We lived in Taipei for years, and the shows were one of the things we loved most about the city. On any weekend there is a pop concert in an arena, an orchestra or a dance company at the national theaters, and a band in a basement live house, and afterwards the MRT gets you home. The only hard part for visitors is the ticketing, which runs on Taiwanese platforms built for local phone numbers and ID cards. This section is here to solve that.
- Live musicConcert venuesTaipei Arena, Taipei Dome, Taipei Music Center, Legacy, Zepp and the live houses, with the last trains home.
- Theater and dancePerforming artsThe National Theater & Concert Hall, the Taipei Performing Arts Center, opera for visitors and Cloud Gate.
- How toBuying tickets as a foreignerKKTIX, tixCraft, ibon, OPENTIX and ERA: phone checks, passports, cards and pickup at 7-Eleven.
- After darkBars and nightlifeCocktail bars from Asia's 50 Best Bars, Xinyi's clubs and rooftops, the drinking age and the last MRT.
- Big screenMoviesHollywood in English with Chinese subtitles, IMAX, and how to book.
The short answer
- Big pop concerts play Taipei Arena (about 13,000 seats for a central-stage concert), the 40,000-seat Taipei Dome and the 5,000-seat Concert Hall at Taipei Music Center.
- Classical music, theater and dance are at the National Theater & Concert Hall by Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and the Taipei Performing Arts Center near Shilin Night Market.
- Tickets are sold on a handful of local platforms. Foreigners can use all of them, but most need an account with a verified mobile number, so set yours up days before the sale, not on the morning it opens.
- For a night out, Taipei's top-ranked cocktail bars sit in the East District around Zhongxiao Dunhua Station, and the clubs are in Xinyi. Our nightlife page has the list and the rules.
- Getting home: the MRT stops running a little after midnight, and the last train that connects to another line can leave before that. Check your station's last train before the encore.
Good to know: the big shows sell out in minutes. If there is a concert you want, sign up on the right platform the moment you book your flights, verify your phone number, and read the event's purchase and pickup rules before the sale opens.
Planning the rest of the evening? Taipei's night markets stay open late, and several sit near the venues. → Night markets → The MRT
Sources
Taipei Arena (introduction), Taipei Dome (farglorydome.com.tw), Taipei Music Center (introduction), Taipei Metro (first and last trains by station); KKTIX, tixCraft and OPENTIX help centers (KKTIX, tixCraft, OPENTIX); ERA Ticket (English order form); 50 Best (Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026); Laws and Regulations Database (Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act, Article 43). Checked October 2026.