The Cultural Curation of the 2026 Creative Expo Taiwan will run from August 1 to 31 at the Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB), while the Creative Brands and IP Licensors will take place from August 6 to 12 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 1. The Ministry of Culture stated that echoing the expo's annual theme, “Bit Zero,” this year’s Creative Brands will center on the theme “Future Everyday.” Featuring five major trend-driven themes, the exhibition invites both domestic and international buyers, as well as the general public, to participate and jointly create diverse opportunities for exchange and industrial cooperation that bridge cultural content with the market.
(Creative Brands and IP Licensors expo_Future Everyday KV)
According to the Ministry of Culture, the scale of Creative Expo Taiwan's Creative Brands exhibition continues to grow. This year, the total exhibition area has expanded by 18% compared to last year. The total number of participating brands has surpassed 870, representing a 26.3% year-on-year growth, while the number of exhibitor booths has exceeded 1,200, a 25.7% increase from last year. In addition to Taiwanese brands, the event has attracted 53 international brands from regions including Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Thailand, and South Korea. Furthermore, over 80 international professional buyers are traveling to Taiwan, and buyers from 14 countries—including the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland, France, Singapore, and Hong Kong—are engaging through the expo's matchmaking services either online or in person. This demonstrates Creative Expo Taiwan's growing appeal as a premier marketing and exhibition platform for the cultural and creative industries, bringing together Asia's diverse creativity and market energy.
Show Director Delphine Peng noted that the thematic exhibition area, “Future Everyday,” aims to convey that “design choices do not begin with the product itself, but rather return to real-life needs and attitudes toward living.” Using "home" as the spatial starting point, the exhibition area extends into multi-functional living spaces for working, creating, resting, and socializing. It outlines five trend themes: “Daily Rituals,” “Gentle Technology,” “Slow Living Moments,” “New Imaginations of Home,” and “Conscious Design.” Six experts from diverse fields, including Chang Chih-chyi and Chang Ching-lan, have been invited to curate product selections based on their personal perspectives on life, showcasing a multifaceted understanding of future living.
(Using "home" as the spatial starting point, the exhibition area extends into multi-functional living spaces for working, creating, resting, and socializing_3)
The Ministry of Culture pointed out that IP licensing brands account for up to 64% of this year’s exhibitors. These include highly popular and trendy IPs such as “Oilhead Jr.” and “Godgwawa”; warm, companion-style IPs like “Nuomi” and “annnbrownie”; and rising stars that blend everyday humor with character IPs like “Mr. Teabag.” Most notably, the iconic creator "Cathie Chen" is making a comeback after a 30-year hiatus. Visitors across generations are sure to deeply experience the immense reach and cross-domain application potential of IP licensing.
(IP licensing brands_companion-style IP “Nuomi”)
(IP licensing brands_highly popular and trendy IP such as “Oilhead Jr.”_1)
(IP licensing brands_highly popular and trendy IP such as “Godgwawa”_1)
(IP Licensing brands_the iconic creator "Cathie Chen" is making a comeback after a 30-year hiatus_1)
In addition, the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) is presenting the "MANGA IN THE HOUSE". Centered around the concept of "reincarnation”—the most imaginative trope in ACG (Anime, Comic, and Games)—the pavilion demonstrates the limitless cross-domain extension possibilities of original Taiwanese comic IPs. The exhibition area utilizes video demos to present rich, cross-media concepts. These include transforming “The Nereus Office” into animated footage; adapting “Five-Star Review for Monsters” and “VTuber Confucius” into fantasy-style musicals; translating “How I Turned an Idol into Fanboy” and “Gangster Bookstore” into highly buzzed-about TV dramas; developing an immersive AI interactive game based on “Teach Me How to Love, Mr. Shen”; crafting a strategic board game using “Endemic Species in Taiwan” as a prototype; and turning “OP. 9 The Swan” into exquisite, physical collectible figures. Through these diverse adaptation demos, TAICCA aims to showcase the immense commercial explosion and market potential of original Taiwanese comic IPs.
(MANGA IN THE HOUSE_KV)
The Ministry of Culture stated that multiple themed matchmaking sessions will be held during the commercial exhibition of the 2026 Creative Expo Taiwan. These sessions will gather major domestic and international distribution channels, select shops, and licensing buyers to help exhibitors precisely connect with potential partners. International and domestic buyers, as well as the public, are warmly invited to visit during the exhibition period. Further updates on cultural curations, commercial exhibitions, cross-industry collaborations, and visitor guides will be continuously released on the official website of the “2026 Creative Expo Taiwan” (https://creativexpo.tw/) or its Facebook fan page (https://www.facebook.com/creativexpo.tw/).
