Kuching Festival is an annual event organized by Council of the City of Kuching South (MBKS) and Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) to commemorate Kuching being elevated to City status on 1st August 1988.
According to the MBKS website, the event is held to boost local tourism and food industry, and includes dramatic performances, musical concerts, galleries, exhibitions, essay writing competition and many more.
The main attraction within the festival however is the food fair which offers festival goers a chance to enjoy a wide range of mouth-watering and sometimes unique food and drinks.
To get a glimpse of the Kuching Festival, check out the video below.
WHEN TO GO TO THE KUCHING FESTIVAL
The festival gates open beginning at 4PM, but the crowd really start swelling up at 6PM daily, and most stalls are operational by then. Every year, there’s a particular dish that becomes the highlights of the festival, and if you are unlucky, it would likely be sold out by 8PM.
The Festival usually starts in August, but dates can change. Here’s the dates of the Kuching Festival previously:
- 2015: 31 July – 23 August
- 2016: 29 July – 21 August
- 2017: 28 July – 20 August
- 2018: 27 July – 19 August
- 2019: 26 July – 18 August
- 2020: Canceled
- 2021: Canceled
- 2022: 29 July – 21 August
- 2023: 28 July – 20 August
What to expect
People usually associate Kuching Festival with the Food Fair or the Kuching Festival Fair, but in truth, the festival is a month-long event with plenty of other events and activities organized.
The activities that had been organized in the past are as follows. Click on the links to learn more about the respective events.
- Food Fair
- Garden Show
- Night Performances
- Street Parade
- River float/boat parade
- Kuching Zumba Fiesta
- e-sport competitions
- Chess and Chinese Chess competitions
- Basketball Jamboree/Tournament
- Mayor’s Cup football tournament
- Martial Art Display
- Kuching Got Talent
- Folk Dance Competition
- Traditional Oriental Music
- Yuanji Dance Performance
- Mayor’s Walk
- Fishing Competition
- Volleyball Competition
Kuching Festival tickets
Most events held during Kuching Festival do not need ticketing and are free for public participation or viewing.
However, for some events, particularly those which involve money making (such as selling items or food) as well as prizes, participation or rental fees may be charged.
Usually, the general public which would be spectators or viewers would not be charged any fee and are free to participate.
If you want to participate in any of the events held during Kuching Festival, be sure to find out the latest details on fees before doing so to ensure you do not end up disappointed.
Venue of Kuching Festival
The Kuching Festival venue varies according to what event is being held.
You need to check the individual events above to know where they are held.
What to wear
Most events organized during Kuching Festival in Sarawak are free and easy, catering to the tropical weather of Kuching.
I would strongly advice cotton clothing which includes sleeved shirts.
For food, parades and sport events, you can wear shorts and normal t-shirts.
Where to stay during Kuching Festival
Despite the festival being scattered around Kuching, I would advice getting a hotel nearby Padungan, which is near by the Kuching Community Hall.
This is because most activities would centre around the area, particularly the performances, and food fair.
Hotels located just 10 minutes’ walk to the festival grounds are listed below.
- Kuching Park Hotel
- Kingwood Hotel
- Hock Lee Hotel & Residence
- Dream City
- Roxy Padungan
- OYO 1220 396 Home Sweet Home
If you do not want to use my recommendations above and prefer to book hotels by yourself, make sure they are located at Jalan Padungan. This will cut travel time to the festival grounds. However, it is worth to note Jalan Padungan is a kilometer long stretch, so you might end up booking a hotel that is quite far if you are not careful.
Avoid any beach hotels because they will be far from the venue and transportation may be difficult.
More events in Kuching
Aside from the annual Kuching Festival, a wide range of other events also happen in Kuching City with the award-winning Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) headlining the list during the second week of July annually.
Aside from the RWMF, the Rainforest Fringe Festival showcases local art and cultural talents happens in July as well, while the Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival (KWJF) brings blues music to the city in September.
For sports enthusiast, the annual Kuching Marathon is usually held in August and it is famed for having one of the ‘friendliest’ run routes in Malaysia, and the Sarawak Regatta features extremely exciting yet colourful boat races in September.
FYI, during the month of June to October, Kuching hotels are usually packed as this is the time most festivals are held around the city.
Check out more festivals in Kuching here.
