Around the world, it’s not uncommon to hear raving framed as a spiritual act, but very few have taken it as far as Taiwanese event platform Temple Meltdown, in which attendees party in a place of worship itself. 

Appearing in a new YouTube video series created by 24-year-old documentarian and self-proclaimed adventurer Bruno Pruhs, Taiwan’s Underground Temple Raves comprises two short films depicting this new movement: rigs erected in scenic mountain-view locations around Taipei, DJs spinning hardcore techno and tearout dubstep from the temple altars, and bachajiang (masked temple guardians) performers dancing into the early hours of the morning. What’s most surprising of all, however, is that these events are not only legal, but also in direct harmony with the function these sacred spaces are meant to perform. 

“They’re not rebelling against tradition, they’re remixing it,” Pruhs tells Dazed, emphasising that temples are so numerous throughout the country that they become a part of daily life. “In Taiwan, temples are treated more like community spaces, versus sacred, untouchable monuments. It’s very different from the West, where, when you go into a church, you have to be quiet and chill. It’s part of the reason why I think temple raves could only happen in Taiwan. Put it this way: if young people are not going to the temples, then they would lose their cultural value and collect dust.” 

Pruhs, who is from Whitefish Bay in Wisconsin, America, had previously found himself locked down in Taiwan during the Covid period, during which time he became fluent in Mandarin. But it was during a return trip to Taiwan last year that he came across these underground temple raves and decided to create an initial video documenting his time attending the parties. When the video caught the attention of Temple Meltdown founder Andrew, however, Pruhs found himself creating a second short film unpacking the scene from the inside. 

“The way Andrew arranged these parties is that he would approach the temple manager and ask for permission, a lot of the time they would just say yes,” explains Pruhs. “When I interviewed Andrew at the party at Fulong Temple in the mountains, he described the raves as one big spider with multiple legs, they’re all connected.” 

Indeed, according to Pruhs, these temple raves are envisioned more as an offering to the folkloric spirits these shrines celebrate than an opportunity ‘get fucked up’ (aside from the few westerners in attendance). One testament to this philosophy of venerable partying arrived when Pruhs attended a rave at an abandoned temple and someone decided to spray paint one of the walls inside the space. “That was a huge shock to the community,” Pruhs explains. “In Taiwan, people tend to be very understanding and respectful, and doing something like that was totally not okay.”

Uploaded as part of his overarching The Scene documentary series, which features films on everything from New York subway surfers to warehouse living in Tokyo, the Taiwan temple rave duology is told with a distinctly emotive style. Rose-tinted shots depict party-goers flocking to the remote destinations on mopeds two-by-two, hand-drawn animations of spirits and dragons dance in the background, and one scene even features a 3D recreation of a temple floating through space. 

“With The Scene, I wanted to create stories with surreal elements in them,” Pruhs explains of this unique direction. “With the temple raves, I was definitely going for nostalgia, because I’m just so in love with Taiwan and hoped that people would see what a beautiful place it is. With the road trip segment in particular, I was just so in love with this girl, and we were headed on a road trip to one of the temple raves. The feelings in that segment are the feelings that I had after that relationship, looking back on that beautiful experience with her.”

Pruhs views The Scene as both a record of his adventures to look back on when he’s old, as well as a way to give platforms to people who might not otherwise have one. He speaks with excitement about his upcoming videos, one of which will feature what he describes as “the last flop house on Bowery” in New York City. Watch Pruhs’ full documentary series on his YouTube channel here, and, for a closer look at Taiwan’s temple raves, check out the gallery above.