KAOHSIUNG’S CULTURAL GEM
The Pier 2 Art Center is an eclectic collection of shops, performances spaces, and exhibition halls that forms the largest arts hub in Kaohsiung and Southern Taiwan.
Easily accessed by Kaohsiung Light Rail, the arts hub is home to a plethora of trendy cafes, bars, shops, performance spaces, artist workshops, exhibition halls and music venues, all housed within a total of 25 warehouses.
Throughout the year, The Pier 2 Art Center also hosts wide series of events and exhibitions such as the Kaohsiung Design Festival, Mega Port Festival, Kaohsiung International Steel & Iron Sculpture Festival, Kaohsiung Youth Innovative Design Exhibition, Kaohsiung International Container Art Festival, and the “Kaohsiung People Are Here” festival.
The Birth of an Arts Hub
Originally built in 1973, the warehouses of Pier 2 had been abandoned until the vision of local artists brought them back to life in the early 2000s. With the help of the Bureau of Cultural Affairs of Kaohsiung City Government, the district has since further evolved into a permanent fixture in Kaohsiung’s arts and culture scene.
On the weekends, The Pier 2 Art Center often hosts local artist markets, and the area also features some humorous and impressive public art in the form of both street art and installation art. (For more street art in Kaohsiung, check out Weiwu Mimi Street Art Village.)
The Pier 2 Art Center and Penglai Warehouse Cluster
The core of The Pier 2 Art Center, home to independent creative shops, is nested between Penglai Pier 2 Station and Dayi Pier 2 Station on the Kaohsiung Light Rail. This area contains warehouses C1-C5 and boasts some of the most interesting street art in the area, including a giant robot statue and a large installation made of connected shipping containers. It houses several popular shops as well as Eslite Bookstore (Taiwan’s most famous upscale bookstore), Starbucks, and in89 cinema.
Just a short walk away, you’ll find the Penglai Area of The Pier 2 Art Center, which is home to warehouses B3-10. Attractions here include Kaohsiung Experimental Theater, as well as the Hamasen Museum of Taiwan Railway, which is surprisingly engrossing and boasts an intricate miniature train model display. For more fun and historical railway experiences, walk a few doors down to reach Hamasen Railway Cultural Park.
Dayi Warehouse Cluster
The eastern side of the arts hub is home to the Dayi Warehouse Cluster, the latest addition to the complex. The warehouses in this area are home to independent creative shops selling ceramics, jewelry, arts & crafts, as well as a craft beer bar (Beer Talk Café & Bar) and a live music venue (Live Warehouse). If you have children, be sure to stop by Wooderful Land, which sells traditional wooden toys that encourage creativity, expertise and manual skills.
The Dayi Warehouse Cluster extends to Dayi Park, beyond which another beautiful piece of modern architecture can be seen: the newly opened Kaohsiung Music Center.
The Great Harbor Bridge
Just opposite the Dayi Warehouse Cluster you can find The Great Harbor Bridge, Taiwan’s first horizontally rotating landscape bridge. This magnificent and sleek bridge also holds the title of “longest cross-port rotating bridge in Asia”. Crossing the bridge on foot or by bike is the shortest way to explore Piers 3 through 10, which are home to additional exhibition spaces and shopping areas.
We recommend visiting The Pier 2 Art Center in the late afternoon or early evening in order to experience the ambience of the pier after sundown.
For more information, events, and a map of The Pier 2 Art Center, head to The Pier 2 Art Center’s official website.
