Festival organisers rue lack of concert etiquette

BY NURIN PATRA and JAMES WONG

KUCHING: Organisers of the 2024 Borneo Music Festival (BSMF) which ended here on Saturday say there is a need to raise awareness about concert etiquette.

BSMF 2024 organiser, Steven Au of BME International (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd said regretted that this was lacking among a portion of concertgoers.

Unfortunately, some people tend to think that cleaning up is part of the service they had paid for with their tickets, he said.

“However, that does not apply to everyone as there are also many people are already doing their part by throwing their trash in the bin.

“We still need to encourage people to really clean up after themselves when they leave. It’s a part of the experience we’re working to improve, and we believe it’s an area where we can lead by example.”

He said this to New Sarawak Tribune after the BSMF finale at Sarawak Stadium on Oct 12.

Au was asked on what are the efforts taken by the organiser to address the issue of waste left behind by some concertgoers.

As a proactive step for the next BSMF 2025, he said that he is planning to try minimise this issue by giving out trash bags to concertgoers.

“It’s a simple way to make it easier for people to dispose of their trash responsibly. Just finish your food, put the waste in the bag, and drop it by the bin as you leave,” he said.

He also said that as an organiser, he and his team needed to do well in combating this issue and improve themselves better as organisers.

“It’s also part of our responsibility and it’s not just about cleaning up after a concert.

“It’s about building habits and raising awareness in the community. If we can set the standard here, we can inspire others to follow,” he said.

This is because as an organiser, Au believes in the power of leading by example.

“You always need someone to take the lead and it’s part of our responsibility as event organisers to guide people in the right direction.

“By making it easier for people to clean up after themselves, we’re creating a culture of awareness and we are showing that it’s not just about having fun, it’s also about respecting the environment and the people around you,” he said.

While BSMF 2024 faced minor challenges with waste, the festival was a success overall.

“Overall it was great, awesome. Especially this year of Borneo Sonic, I can really see the unity of Sarawakians. Not only among Sarawakians, with other Borneans as we had a lot of Indonesians coming over.

“We also had people coming from Singapore and even Thailand. It shows that Sarawak is a place where everyone can come together in unity and peace,” he said.