Sairah (centre) pictured with Djuanis (fourth right) and other committee members after a press conference announcing the Sabah Food Festival and Homestay Carnival at Koisaan Cultural Village.
KOTA KINABALU: Food will be used as a medium to showcase Sabah and its cultural diversity during the four-day Sabah Food Festival at the Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA) Koisaan Cultural Village (KCV), from December 13 to 16.
Jointly organised by KDCA, Homestay Sabah and Hostastay Berhad, the food festival features 55 participating booths selling various local delicacies, from vendors comprising ethnic groups in Sabah including Bajau, Brunei and even Malay and Chinese cuisine, with halal options.
Koisaan Cultural Village manager Sairah Indan said the food festival is aimed at promoting KCV as a tourist destination as well as introducing the variety of traditional food in Sabah, available in a wide range unique to its multiracial society.
“Sabah Food Festival is open to all and we encourage locals and tourists alike to come and feast on favourite delicacies. With the theme ‘Eat, Enjoy & Learn,’ we hope visitors will not only enjoy the delicious food but also learn about it and appreciate local culture. We also hope this festival would encourage inter-racial understanding through cultural sharing,” said Sairah at a press conference yesterday.
Sairah also said the food festival was hoping to make an interesting addition to the annually anticipated Kaamatan festivities every May, and put the cultural village on the map as a must-visit tourist attraction.
In addition to featuring local cuisine, the festival will also be held in conjunction with a Homestay Carnival to promote the homestay industry, especially among tourists.
Sabah Homestay Association president Djuanis Mogirong said the carnival would be held together with the food festival so that the homestay community would be able to build a wider network with ethnic-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and associations, as those groups actively promote cultural products, food being one of them.
“The homestay industry promotes the same thing and that is local culture. Through this carnival, more people would be made aware of the homestay industry in Sabah, its activities and attractions.
“From the feedback we receive, tourists are interested in experiencing the culture of local communities and their surroundings. One of the main attractions is also local cuisine, as homestay operators typically prepare local dishes for guests. With this carnival, we hope that the world would know what makes Sabah unique, interesting and worth a visit,” said Djuanis.
Throughout the four-day festival, visitors are also invited to enjoy and take part in numerous activities such as cultural performances, bamboo orchestra, arts and crafts work, blood donation, children’s colouring contest and fashion show, Zumba, traditional cooking demonstration and food tasting, balloon rides and more.
Coupons are available for purchase at Koisaan Cultural Village, KDCA as well as at the door on the day of the event, for RM20, RM50 and RM100.