By Karen Bong
KUCHING, July 11: The popular annual Kuching Food Festival has a history that predates Kuching’s recognition as a city, with the event first introduced in 1986, two years before Kuching officially attained city status in 1988.
Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng shared that the festival was initiated by the then Kuching Municipal Council (KMC) in 1986, when Kuching was still a municipality, following Malaysia’s first hosting of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart.
“Many people knew the Kuching Festival mainly as a food event, but fewer were aware of its origins and the reasons behind its establishment.
“At that time, the federal government encouraged all states to organise special programmes to welcome delegates from across the Asia-Pacific region who came to Malaysia for the travel mart,” he said during his ShallWeeTalk live session today.
Wee explained that KMC responded by organising the Kuching Festival, which started on a much smaller scale with only about 20 stalls.
He recalled that the early festival featured a circular stage at Reservoir Park where performances were held before the venue was later changed.
After Kuching became a city in 1988, the festival was moved to the MBKS’ community hall in 1989, where it continued to grow from a single row of around 25 stalls.
“From there, it slowly expanded. When I became the mayor in 2019, there were more than 200 stalls. Today, there are more than 300 stalls,” he said.
Wee emphasised that the success of the Kuching Festival was built on four decades of dedication from organisers, volunteers and those involved behind the scenes.
He said while visitors usually experience only the 24-day food festival, months of preparation are required before the event opens, including planning, stall arrangements, logistics, and promotional activities.
“When people see the canopies being set up, or the videos being produced, they may not realise that preparations have already been ongoing for five to six months,” he said.
Wee urged the public to appreciate and protect the legacy built by previous generations, saying the festival’s reputation as one of Kuching’s signature events was the result of years of hard work.
“We should resolve issues properly and not damage something that our predecessors spent 40 years building,” he said.
He also highlighted how the festival has evolved over the years. In its earlier years, it featured events such as Miss Kuching and Mr Kuching competitions, with the latter being a bodybuilding contest.
Over time, the festival expanded beyond food and entertainment to include cultural performances, sister-city showcases, senior citizen programmes, arts activities and, in recent years, new attractions such as cosplay, K-pop performances, the Heritage Run and the Mayor’s Walk.
Wee said the festival continues to introduce new elements each year to maintain public interest and provide fresh experiences.
For this year’s edition, he said international chefs from the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) would be participating with physical booths from Aug 4 to Aug 8 to showcase their cuisines.
Following that, Sarawak’s award-winning local food products and cuisines that have received international recognition will be featured from Aug 10 until the festival’s final day on Aug 16.
He added that two major events would mark the finale, with the Mayor’s Walk in the morning and a large cosplay event at VivaCity’s hotel aimed at attracting younger participants.
Wee said the Kuching Festival was designed as an inclusive celebration for people of all backgrounds and age groups, with activities catering to different communities throughout the festival period.
Meanwhile, Wee called on Sarawakians to join the opening celebration on July 22, which coincides with Sarawak Day.
He encouraged participants to wear clothing in the colours of the Sarawak flag — red, blue, yellow and black — and join the walk starting from MBKS to commemorate Sarawak Day.
“July 22 is not only Sarawak Day, but also the first day of the Kuching Festival. This year, we brought the festival forward by two days to coincide with the celebration,” he said.
