Rainforest World Music Festival entering a new decade

Rainforest World Music Festival entering a new decade

This year's RWMF will be held from July 11 to 13 at the foot of Mount Santubong within the Sarawak Cultural Village, a 45-minute drive from the State's capital, Kuching.

A total of 16 groups, including local bands, will perform at this year's festival. And, as in previous years they will be from all over the world. The full list of the bands will be announce in the next few weeks and at the moment, STB is in the process of finalizing the band selection. It was a tough act for STB as it had received more than 450 applications from bands that are keen to perform at RMWF.

Tickets priced at RM90 per day and RM250 for three days for adult and RM45 per day and RM100 for three days for children between three and 12 years old, are available online at www.ticketcharge.com.my [3]. The online ticket sales had began on December 12 last year and respond had been very encouraging.

And, the first 500 guests who buy two three-day passes will be given a copy of the soft cover RWMF anniversary book entitled "Music Without Borders- The Rainforest World Music Festival in Sarawak.- The 508-page book depicted the chronology of the festival since its inception in 1998. Retailed at RM125 per copy, the book also contained more than 500 photographs.

For fresh idea to the festival, numerous fringe events have been included to add more air of festivity to the festival which has been enjoying steady growth in popularity. The three confirmed ones are Rainforest World Craft Bazaar 2008 (RWCB), Folk Art Forum (FAF) and the Global Village.

The RWCB is organized by the Sarawak Craft Council in collaboration with STB. The bazaar is scheduled to be held from July 9 to 15 and expected to be participated by master craftsmen from various countries including from Sarawak, showcasing their unique crafts wares.Craft making workshop will also be held at the RWCB, besides the exhibition and sales of the crafts.

The art forum is more on showcasing works of renowned local and international artists. Organised by Galleria, the theme for the art forum is Our Culture, Our People. To be held from July 9 to 11 at the Orang Ulu House at the Sarawak Cultural Village, the art forum is target the audience of students and art enthusiasts. The FAF itineraries include workshop, exhibition and forum.

The Global Village which will be held simultaneously with RWMF, is showcasing the culture, tradition and crafts of indigenous groups from various countries.

Meanwhile, more than 22,000 guests from all corners of the world came for the anniversary celebration last year. The guests were entertained by 19 bands and performers that had graced the RWMF stage over the last ten years. Last year's festival also saw the presence of about 250 media representatives providing coverage for both the print and electronic media. The smooth running of the anniversary celebration was also supported by a strong team of 150 volunteers. The dedicated volunteers, some of whom had volunteered for many years, helped tirelessly in various areas.

Organised by the Sarawak Tourism Board, the festival is one of Malaysia's best tourism icon and has been listed under the events to be promoted by Tourism Malaysia worldwide.

The festival is also supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia and Ministry of Urban Development and Tourism, Sarawak.