Influential Rainforest World Music Festival to Return in June 2022

Iconic Malaysian world music gathering, Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), will be celebrating its 25^th anniversary in 2022 as a hybrid event for the first time since the beginning of the music festival in 1998. Festival dates are June 17-19, 2022.

This year’s theme is “Legendary Rainforest Celebration”. The physical concert will be taking place at Sarawak Cultural Village in Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo) while viewers will also be able to livestream it from their homes through an online viewing platform that will be launched at a later date.

Rainforest World Music Festival will be welcoming back a set of international performers from Canada, India, USA, Finland, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, China, Bhutan and South Korea among others, with Majlis Seni Sarawak mixing traditional Sarawakian music with international flavors opening the three-day show in a first-time musical collaboration with Sarawak Tourism Board. 

The announcement of Sarawak’s highly anticipated and emblematic event was made today by Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, the Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts; along with Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor, Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Tourism Board; and Capt. Nasaruddin A Bakar, Chief Operating Officer of MASWings representing the Malaysia Aviation Group.

During his speech, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said: “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. 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.” 

Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Tourism Board, Puan Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor said, “Every year we strive to make 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 Rainforest World Music Festival’s first hybrid edition this year. We hope that creating this unique precedent for the 25^th 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.”

Early Bird ticket sales start on April 18, 2022 for both the physical and virtual concerts on rwmf.net.

In the meantime, Malaysia Airlines has been named the official airline partner of the Rainforest World Music Festival. The collaboration, which is also a continuation of the Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG)’s partnership with Sarawak Tourism Board will see Malaysia Airlines, Firefly and Journify offering attractive packages comprising flights and 3-day event pass to drive visitors to Sarawak.

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

More information about the festival, tickets and travel at https://rwmf.net