The 7th Taipei Fringe Festival kicked off this past weekend, marking the beginning of more than 500 different performances taking place around the city through mid-September.

The Taipei Culture Foundation, which organized the event, says a total of 130 groups from Taiwan and abroad will stage 543 performances including theater, dance, music, comedy and acrobatics.

The venues across the capital range from theaters, dance halls and galleries to coffee shops, hotels and even a yacht at Dadaocheng Wharf.

The organization says the festival aims to send the message that art is everywhere.

The concept of a fringe festival originated in 1947, when eight theater groups showed up uninvited to perform at the Edinburgh International Festival.

The Festival Fringe Society was created in 1958, and the Fringe Festival is now the world’s largest arts festival.

 

Image via Taipei Fringe Festival Facebook