and artists to maintain the cleanliness of the environment together.
Starting in 2022, the "Spring Wave Music Festival" began to promote the reduction of carbon footprints, implementing the use of eco-friendly utensils, providing rental services for utensils, setting up free water stations, and converting publicity into electronic formats to advocate for the audiences to reduce carbon footprints together.
Combining pop, folk, rap, and rock music elements has led the "Spring Wave Music Festival" to achieve enormous success in Taiwan and has prompted Friendly Dog to set its sights on Asia as a whole. Since 2013, it has held 16 overseas performances in locations such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Chengdu.
Over the years, many famous artists have dedicated their first music festival journeys to the "Spring Wave Music Festival," including S.H.E, Wu Ching-feng, Sammi Cheng, and Tzuyu Dou. In 19 years, more than 800 musicians have stepped onto the stage of the "Spring Wave Music Festival."
In order to help attendees feel the core spirit of "Super Love for Oneself," the "Spring Wave Music Festival" has curated a variety of delicious food at the venue while also promoting local Taiwanese cuisine. In 2024, the "Spring Wave Music Festival" will introduce more unique dining options, allowing attendees to experience the remarkable sensation of dopamine spreading through beverages, coffee, and ice cream along with music.
Not only that, the "Spring Wave Music Festival" is more than just a music festival; it is a grand market. Since 2022, it has partnered with the "Little Snail Market" brand, gathering diverse food and handmade stalls, allowing the audience to not only enjoy the deafening music but also to return home laden with treasures.
The "Spring Wave Music Festival" has journeyed from Kenting to discover local good music and, after seven years, expanded abroad to promote Taiwanese music works to the world. Following restructuring and transformation, the "Spring Wave Music Festival" embraces the landscapes of Taiwan even more, traversing nature from the mountains to the sea, leaving traces of the "Spring Wave Music Festival" in New Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, and Penghu.
In 2024, the "Spring Wave Music Festival" will return to Taichung's Senmian Garden, with numerous talented musicians and multiple exciting stages at the vast camping ground, inviting audiences to join together for "Autumn Mountain Surfing, Go Together into the Mountain Autumn!"
Author: Yang Jiazhen
Date: October 9, 2024
Article Link
2024 Spring Wave Mountain Line, Taichung
Date: November 2, 2024 – November 3, 2024
Time: 13:00 – 21:30 (Actual performance times are subject to on-site announcements)
Location: Taichung Senmian Garden (No. 700, Erkan Road, Waipu District, Taichung City)
Ticket link: 2024 Spring Wave Mountain Line, Taichung
