Borderland Music Festival can be next music draw

KUCHING: Borderland Music Festival has the potential to grow into a major music tourism event, attracting visitors beyond Sarawak, said Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Snowdan Lawan.

He said the festival, now in its fourth edition, had demonstrated strong appeal among young people and professionals through its electronic dance music (EDM) programme.

“I am very proud and pleased to see young people organising Borderland with this kind of capacity, even though they are young and this is still new,” he said.

He said this at Borderland Music Festival 2026 at Sarawak Culture Village yesterday (Sep11).

Snowdan said he made an unexpected visit to Borderland on its first night after completing another programme with the Education Department at Kuching Waterfront.

He said he decided to attend as he would be unable to make it tonight (Sept 12) due to his role as guest of honour at Miss Sarawak Tourism.

“I know I won’t be able to come tomorrow night, so I just contacted them and told them I would be dropping by,” he said.

Snowdan said the strong turnout was evident from the long queue of vehicles leading to the festival venue, with about 9,000 people attending on its opening night (Sep11).

“Tonight is about 9,000, probably tomorrow will be more. We are talking maybe 11,000 or 12,000, but we don’t know,” he said.

He said the festival’s second night, falling on Saturday ahead of a public holiday, could draw an even larger crowd compared with its opening night.

Addressing concerns over haze, Snowdan said the weather condition did not appear to affect the festival, noting that the Air Pollutant Index (API) in Damai remained relatively low.

“I don’t think the haze actually affects the concert because the API is quite low. It is not an emergency situation,” he said.

Snowdan said organisers also proceeded with the festival following strong support from ticket holders and the public, despite concerns over the haze.

He believed Borderland could eventually establish itself alongside established events such as the Rainforest World Music Festival as a new tourism brand for Sarawak.

“Music unites us together, and this can become a new branding apart from the Rainforest World Music Festival,” he said.

Snowdan said Borderland could attract visitors from outside Kuching and Sarawak, subsequently boosting tourism and positioning Damai as a destination for major music events.

He said the festival’s continued growth could emulate international events such as Tomorrowland in Belgium, which draws audiences from around the world.