Riuh x Asean 2025 takes over Kuala Lumpur from Oct 17-26 with a 10-day celebration of South-East Asian art, music, poetry, and comedy. Photo: Handout
Outside the serious business of Malaysia’s Asean Chairmanship, and the 47th Asean Summit later this month (Oct 26-28), there’s plenty of regional fun to be had in Kuala Lumpur too.
Riuh x Asean 2025, a 10-day celebration of art, music, comedy, and ideas, takes over the city from Oct 17-26.
Organised by MyCreative Ventures, the festival invites everyone to experience the many sides of South-East Asian creativity – from comedy nights and poetry battles to immersive art and music showcases.
If you love quick wit and live laughs, Panggung Gelak (ticketed events) is where comedy meets creativity. It features workshops and shows with Malaysia’s funniest names.
'Stand Up, Sis!', hosted by Shaimaine (right), takes place at Tong Shin Terrace in KL on Oct 26, spotlighting empowerment and women comedians. Photo: Robin Wong
The Pinball Monkeys, featuring Muzakir Xynll, Anwar Hadi , Nabil Zakaria and Hannan Azlan, open Panggung Gelak festival on Oct 18 at Tong Shin Terrace with "Action Baby", a riot of improv and absurdity.
Then on Oct 25, the "Big Riuh Energy" show - hosted by Papi Zak and Kavin Jay, and featuring Mad Sabah, Marissa Wong, Fattah Azeem, Piravina, Hindra Bose and more - brings sharp, homegrown stand-up to Grey Box, GMBB, while "Stand Up, Sis!", hosted by Shaimaine Othman, takes it all back to Tong Shin Terrace on Oct 26, putting empowerment and women comedians front and centre.
For something with literary cool, SEA Slam 2025 gathers 12 poets from around the region in a battle of words and rhythm. Expect raw emotion and flowing verses - with Aliff Awan, Dhabitah Zainal Abidin, Ba.re, Emmanuel Yogan, Millen Teo, Abigail Lim, Shireen Alyssa Azmir and others - at Odeon KL on Oct 19 (knockout round, free entry), before the Grand Final lights up GMBB on Oct 25.
Art enthusiasts can explore Suara Belacu, an exhibition (open call) set to transform Odeon KL into an immersive art space from Oct 17-31. It features nearly 40 artists.
The SEA Slam poetry competition brings together 12 poets from across the region, including Emmanuel Yogan (pic), selected from an open call. Photo: Jalan Dalam
Malaysian works and more are set to come alive with sound and large-scale visuals, offering a fresh, sensory take on what “Asean identity” might look and feel like - and it’s free to enter.
Meanwhile, music fans should catch FrequenSEA, a two-day Asean music conference at GMBB on Oct 21 and 22. Expect performances, TED-style talks, and fireside chats on everything from AI and sustainability to sound innovation across the region. Speakers include Zainal Abidin, Rendra Zawawi, Rashidah Ridha Sheikh Khalid, Balan Kash, Piyapong "Py" Muenprasertdee (Thailand), Kukuh Rizal Arfianto (Indonesia), Jono Harrison (Australia), and Kartini Ludwig (Australia).
And of course, no Riuh festival is complete without its Marketplace. In any language, the mention of "shopping" brings out the smiles. From Oct 24–26, Stadium Merdeka is the place to be with over 100 regional brands, creative pop-ups, and live music from across South-East Asia - a full-on celebration of food, fashion, and culture.
