Bar Trip Series: Guide to Karaoke (KTV) in Taipei
KTV boxes in Taiwan are usually giant highrises. Though it seems like overkill to have so many rooms, they can be surprisingly busy so book ahead! [Photo from City 543]
During our recent trip to Taipei, Taiwan, we ate almost non-stop, but we made some time to karaoke -- Taiwanese style.
Karaoke, or KTV, is an extremely popular activity or some may say, sport, in Taiwan. KTV places are called "boxes." KTV fits in perfectly with the Taiwanese culture's emphasis on nightlife (they love night markets and clubs and no one seems to be out unless it's past 9pm!), its indoor nature is great for typhoons and the bad weather that plagues this tropical island. People of all ages KTV (my mom goes when she visits and even brings my grandpa), but late at night, it's mostly a younger crowd.
Karaoking in Taipei is an all night affair. Unlike in Korea where people may make the noraebang their last stop of the night, in Taiwan, karaoking is THE stop -- everything you need is all included under one, 10+ story tall, roof. And unlike American karaoke bars where people usually sing on stage to a room full of strangers, KTVs in Taiwan (and Korea and Japan) usually have private rooms that groups of friends rent out by the hour. My favorite part about KTVs in Taiwan is how they are quite luxurious as well!
JUMP AHEAD: Setup + Pro Tips | In The Room | Locations | How Foreigners and Taiwanese KTV Differently
KTV boxes in Taiwan are pretty luxurious and look like fancy hotels. [Photo from Wikipedia]
Setup and Pro Tips
KTV boxes will also have a buffet where you can eat dinner. This is the one we went to at New CB Party KTV in Ximending (near Ximending MRT stop, shown in map below).
Book Ahead!
Once you decide that you want to dedicate a night to KTVing in Taiwan, it may be a good idea to call ahead to book a room! It's usually done by the hour with option to extend. Our group ran into the problem of only reserving for 4-hours -- we extended it once for 1 more hour, but when we wanted to extend again, they said they had a reservation coming in (at 2am in the morning!). So again, because it's so popular, book ahead!
The Setup
In Taiwan, KTV places will have a floor dedicated to a huge buffet where you can load up on delicious food that will be delivered to your KTV room via dumbwaiter (or some more modern version of a dumbwaiter -- a miniature elevator?). You also order drinks when you first rent the room and they are delivered to your room -- this includes hard liquor, cases of Taiwan Beer, and non-alcoholic beverages.
The price and amount of food/liquor you can order will vary depending on the "package" you pick. Also, some places let you bring your own alcohol, which is way cheaper because you can probably find a 7-11/Family Mart across the street and buy liquor and beer there (more on the wonders of 7-11 and Family Marts in Taiwan in another post). If you are on a budget, you can easily sneak alcohol in. Just buy some liquor at a nearby 7-11/Family Mart and sneak it in with backpacks or in purses. This is probably not worth doing with beer as Taiwan beer a karaoke places is pretty cheap.
In the Room
Depending on which chain/location you visit, the KTV rooms can be pretty fancy! This one looks like it's for a HUGE group and it's at a New CB Party chain (unknown location). [Photo from City 543]
Once you get up to your room, you can spread out over leather banquettes, use your private bathroom, or start picking songs via the touchscreen monitors on the wall. If you ever need any service (something's broken, you don't know how to use things, you want to order more drinks), you can always pick up the phone in the room and someone will be up ASAP. Most places I've been to have a decent selection of English songs!
The great thing about some KTV places is that the rooms will have mini-stages inside it, so you can sing like a star, with the privacy of your own room =P
Many people spend upwards of 6 hours in KTVs and I've heard some stay all day/night especially during typhoons!
Eating dinner before the singing gets started!
Look Ma! I'm a star!
Where to KTV in Taipei
Where Are KTVs?
They are almost everywhere! Unlike some things like hair salons, clothing shops, etc. KTVs in Taipei aren't confined into any certain district. Ximending is a really popular area with lots of shopping, street food, and three huge KTV boxes there as well (in the below map, the 3 pins located on the left side, next to the Tamsui river).
How To Choose a KTV
PartyWorld is known to be more upscale while Holiday KTV is a more affordable option. On our most recent trip, we went to 星聚點 KTV (New CB Party KTV) in the Ximending district, which I thought was quite nice! We heard that this place had the best buffet and was unique in that it had the standing mics shown above. Apparently, there is also this "Secret KTV" that foreigners visit a lot because they have more English songs -- however, it's secret because it's a tiny place and foreigners want to keep it to themselves! Anyway, wherever you end up going, you will most definitely have a great time!
When in doubt, you can always just ask locals where the closest Holiday or PartyWorld KTV (if you don't speak Mandarin, just say "KTV" and they should get it... People in Taiwan are very very friendly and most of the younger ones seem to speak at least some English. We found that when we asked locals questions about where things are, they go out of their way to walk you there, call and make an appointment for you, and all kinds of nice things!). Alternatively, if you have data/wifi, you can even just type in KTV on google maps to find the one closest to you.
Foreigners vs. Taiwanese
I hope those of you curious about Taiwanese KTV or are thinking of visiting Taiwan found this post useful!
Just to note, my experience KTVing in Taiwan has been from a "foreigners" perspective. Some have surveyed foreigners and Taiwanese locals about their KTV experience and found many surprising differences (I naively thought everyone KTVed the same way!).
Of note, while a majority of foreigners drink alcohol at KTVs, only about a third of locals do at KTVs! Also, more foreigners sing Chinese songs than Taiwanese sing English songs (foreigners cited using KTV to practice their Chinese). Foreigners also most like to sing 月亮代表我的心 (because of its simple lyrics), Jay Chou, Wang Leehom, Backstreet Boys, The Eagles, etc. It's an interesting read and the post can be found here: KTV in Taiwan: Foreigners vs. Taiwanese. Also interesting, another blogger also recounts his encounter with a shadier kind of KTV experience.