Avignon: Six Taiwanese performing groups are vying for the attention of tens of thousands of visitors in Avignon, France, where the Festival Off Avignon is being held through July 26.

According to Focus Taiwan, this year marks Taiwan's 19th official appearance at the Festival Off Avignon, as confirmed by Hu Ching-Fang, director of the Taiwan Cultural Center in Paris. In 2024, Taiwan was honored as the festival's first-ever guest of honor, with 350 portraits of Taiwanese people displayed on historic walls throughout the city.

The highlights of this year's lineup from Taiwan include the award-winning duet "Push and Pull" by Hung Dance, "Mutual" by Mailantia Dance Theater, and the drama "Palingenesis" by D_Antidote Production. Additionally, Focasa Circus returns with "Amour Utopique," the Ping Shadow Dance Theatre presents "Indigo," and the Lee-Ming Institute of Technology's Department of Drama and Theatre is back with "Love oh Love!"

The festival opened with a parade that saw thousands of spectators braving 35-degree Celsius heat as artists filled the streets with music, dance, and theatrical flair. This event offered a preview of the more than 1,700 performances scheduled over the next three weeks. The Taiwan contingent, led by the cultural center in Paris, marched with a banner reading "Tawan in Avignon," featuring blue lettering against a bright yellow background symbolizing Taiwan's identity as an island nation and the vibrant summer in Avignon.

As performers entertained the crowd with snippets of their craft, other group members handed out flyers to encourage attendance at their upcoming shows at one of the 139 participating local theaters. According to the festival's organizers, more than 40,000 admission tickets were sold the day before the festival officially opened.