Ipoh to get more concert venues, says Mayor

IPOH: More event venues are set to be built in Ipoh following its "City Of Music" status given by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (Unesco) Creative Cities Network (UCCN), says Datuk Rumaizi Baharin.

The Ipoh Mayor said some of the venues have already started construction while others are in the process of getting contractors.

“With the status given by Unesco, we look forward to more performances and concerts in the city.

“We have recently worked on having a standard cost of payment for concerts to be held in the city, and now our focus is on upgrading the infrastructure. It will take time, but we hope the venues will be ready soon,” he said after at the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at M Roof Hotel on Tuesday (Nov 21).

The MOU signing was between the city council and several other local authorities, agencies, and delegations from the Hatyai City Council in Thailand and the Acheh District Council in Indonesia.

The MOU aims to promote several cities and towns in the country as a Muslim-friendly tourism spot.

On Nov 1, Ipoh joined the list along with Liverpool, Havana, Kansas City, Kingston, Adelaide, Seville, Kinshasa, Abu Dhabi, Glasgow, Tallinn and Port of Spain in the UCCN list.

According to a statement by Unesco on its official website, Ipoh is one of the 55 new cities that has joined the UCCN list, announced in conjunction with World Cities Day on Oct 31.

Meanwhile, award-winning musician Datuk M. Nasir, who was also at the event, said he was beyond excited when Ipoh received Unesco’s City of Music status.

“When one mentions Ipoh, it is usually known for its famous nasi kandar; because it is located near Kuala Lumpur, its creative industry might be overlooked.

“But the Unesco status will certainly boost their creative industry, and as someone who has his own production house, I look forward to holding a show in Ipoh.

“In fact, my label Luncai Emas had recently met with the Ipoh City Council to discus the possibility of having our performance here as a symbol of appreciating Ipoh’s City of Music status,” he added.