By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 10: The iconic Keretapi Sarong celebration is making its way across the South China Sea, with Kuching joining the nationwide Malaysia Day movement for the first time on Sept 16.
Sarawak is among three new locations added to Keretapi Sarong 2026 (KS26), alongside Padang Besar and Langkawi, as the movement marks its 10th edition by expanding to 10 cities nationwide.
LOCCO co-founder Shamsul Bahrine Zainuzzaman said the expansion would bring the spirit of Keretapi Sarong to new communities and further widen the movement’s reach, which was previously more closely associated with the Klang Valley.
“Padang Besar takes us to the northern border gateway. Langkawi proves that the spirit of Keretapi Sarong has never been limited to railway tracks.
“Kuching, meanwhile, takes this journey across the South China Sea, bringing the celebration closer to the true spirit of Malaysia Day,” he said at the Keretapi Sarong 2026 press conference in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 8, as reported by TVS.
He said the expansion would also provide Malaysians from different regions and backgrounds with an opportunity to come together and celebrate the country’s diverse identity.
Besides Kuching, Padang Besar and Langkawi, KS26 will also take place in Sungai Petani, George Town, Ipoh, Melaka, Johor Bahru, Kota Bharu and Kuantan.
In the Klang Valley, participants will gather at 12 selected starting stations before travelling together to a secret destination, maintaining the element of surprise that has become one of Keretapi Sarong’s defining features.
Shamsul said the “train” concept behind the movement carried a deeper meaning beyond transportation, symbolising the human journey of building connections and understanding one another.
“For us, it is not merely a vehicle. It symbolises the human journey from not knowing one another to understanding each other; from simply observing to participating; and from inheriting culture to choosing to carry it forward,” he said.
Keretapi Sarong was revived by LOCCO in 2017 and has since grown from a small-scale cultural flash mob into a nationwide Malaysia Day movement.
For KS26, organisers are also introducing a Women’s Station at MRT Titiwangsa and the movement’s first official theme song, “Joget Sarong”.
Held under the theme “Sayang Malaysia”, the celebration encourages Malaysians to showcase the country’s cultural diversity by donning sarongs, batik, songket and other traditional attire.
With Kuching now part of the journey, KS26 will bring its colourful celebration of culture and Malaysian identity to Sarawak for the first time on Malaysia Day. — DayakDaily
