Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), will be back again.
The popular event is also going to be a hybrid event for the first time since the beginning of the music festival in 1998.
This year, the music festival themed “Legendary Rainforest Celebration” being held from June 17-19, 2022 will the physical concert taking place at Sarawak Cultural Village while viewers can also livestream it from their homes via rwmf.net.
With the objective of bringing the world back together with music, RWMF will be welcoming back a host of international performers from Canada, India, USA, Finland, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, China, Bhutan and Seoul among others.
The Sarawak Tourism Board will be collaborating with the grand musical event.
The Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 will also feature the sounds and rhythms of Sarawak, showcasing musical elements from the diverse ethnic groups of Sarawak through exhilarating performances that will elevate Sarawak’s unique tribal flavours on to an international pedestal.
Sarawak’s Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah,made the announcement recently.
Also present at the launching ceremony was Puan Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor, Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Tourism Board and Capt Nasaruddin A. Bakar and Chief Operating Officer of MASWings representing the Malaysia Aviation Group.
“I’m very proud of how far our homegrown product has come. From around 100 spectators for its first-ever concert back in 1998, to becoming the first hybrid festival of its kind in Malaysia. Concertgoers who miss the feel of the physical concert can come together in mutual appreciation of world music, and those around the world can enjoy world music live from the comfort of their own homes.” said Datuk Seri Abdul Karim.
Meanwhile, Sharzede said that every year they strive to make the Rainforest World Music Festival better than the year before.
“Last year’s Virtual Experience gave us invaluable feedback on how we could work towards combining the best of both worlds – physical and the digital – to create RWMF’s first hybrid edition this year. We hope that creating this unique precedent for the 25th edition of the festival will become a keystone for the next 25 years for the festival, bridging the past with the future and sustaining and reinventing our musical heritage and its traditions for many years to come.” she added.
Early Bird ticket sale started April 18, 2022 for both the physical and virtual concerts. Those interested can go to rwmf.net to grab tickets in the different categories – Adult 1-Day Pass (RM 150), Adult 3-Day Pass (RM375), Child 1-Day Pass (RM80), Child 3-Day Pass (RM155) and 1-Day Family Package Pass- 2 Adult and 2 Children (400).
Malaysia Airlines operates 70 times weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching in addition to 14 times direct weekly flights starting 25 April 2022 from Penang also available via Firefly jet operations, further reinforcing our commitment to providing greater and seamless connectivity to and from Sarawak.
Sarawak offers a kaleidoscope of culture, adventure, nature, food and festivals. It comprises 28 ethnic tribes with their own unique traditions, lifestyles, music and food, while sharing their warm hospitality. Malaysia’s largest state, Sarawak, endowed with some of the oldest rainforests on Earth. Its vast landscape spans over 120,000 sq kms, with towering mountains and cool highlands, jagged limestone formations and mysterious cave systems, winding rivers and quiet beaches; where adventures are waiting to happen. Festivals are hosted throughout the year celebrating the eclectic blend of modern and traditional culture, food, music and religious practices that can be found nowhere else.
Sarawak Tourism Board is the key promoter for Sarawak. STB is a winner of the Asia Pacific Excellence Awards 2016 by Asia-Pacific Association of Communications Directors (APACD) and has received the ASEAN PR Excellence Award 2015 Gold Award. The Rainforest World Music Festival is a five-time Top 25 Best International Festivals recognised by Songlines World Music Magazine (2011 – 2015) and won the Golden City Gate 2019 five-star award for the Rainforest World Music Festival’s (RWMF) promotional video.