With a number of pandemic restrictions lifted last month 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 festivals to look forward to in the coming months, from music fests, arts and culture, literature, comedy and – for the first time here – an NFT festival that promises to put the fun in art and technology.
After a break last year due to the pandemic, this day-long 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! Festival, which has a history in booking arty bands and attracting a discerning music crowd.
Jointly organised by Kuala Lumpur-based outfit 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, like Nice Stupid Playground, Dirgahayu, Hacktick!, Sweetass, The Fatalis, Seven Collar T-Shirt, Shelhiel, Chih Siou, No-Nonsense Collective, icyball and Night Keepers, among others.
There will be workshops and activities at the festival, including an art market.
Step into the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) at M1NTED, a week-long event that comprises two main experiences: the conference side at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) and the festival side at Tiffin At The Yard, just a stone’s throw from KLPac. More activities will be announced at other participating KL venues.
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.
“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.
“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,” 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.
Comedy took a big hit during the pandemic, but this resilient scene is making a grand return to the headlines with the Big LOL Show 2022, themed “The Comeback”.
It is set to be the first comedy show at the new live venue Zepp KL, proving that comedy acts from the local scene - and the region - can fill up the big venues in the capital.
The Big LOL Show 2002 features Kumar, Joanne Kam, Jo Kukathas, Kuah Jenhan, Vince Chong, Prakash Daniel and Yazmin Aziz. Each performer will present new routines and their own signature brand of humour to the stage.
“This line-up is a dream come true. It is called ‘The Comeback’ for several reasons but mainly due to the fact that this would be the biggest stage that these acts would be performing together as the country enters the endemic phase.
“At LOL Asia, we are very proud to have all of them to entertain the Malaysian audience who have been deprived of a big scale comedy show during the pandemic,” says Rizal Kamal, chief executive officer of LOL Asia and the producer of The Big LOL SHOW.
The first Big LOL Show was staged in KL in September 2019 to coincide with LOL Asia’s 10th anniversary.
After last year’s low-key online event, the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) in Sarawak is back to roll out its 25th anniversary next month. With a theme like “Legendary Rainforest Celebration”, you can be sure it has a few big surprises.
Held at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong (less than an hour away from Kuching), this annual three-day music festival celebrates the diversity and culture 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, and Singapore.
“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 engage with a much bigger audience.
A number of international acts will join the festival from wherever they are, to perform virtually.
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.
They really want you to party in Sarawak next month, don't they?
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 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,” 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.
The festival will be hosting a 1,000-capacity daily audience.
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, festival- goers 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.
The George Town Literary Festival (GTLF), an initiative by the Penang state, is an annual international literary festival that celebrates world literature, translations and literary arts.
“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," says festival manager Swarna Rajagopal.
“The festival has also managed to attract much international interest by retaining its local and heritage charm.”
After the last two years of online sessions (GTLF 2020 was entirely online, while in 2021, the festival was a hybrid event), the hope is for the literary festival to return to its in-person format this year.
GTLF 2022's line-up will be announced in the third quarter of the year.
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