Preview of the Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival 2018: Line-up, schedule and tips
The Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival 2018 will be happening on 28 – 29th September 2018.
Last year, the organizers hosted 4,000 people at the festival, so the numbers are likely to soar this year with a stronger line-up.
If you’ve noticed any hick-ups during the first one in 2017, it should be ironed up this time around.
The festival itself hasn’t changed much in terms of concept with a lot of buzz happening during the whole two day event.
PERFORMERS OF THE KWJF 2018
The Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival 2017 had the likes of Sheila Majid last year. Shiela Majid is a huge name in jazz, so topping last year would not be easy.
Thankfully, this years line-up is equally impressive with Sarawakian Dayang Nurfaizah being one of the biggest names to perform. The local Sarawakian joins the likes of Jolynn J Chin, TOMPI, Carmen Souza Trio, Aisyah Aziz, Blues Gang, TULUS, Alemay Fernandez & Richard Jackson, Atilia Haron and Natalie Gillespie Band on stage during this two day festival.
Other acts also making an appearance on stage during the Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival 2018 are Aditya, Natalie Gillispie Band, Tuku Kame, D’Cipta Band and the winner of KWJF2018 Jazz Band Search which is Sang Voyage.
The line-up is very favorable and exciting for Jazz fans as they are huge names in the scene. I’m not exactly a jazz fan, but having the likes of Dayang Nurfaizah and Tuku Kame in the mix is good enough to have me eager to go to the festival.
THE KWJF 2018 SCHEDULE
On 28 August, I received the full schedule of the Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival.
You can check out the schedule below, or download it if you want to.
>> DOWNLOAD THE KWJF 2018 FULL SCHEDULE
THE JAZZ FESTIVAL FOOD BAZAAR
The food bazaar at the Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival 2018 is tiny compared to the signature Kuching Festival, but it is the only fixed event in Kuching at the moment that has the enigmatic Kuching Waterfront as a backdrop.
Last year, there was about 10 food stalls serving local and international food, and I was informed this is set to increase given the reception at these food stalls last year.
THE CRAFTS AND ARTS BAZAAR AT THE KUCHING WATERFRONT JAZZ FESTIVAL 2018
The crafts and arts bazaar is a mixed bag with NGO’s also joining in to raise funds for their purpose.
Expect to see hand made crafts, and also exclusive crafts and souvenirs at the festival.
WHERE TO BUY TICKETS FOR THE KUCHING WATERFRONT JAZZ FESTIVAL 2018
By the time this preview is up, the promotional prices offered for the festival had already been closed.
However, there’s still pre-purchase tickets which are so much cheaper than the ‘at the door’ tickets.
Pre-purchase tickets are priced as follows:
You can pre-purchase your tickets at www.kuchingwaterfrontjazz.com.
>> BUY KUCHING WATERFRONT JAZZ TICKETS
If you want to save, I highly encourage you to pre-puchase your tickets as tickets might be sold out fast. This is judging by the fact that the event was already popular last year despite the fact it was the first.
GETTING TO THE KWJF 2018
The Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival 2018 will be played behind the Grand Margherita Hotel, on the Kuching Waterfront itself.
With the Sarawak State Legislative as a perfect background, the ambiance of the whole festival is considered perfect to showcase Kuching and Sarawak as a whole.
Thanks to it’s popular location, going to the Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival 2018 wouldn’t be difficult.
If you are staying at hotels located within Kuching city centre, walking is the best option. All you need to do is follow the map to the Grand Margherita Hotel as show in the Google Maps below.
If your hotel is quite far, or you are from out of town, the Google Map would still be a major help, although using GRAB would be highly encouraged.
>> DOWNLOAD THE GRAB APP
On your GRAB App, just look for the Grand Margherita Hotel Kuching, and rates for your transportation would be displayed. Else, take a cab/taxi and ask them to take you to the hotel.
It is likey the Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival 2018 wouln’t be so visible from the front of the hotel as the festival grounds is located behind the hotel, hidden from the main road.
That said, you can only enter the festival grounds through the hotel lobby area.
Please note to the map below for directions and entry points to the festival.
WHERE TO STAY DURING THE KWJF 2018?
The best place to stay for the Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival 2018 is of course the Grand Margherita Hotel Kuching. It is of course the venue of the festival and you can see the venue from your hotel room window.
>> BOOK A ROOM AT GRAND MARGHERITA HOTEL
Imperial Riverbank Hotel Kuching is also very close to the venue, making it my second choice if I went to the KWJF.
Other good choices include Riverside Majestic Hotel and Hilton Kuching, both just minutes from the venue itself. In my opinion, Riverside Majestic offers luxury at amazing prices (You can read my personal review here), while Hilton is a trusted brand by itself.
>> BOOK A ROOM AT HILTON KUCHING
If the three hotels are not your choice, or are fully booked, check out this list of hotels in Kuching City Center. I’ve compiled them specifically to help those unfamiliar with Kuching. These hotels are within the Kuching City Centre, and a walking distance to the Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival Venue.
RELATED ARTICLE AND TIPS ABOUT THE KUCHING WATERFRONT JAZZ FESTIVAL
I constantly update tips and local guides about my hometown to ease tourist and travelers. I believe this would be great help for anyone coming to Kuching.
You can read them in the links below:
The Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival 2018 kicks off What About Kuching (WAK) 2018 which is yet another signature event in Kuching. If you want to know more about WAK 2018, I’ve wrote about what to expect in the event through this article.
P/s: I will update this post from time to time, so bookmark it to get the latest details on the KWJF 2018! – Last updated 28 August 2018.
