Taichung Nightclub Fire Triggers Nationwide Live House Crackdown
台中阿拉酒吧失火波及全台Live House
Source: Ordered to Close, Nightclub Operators — 500 People Protest Outside City Hall
From: Miss Chiang Real Estate
Date: August 1, 2011Author: Miss Chiang
The fire at Taichung’s Ara Bar (Jack Daniel’s Nightclub) broke out at around 1 a.m. on March 6, 2011. A performer’s pyrotechnics ignited sound-dampening foam covering the ceiling, causing a blaze that resulted in 9 deaths and 13 injuries — the worst fire since the 1995 Weierkan Restaurant fire in Taichung. Because the bar was registered under the name “Hark Beverages” while operating as a bar and nightclub, the city government’s strict subsequent inspections forced many nightclubs and bars to close. Numerous music performance venues that existed in a legal grey area were also forced to shut down. Operators took to the streets in protest, declaring: “Live music in Taichung is completely finished — independent and professional bands alike, all performance spaces have been affected. Music in Taichung is dead.”
As Live Houses fought for their right to exist, the episode also sparked debate over whether Live Houses should be treated differently from nightclubs.
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External Links
- Independent Music Venue “Witch House” to Close at Month’s End (Arts and Law)
- “Witch House” Closure Confirmed — Chang Hsien Calls It a Major Loss for the Music Industry (Liberty Times)
- Live Houses and Nightclubs (Lo Yueh-chuan)
- Taichung Jack Daniel’s Nightclub Fire (Wikipedia)