A spectacle of stage sparks lighting up the stage during the finale of RWMF 2022. — Photo by Roystein Emmor
KUCHING (June 20): The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) ended its 25th edition on Sunday night — not quietly, but with a bang.
At around 11pm, the finale began with performers gathering on stage cheering and dancing to mark the end of RWMF 2022.
This was followed by a spectacle of awesome stage sparks which brightened up the stage.
The crowd, by the thousands, also joined in as they whooped and cheered their way through the end of the festival at midnight.
With the festival reaching its attendance target of 12,000 visitors, this was a clear sign the festival would make its return for its 26th edition.
According to Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah at a press conference last night, the next edition of RWMF will be held in June next year.
“So, watch out for the dates,” he said.
The concert on the closing night of the festival featured a myriad of performers from around the world, including Timo Vaananen from Finland, Warsaw Village Band from Poland, Stephen Seifert from USA and Flame of the Forest from Singapore.
Alena Murang — Photo by Chimon Upon
Sarawakian performers also took centre stage, including Rining Peter Paris, Arthur Borman, Alena Murang and the youngest solo performer, 11-year-old Nikita Sarna, who performed alongside Alena during the concert last night.
Nikita Sarna — Photo by Roystein Emmor
The three-day concert also featured notable performers such as Mathew Ngau Jau, At Adau and Pinanak Sentah.
Mathew Ngau Jau — Photo by Chimon Upon
For daytime activities, a series of workshops, arts and crafts exhibitions and live shows in selected venues were also held.
The sape class held by Persatuan Anak Seni Sape Kuching (Pusak), in particular, gained traction from enthusiasts as they learned how to play the traditional lute.
With the theme ‘Legendary Rainforest Celebration’, this year’s edition of RWMF featured 60 performers from 20 countries and was also the first time since the festival’s inception in 1998 that it was hosted as a hybrid event.