PUTRAJAYA: More than 40,000 spectators gathered for the Citrawarna Speed Festival 2026 here, which saw some 1,500 performers presenting vibrant music, traditional dances and wearing colourful costumes in a celebration of Malaysia’s diversity.
Spectators began streaming into IOI City Mall Putrajaya as early as 6pm on Saturday, with the crowd swelling ahead of the more than two-hour Colours of Parade, which began at 9pm.
The atmosphere was electric as the crowd cheered and applauded throughout the performances, with colourful costumes, energetic dances and pulsating rhythms creating a lively celebration of Malaysia’s multicultural heritage.
The parade featured performers representing the northern, central, southern and east coast regions, as well as Sabah and Sarawak, bringing together different traditions through music, dance and other artistic expressions.
It also featured performances by the Orang Asli, Malay, Chinese, Indian, Sikh and Siamese communities, alongside Nusantara percussion and brass band performances.
The 12-day festival, held between Sept 23 and Oct 4, combined cultural performances and interactive activities with motorsport-inspired attractions at IOI City Mall Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 1 and Sama-Sama Hotel KLIA.
Organised by Tourism Malaysia in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia 2026-2027 campaign, the festival offers visitors a mix of traditional arts, cultural activities and automotive experiences.
At IOI City Mall Putrajaya, Colours of Speed featured racing simulator competitions, while Colours of Art and Culture offered 14 interactive stations showcasing traditional arts, crafts and live cultural performances.
Visitors and international travellers had the opportunity to experience traditional dances and games such as gasing and congkak, as well as racing simulator sessions.
The three-location festival followed the success of Citrawarna 2026 at Dataran Merdeka in July.
Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar and Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Chiew Choon Man were among those who attended the festival.
Tourism Malaysia chairman Datuk Manoharan Periasamy and IOI Corporation Bhd group managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Lee Yeow Chor were also present.
The festival comes as Malaysia builds momentum towards Visit Malaysia 2026-2027.
Tourism Malaysia said 28.8 million international visitors were recorded from January to August, up 1.8% from 28.2 million during the same period last year.
Domestic tourism also grew, with 151.6 million domestic visitors recorded in the first half of this year, a 5.6% increase from 143.5 million in the corresponding period last year.
