Making a joyous return
Fresh hope abound for the return of some of our favourite arts, culture and music festivals around the country.
WITH a number of pandemic restrictions lifted recently in Malaysia, activities are resuming in (almost) full force and people are on the move once again.
After the past two years of online-only events, many annual arts and culture festivals are offering a hybrid experience this year, with the main focus on physical events and outdoor activities.
Here’s a list of major events to look forward to in the coming months, from music festivals, arts and culture fests, literature and – for the first time here – an NFT festival that promises to put the fun in technology.
City ROARS! Festival
Zepp Kuala Lumpur, May 28 cityroarsfest.com
After a break last year due to the pandemic, this one-day festival (3pm to 11pm) returns this year with 10 Malaysian bands and other international acts at Kuala Lumpur’s brand-new Zepp concert venue.
If last month’s festival pre-event is a gauge, there is definitely a buzz surrounding the upcoming City ROARS!, which has a history in booking arty bands and attracting a discerning music crowd.
Jointly organised by KL’S Soundscape Records, Dong Tai Du and Taiwanese label Emerge Music, City ROARS! is also an international collaboration that aims to bring together independent artists from all over Asia and showcase the best of innovative independent music.
This year’s festival will be a cross-border hybrid event which includes physical and live stream performances (on web-conferencing platform Gather Town) by Malaysian, Taiwanese and South-east Asian artistes. Some names include Nice Stupid Playground, Dirgahayu, Hacktick!, Sweetass, The Fatalis, Seven Collar T-shirt, Shelhiel, Chih Siou, No-nonsense Collective, icyball and Night Keepers.
There will be workshops and activities at the festival, as well as an art market.
Tickets are RM100 per entry, with pre-sale tickets priced at RM80 (until May 27).
M1NTED
KLPAC, June 4 and 5 m1nted.asia
Step into the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTS) at M1NTED, a two-day event that comprises two experiences: the conference side at the KL Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) and the festival side at Tiffin At The Yard, just a stone’s throw from KLPAC.
M1NTED aims to help the public gain a better understanding of NFTS through an exciting line-up of speakers, panel discussions on art, gaming and music, NFT showcases and other fun activities.
It is brought to you by The Livescape Group, an award-winning creative and business incubator based in South-east Asia.
“For our first edition, we are introducing ‘3 Pillars: Art, Music and Gaming’. We believe that people have genuine interest in these creative pillars, and can learn how NFTS will change the entire paradigm of these industries, as we know it. We want M1NTED to be a platform to discuss NFTS, and the future of where it is headed.
“We have carefully curated our topics and speakers, to ensure that we are targeting the right audiences with the right messages, be it producing key insights for NFT experts or kickstarting the discourse with those who are new to this industry,” says Iqbal Ameer, founder and chief executive officer of The Livescape Group.
What are NFTS? All kinds of digital objects – images, videos, music, texts, tweets – can be turned into an NFT. It is generally built using the same kind of programming as cryptocurrency, like Ethereum.
But where cryptocurrencies – just like physical money – are fungible, meaning they can be exchanged or traded for one another, each NFT has a digital signature that makes it unique and un-exchangeable (hence, non-fungible).
“We often hear the most negative concepts when it comes to things people don’t understand, like how they think NFTS are a fad, scam or rug pull. So it is one of our main focuses to get people to understand the true potential of NFTS. We trust that visitors to M1NTED will be able to get a more holistic grasp on the concept of NFTS and understand that they aren’t just digital images.
“We hope for M1NTED to be where your NFT journey starts, empowering Malaysians on how it can utilise the power of decentralisation, and learn how they can play a significant part to incorporate it into the future,” he adds.
M1NTED is open to everyone – NFT enthusiasts and experts, and those new to the industry. The conference segment is ticketed; while the festival and pop-up experiences are free to all.
Rainforest World Music Festival
Sarawak Cultural Village, June 17-19 rwmf.net
After last year’s online event, the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) in Sarawak is back with a hybrid programme. The masses are ready to return in a big way.
It is also the festival’s 25th anniversary this year, and with a theme like “Legendary Rainforest Celebration”, you can be sure it has a few surprises up its sleeve.
Held at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong (less than an hour away from Kuching), this annual three-day music festival celebrates the diversity of world music.
“With the objective of bringing people back together through music, this year’s festival is one of the first international hybrid musical events in Malaysia after the reopening of our borders.
“Festival-goers can look forward to 60 international and local musical acts, including bands from Australia, South Korea, Canada, Indonesia, Singapore and more.
“The festival’s longtime fans will be happy to know that the format of the physical festival remains more or less intact, with our popular daytime workshops leading into the evening concerts, as well as arts and crafts bazaars which will further enrich the festival spirit.
“For families with small children, we are also including a Kiddies Club which will teach children traditional music basics like playing the kompang or sape,” says Margarent Apau, Sarawak Tourism Board director of communications.
With two separate streams this year, the festival can respond to a much bigger crowd.
A number of international acts will join the festival from wherever they are, to perform original pieces.
Prior to the announcement on the relaxation of restrictions, the festival targeted to host a 4,000-strong crowd, which is half the capacity of pre-pandemic editions.
“The new SOP starting May 1 is very timely for RWMF, but safety for physical concert-goers remains one of our main priorities. We hope all festival-goers will form a deeper appreciation for ethnic music and a more intimate connection with Sarawak through the power of music.
“In addition, we hope that the festival will rejuvenate lockdown fatigued travellers and help boost confidence as we move through endemicity,” she adds.
Passes are RM184 (one-day pass) and RM480 (three-day pass) for adults; RM95 and RM235 for children. The family package (two adults, two children), is RM500 for a one-day pass. Early bird tickets and pre-sale tickets are available until May 14 and June 16, respectively.
Virtual tickets are RM25 per onehour block.
Borneo Jazz Festival
Coco Cabana, Miri, Sarawak June 24-26 jazzborneo.com
They really want you to party in Sarawak next month. Once the Rainforest World Music Festival ends, the Borneo Jazz Festival begins.
One of the longest-running jazz festivals in the region, the 17th edition of the Borneo Jazz Festival returns to Coco Cabana, Marina Bay in Miri, Sarawak, from June 24-26.
Themed “Jazz In The Jungle” (a cute nod to Duke Ellington’s groundbreaking “jungle sound”), the festival is held in collaboration with No Black Tie Presents.
Presented in a hybrid format this year the event combines three days of live stage music with livestream broadcast to reach out to the jazz-loving community worldwide.
“The upcoming festival promises a spectacular mix of jazz and hip-hop, tribal vibes, world beat and electro-jazz grooves, set against a spell-binding backdrop of mystical highlands and ancient tropical rainforest where a mix of jazz musicians, rappers and deejays from all over the world congregate to celebrate cultural diversity, tradition and inno
vation,” says Evelyn Hii, the festival co-organiser and founder of No Black Tie.
Besides local acts, the festival will see the participation of musicians from the United States, Hungary, Singapore, Japan, India, France, Switzerland, Germany and Italy, including Masia One, DJ Estephe, Jules Vulzor, Helga Sedli, Asiabeat, Q Sound and Gecko & Tokage Parade.
Winners of the nationwide Borneo Jazz Talent Search will also be performing.
The Sarawak State Symphony Orchestra will also make its inaugural appearance at the festival in a collaborative effort with Sarawak Tourism Board. “Apart from positioning Borneo Jazz as a topnotch jazz festival in the region, we aim to empower and raise cultural awareness through Borneo Jazz music outreach programmes such as Borneo Jazz FAB LAB, as we strongly believe in promoting sustainability in the growth of arts and culture within the local community, and the importance of cultural exchange in fostering greater understanding between people of different cultural backgrounds,” she says. Fringe activities include the Eco Drum and Eco Art projects, to raise awareness of a more eco-friendly and sustainable city. The festival will be hosting a 1,000-capacity daily audience. Passes are RM128 (single-day pass), RM228 (two-day pass) and RM338 (three-day pass).
For students and senior citizens, the corresponding passes are priced at RM88, RM128 and RM188.
For those who want to enjoy the event virtually, tickets are priced at RM25 per one-hour block.
George Town Festival Penang, July 9-24 georgetownfestival.com
Here’s how you can take a month off and enjoy Penang. Reimagined and curated as a hybrid festival in its 12th edition this year, George Town Festival continues to be “A Festival For Everyone” in its commitment to making the arts accessible to all.
Held from July 9-24, festivalgoers can expect to uncover performances and activities revolving around different themes in a variety of settings, from indoor performing spaces to hidden spots and unique venues as well as on virtual platforms.
Most of the programme will be carried out on-site, with a few online events for those who are not able to attend in person.
“The scale of the festival will be smaller as compared to the pre-pandemic editions but it will definitely be more exciting and intense compared to the 2020 and 2021 editions. This year, we focus a lot on local productions, especially collaborations between two different genres or cultures, or blending art with technology, aiming to inspire different generations of arts lovers and practitioners.
“We also encourage creativity and originality by providing a platform for creative talents to showcase new works,” says GTF festival director Jack Wong.
As GTF 2022 was planned before the new SOP were announced, there will not be any massive events this time around, but indoor events such as theatre performances and exhibitions will be back to full-crowd capacity .“however, we will adhere strictly to the SOP and precautionary guidelines outlined by the government to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved,” says Wong.
In the spirit of all things Penang, the festival has published two books: Moments, a photobook showcasing Penang’s landscapes, festivals, celebrations, arts, culture, heritage and people by local photographers Patrick Loo, Sean Lim and Yih Chang; and Tanjong Life: Back To The 90s, a comic book illustrated by Penang-born cartoonist Azmi Hussin.
“These books not only give the opportunity to those in the creative sector to continue their practices, but also, through these publications, they are presenting the people, experiences, and ideas that define Penang,” says Wong.
He adds that although there are many art events happening in Malaysia, the team hopes that festival-goers will be able to experience something that is different at GTF.
“For instance, showcasing traditional arts through new methods like VR (virtual reality) technology. This enables the audience to enjoy old memories and unforgettable experiences in a new way. We also wish for these efforts to inspire different generations of arts lovers and practitioners,” he says.
George Town Literary Festival Penang, Nov 24-27 georgetownlitfest.com
The George Town Literary Festival
(GTLF) is an annual international literary festival that celebrates world literature, translations and literary arts.
An initiative by the state government of Penang, the festival held its first edition in 2011.
“The festival was initiated to create a space where literary arts could flourish openly in Penang, for writers and poets alike to gather and share their words. Since then, it has evolved from hosting five writers in the early days to over 80 writers on average now. Once a two-day festival, today the festival stretches up to four days with back-to-back panel sessions, interviews, readings, poetry nights, book launches, movie screenings and a festival market.
“The festival has also managed to attract much international interest by retaining its local and heritage charm,” says festival manager Swarna Rajagopal.
Last year, GTLF ventured into publishing and released its first anthology, Muara, which features essays, short stories, poetry, book review, and translations, from established and emerging writers from Malaysia and around the world.
After the last two years of online sessions – GTLF 2020 was entirely online, while in 2021, the festival was mostly online with a handful of physical events – the hope is for it to return to its in-person format this year, with a small section for digital content for writers with travel restrictions.
The 12th edition of GTLF will be held from Nov 24-27 in the Unesco World Heritage site of George Town in Penang.
As for what’s new in GTLF 2022, announcements will be made in the third quarter of the year.
Of course, the vision remains the same: “We hope to encourage and nurture the book and publishing industry, and inspire visitors with the local and international literary scene as they discover new genres and writers,” says Swarna.