Full house at Rainforest World Music Festival 2024 as Day 1 sees local artists, Kitaro take the stage

Festival-goers preparing to dance the night away at RWMF 2024. Photo taken on June 28, 2024.

By Shikin Louis & Marlynda Meraw

KUCHING, June 28: It was a refreshing sight to see a full house crowd go wild over explosive performances on the first night of the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) 2024 held at Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV) here tonight.

Compared to the previous years, the concert had always started with a low turnout, especially on the first day.

However, tonight was exceptional when the crowd began flocking to the main arena as early as 5pm, comfortably taking their seats prior to the performance.

As the clock struck 6pm, the whole arena was already occupied with thousands of people.

It was exhilarating to see the crowd’s continuous momentum from start to finish as they danced the night away.

The Colour of Sound’s Malaysia band member (in yellow shirt) leads the group and crowd during their performance at RWMF 2024 on June 28, 2024.

According to Sarawak Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, the tickets were sold out for the first and second day of the 27th edition of RWMF.

Although he did not have the exact figures on hand, he stated that this year’s ticket sales had surpassed that of last year.

“And probably the third day (tickets) will also be sold out,” he told reporters at the closing ceremony of the inaugural Rainforest Youth Summit (RAYS) earlier today.

With the theme ‘Revolution’, the concert opened with the Iban’s Miring ceremony, followed by a captivating performance by Kuching-born violinist Nisa Addina and Singapore’s percussion band Tribal Tide.

Other performers included The Colour of Sound’s Malaysia, Ensemble Melayu Nusantara, The Borneo Collective and Indonesia’s Rhythm Rebels featuring Selonding Bali Aga.

Afterwards, Grammy and Golden Globe award-winning recording artist Kitaro, took the stage, leaving the crowd in awe as he brought them on an immersive musical journey.

Kitaro performs at the RWMF 2024 on June 28, 2024.

The night concluded with a musical set performance by Sarawakian musician Belle Sisoski as the headliner for the first day of RWMF 2024.

Gracing the concert with their presence were Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah and wife Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin Abdul Rahman.

Also present were Deputy Premier of Sarawak Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian; Abdul Karim; and Deputy Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (Tourism) Datuk Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew. — DayakDaily

Tickets were sold out for the first and second day of RWMF 2024.

The morning crowd registering for entry at RWMF 2024.