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KUCHING, June 24: The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) made a spectacular comeback this year, with ticket sales surpassing 2022’s figures in just the first two days.
According to a media release by Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) today, this number is expected to increase further as the three-day festival goes into a full crescendo with internationally renowned musician American reggae band ‘Big Mountain’, which is famous for their song ‘Baby, I Love Your Way’, closing the festival on the last day (June 25).
At the same time, this year’s RWMF is on its way to creating a new record for the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) for the biggest number of percussionists in a music festival.
Today’s highlight at RWMF was the ‘Market@RWMF 2023’ launch by the Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
The market showcased products by over 200 local vendors, including crafts, fashion, lifestyle, and wellness-related services, drawing the bulk of the RWMF crowd.
The second day also witnessed the crowd being thrilled by the performance from Grammy Award winner Gipsy Kings featuring Tonino Baliardo, famous for the hit ‘Bamboleo’.
“The overwhelming response in the first two days of RWMF 2023 has exceeded our expectations and proven the strong appeal of our festival’s content, ‘beyond music’—with culture, food, and overall strong camaraderie among local and international performers and visitors.
“We continue to advocate Responsible Tourism, creating awareness on the importance of planetary health, which has further fuelled a defining zeitgeist movement of sustainability among our audience extending the spirit of RWMF beyond the traditional music-based festival,” said STB chief executive officer Sharzede Salleh Askor.
Themed ‘Reflections’, the RWMF’s first full physical experience since the pandemic, was ruminated on the experiences and lessons learned in the last three years of the pandemic and how far the RWMF had evolved since its inception in 1998.
The opening night of RWMF 2023 saw performances by Rastak from Iran, At Adau from Sarawak, and local Sarawakian international artiste Zee Avi.
The Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV), home of the RWMF, housed performances at the ‘Jungle Stage’ and the ‘Tree Stage’ and workshops from the Bidayuh, Iban, Chinese, and Malay houses. Additional performances also livened the atmosphere throughout the grounds of the festival.
Building on its commitment to Responsible Tourism, the RWMF has been consistently steadfast in its sustainability efforts. Apart from the ban on single-use plastics, providing on-site water refill stations and free shuttle bus service to promote greener transportation, this year’s RWMF has introduced seed paper for festival tags, a biodegradable material embedded with seeds that grow when planted in soil, reinforcing the festival’s deep connection to nature.
RWMF 2023 was supported by various sponsors, namely Malaysia Airlines, Air Asia Ride, TVS, Carlsberg, PEPSI, Plaza Merdeka & Waterfront Hotel, Spin Sportwear, Petroleum Sarawak Berhad, SACOFA, Midvalley Megamall Kuala Lumpur, Hornbill Skyways, Sarawak Timber Associations, and ATS Global Travel & Chapter Sdn Bhd. — DayakDaily
