The Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival (YSDAF) 2025, designed as a touring festival this year, rolls into PARC, Subang Jaya this Saturday (July 5) – turning the serene lakeside community hub into a buzzing arts playground for the day.
This YSDAF 2025 date is the second part of its Urban Tour series, which takes the spirit of KLPac on the road – bringing festival favourites to new neighbourhoods.
If you’re missing YSDAF’s traditional home at KLPac and its sprawling, leafy grounds, PARC looks set to fill the gap – offering the masses an open-air arts escape. There will also be plenty of indoor activities.
YSDAF, which is free admission, runs from 11am to 5pm, with over 330 artistes and 80 arts activities.
No need to worry about parking either – free YSDAF shuttle vans run from 10am onwards between LRT Subang Jaya and the venue, making your arts-filled Saturday even easier.
Food trucks and eateries will be on hand to keep the crowd fuelled throughout the day. Festivalgoers are encouraged to bring their own flasks, containers, and cutlery.
Ramps in and out of the main building also make the event accessible, with dedicated festival ambassadors on hand to assist Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). Other amenities include a nursing room, calm room, and water refilling stations.
Highlights include performances by Young KL Singers, MyDance Alliance, Orang Orang Drum Theatre, and The Actors Studio Seni Teater Rakyat, alongside special acts like a traditional Jikey troupe from Penang and a Mandarin children’s theatre piece by Hongjiejie Work Station.
Arts without barriers
Making their debut today are two winning projects from the YSDAF 2025 Pitch Start grant, both creatively engaging Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
“A Synesthetic Symphony: The Art of Sound and Sight” is a multi-sensory performance featuring blind artists creating abstract art in response to live music performed by marginalised and special needs children. Exploring synesthesia in the visually impaired, the work reveals how the absence of sight can inspire unique artistic expression.
“I was moved to tears at a recent preview, seeing artists of different abilities and backgrounds working together. It reminded me what YSDAF is really about – and what the arts are about,” says Ian Chow, festival co-director.
Also premiering is “OH! Together-Gather in the Kalendar”, a site-specific installation reimagining the traditional Chinese calendar through poetry, scent, and touch – including suspended, braille-printed paper delicately folded like origami.
Into the Handyzone
PARC will be the first tour stop to host 10 Handyzone booths — a fan-favourite YSDAF feature where visitors can pick up new skills and create their own mini-masterpieces.
While most pre-registered slots are full, walk-ins are welcome to join the waiting list at least 15 minutes before each workshop, as last-minute spots may open up.
All-day activities are also available, including Fashion Revolution Malaysia’s Communal Weaving, where you can weave with discarded textiles and plastic waste, and "Lakar" by Mekar’s Live Mural Workshop, where festivalgoers help restore a container with a nature-inspired design.
Lakeside chill out
In addition to its indoor main stage, the festival will feature two outdoor stages.
By the lake at Stage One, two commissioned installations by the Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA) set the scene – "Floating Islands", with seven pavilion structures, and "Nothing But Us", an interactive piece inviting festivalgoers to leave their mark as a reminder that no one is alone.
It’s the perfect spot to unwind with anime tunes by the KLPac Symphonic Band or take in Hanyut, a dance and drum performance exploring environmental themes.
Further along, tucked into a quiet corner, Stage Two hosts a line-up of buskers curated by Stage ReSet.
YSDAF 2025 will culminate in the finale at Elmina Lakeside Mall, Shah Alam on Aug 9.
More info here.
