Rainforest World Music Festival Of Sarawak Returns In June 2022

By Anthony Tan
VIRGIN Communications
email: anthonykhtan@yahoo.co.uk

Are you ready to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the award-winning Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) from 17-19 June after the physical event has been put on hold over the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

RWMF, with its humble beginnings in 1998, attracted a small crowd of about 300 music enthusiasts but at its last count of in 2019 before the Covid-19 lockdown, this event had over 20,000 people attending it. 

Many of its fans will be delighted to welcome back RWMF 2022, themed the “Legendary Rainforest Celebration” by its organiser Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), which will be holding it in hybrid format for the first time.

While the venue remains at Sarawak Cultural Village, music enthusiasts who are unable attend the physical live show, can livestream it in the comfort of their homes via subscribing an online viewing platform.

At the recent launch of the 25^th Legendary RMWF at the newly opened Borneo Cultures Museum in Kuching, Sarawak’s Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, says: “I’m very proud of how far our homegrown product has come: From around 300 spectators for its first-ever concert back in 1998 to becoming the first hybrid festival of its kind in Malaysia.

Sarawak’s Minister for Tourism, Creative
 Industry and Performing Arts,
 Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah

“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.” 

Sarawak Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer Sharzede Datu Salleh Askor remarks, “Every year, we strive to make the RWMF 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.”

Sarawak Tourism Board Chief Executive
Officer Sharzede Datu Salleh Askor 

When STB tried out the virtual platform last year, streaming RWMF Virtual Experience for free viewing, it received encouraging response from 402,865 viewers who tuned in from 79 countries last year. 

In February this year, STB won the bronze award at the Marketing Excellence Awards Malaysia 2022 for its Excellence in Mobile Marketing for the RWMF, which recognises outstanding marketing strategies.

As in previous RWMFs, an international selection of performers and local groups will be showcasing their best presentations with non-stop music before sunset to midnight at the weekend.

STB is currently finalising its list of international performers from Canada, India, Finland, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, China, Bhutan, South Korea and the United States among other countries.

It is working with Majlis Seni Sarawak, mixing traditional Sarawakian music with international flavours to open the three-day show in a first-time musical collaboration. 

File Picture: The nightly crowd over the thousands that filled the Sarawak Cultural Village 

RWMF is more than just a music concert or festival. It has become a breeding ground for Sarawakian talents to become international performers at other international music festivals worldwide. This year, STB will again showcase some of these Sarawakian talents.

They include Alena Murang, Kemada, Sang Rawi, At Adau, Tuku Kame, Suk Binie’, Nading Rhapsody and Mathew Ngau alongside other international talents.

 

STB Director of Communications Margaret Apau (third from right) receiving the

bronze award for Excellence in Mobile Marketing for RWMF. Picture from STB

There will be an Early Bird ticket sales for the RWMF 2022 starting 18 April for both the physical and virtual concerts on www.rwmf.net

For the physical concert, festival-goers can grab tickets in the different categories: An adult one-day pass at RM150, adult three-day pass (RM375); child one-day pass (RM80), child three-day pass (RM155) while a one-day family package pass for two adults and two children costs RM400.

The virtual tickets for the RWMF 2022 are priced at RM25.

Teaser Video Rainforest World Music Festival is "BACK"

Malaysia Airlines has been named the official airline partner for the RWMF 2022. This collaboration, a continuation of the Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) partnership with STB, will see the national carrier together with its sister airline Firefly and Journify offering unbeatable deals comprising flights and a three-day event pass to drive visitors to Sarawak. 

Malaysia Airlines and Firefly have early birds deals of up to 15% and 10% off discounts on flights on selected Malaysia Airlines, including from London, Australia and some ASEAN destinations and the recently launched Firefly’s jet operations from Penang to Kuching.

Firefly started direct flights from Penang to Kuching from 11 April using
Boeing 737-800 aircrafts

The sale will start from 25 April until 14 May for travels from 1-30 June. These tickets are available exclusively for those who purchase the three-day pass via the airline’s respective websites, where they are required to include the promo code to enjoy the discounts on the air tickets. 

Customers will also have the option to buy the “value-for-flights” deals exclusively on Journify that offers MHflypass plus a three-day pass to the RWMF 2022 at a fixed attractive price which gives them flexibility, convenience, and control over their flight spending.

The MHFlypass offers two convenient options for passengers travelling for the RWMF based .on their destination origin, allowing them to choose the zone that matches their travel needs best

Early birds can grab a MHFlypass for as low as RM1,774 for Zone 2 and RM1,974 for Zone 3 with the flights valid for a year.

Zone 2 offers passengers the opportunity to fly between Kuala Lumpur and destinations in Sabah and Sarawak while Zone 3 allows them to fly from Sabah and Sarawak to Peninsular Malaysia destinations, with a connection in Kuala Lumpur.

Multiple payment options are available, including an installment plan or Buy Now Pay Later, for these deals.

Speaking on behalf of MAG, MASWings Chief Operating Officer Captain Nasaruddin A Bakar says, “We are honoured to be appointed as the official carrier for the highly anticipated 25th edition of RWMF to bring in travellers from all over the world to the Land of the Hornbills.”

With Malaysia’s international borders reopening on 1 April, he believes this collaboration with STB will be “vital to rebuild the tourism industry, stimulate domestic and international travelling, and help support industry players' value chains such as travel agents, product owners, local artisans, and business partners”.

He adds, “We will continue to build travellers' confidence by maintaining high levels of safety and hygiene standards onboard our flights to make it a memorable travel experience for all to fly confidently, fly Malaysia and fly beyond.”

#RWMF
#Sarawak Tourism board
#Malaysia Aviation Group
#Malaysia Airlines
#Firefly
#MASWings
#Wolrd Music Festival
#Sarawak Cultural Village
#Journify
#Borneo Cultures Museum