Indonesian workers' band to perform at New Year's Day event in Taipei

Taipei, Dec. 24 (CNA) The national New Year's Day flag-raising ceremony will take place outside the Presidential Office in the early morning of Jan. 1, featuring special performances by Indonesian migrant workers' band, Jubah Hitam, and other groups.

The event will include a range of performances by Jubah Hitam, Taiwanese band Mr. Recycle and marching bands from Juang Jing Vocational High School and the Ministry of National Defense, Lai Po-szu (賴博司), who chairs the Manufactures United General Association of Industrial Park of ROC, said at a news conference in Taipei on Tuesday.

Lai's association is one of several groups, along with the General Association of Chinese Culture (GACC) and Idea Advertising & Event Management Limited, that put together the 2025 New Year's Day event which is scheduled to begin at 5 a.m.

Speaking about the line-up, Leo Chen (陳幼軒), general manager of Idea Advertising & Event Management Limited, said the selection of Jubah Hitam and Mr. Recycle was a nod to those who played an important role in Taiwan's infrastructure and technological developments.

Jubah Hitam is a heavy metal band comprising six Indonesians who work in Taiwan's industrial parks, Chen told CNA, adding that their powerful performance impressed many at Taipei's annual cultural event, Nuit Blanche, earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Mr. Recycle is a group of five engineers from the Hsinchu Science Park who not only symbolize the backbone of Taiwan's technological progress but have also gained recognition for their songs, Chen added.

According to the Presidential Office, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) will arrive at the event at around 6:21 a.m. to take part in the singing of the national anthem and the raising of the national flag.

In addition, Secretary-General to the President Pan Men-an (潘孟安) said Lai and Hsiao would hand out "lucky bags" to attendees at the square in front of the Presidential Office at 9 a.m.

Pan also invited the public to visit the Presidential Office on New Year's Day, where there will be a market, movie screenings and talks, among other activities.

Asked by CNA whether Lai will make a speech at the flag-raising event, a Presidential Office spokesperson said the matter was still under discussion and the office will make an announcement if anything is confirmed.