Minister Abdul Karim: 30th edition of RWMF to feature stronger headliners, upgraded venue

The 30th edition of the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) will feature stronger international headliners and venue upgrades aimed at enhancing the visitor experience.

By Amanda L

KUCHING, June 29: The Sarawak government hopes the 30th edition of the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) next year will draw bigger crowds with stronger headliners, after this year’s attendance dipped by only about two per cent amid soaring airfares.

Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said organisers had been concerned that rising flight ticket prices would affect attendance, following disruptions to global travel caused by the conflict in the Middle East.

“We were quite worried that it might affect attendance this year. But somehow, the drop was manageable, and we are very pleased with the turnout.

“There was only a slight drop of about two per cent compared with last year. Last year, we recorded about 23,000 visitors, while this year the figure is around 21,000 to 22,000,” he told reporters after the closing night of RWMF 2026 at the Sarawak Cultural Village on Sunday (June 28).

Abdul Karim speaking to reporters after the closing night of RWMF 2026 at the Sarawak Cultural Village on June 28, 2026.

Despite the slight decline, Abdul Karim described this year’s turnout as encouraging and expressed confidence that next year’s milestone 30th edition would attract even more visitors.

“The lineup and the headliners will definitely be much better, ones that can pull in the crowd. We also hope there will no longer be wars affecting tourist movements and arrivals to Sarawak,” he said.

He also assured festivalgoers that the cost of upgrading the festival’s infrastructure would not be passed on to ticket buyers.

“We will not pass the cost of upgrading the stage and other infrastructure on to attendees. Those improvements are part of our efforts to enhance the festival,” he explained.

Among the planned upgrades for next year are a redesigned main stage, a more comfortable viewing area for audiences and better backstage facilities for performers.

Abdul Karim, however, acknowledged that road upgrading works along the Kuching-Damai route, which are expected to begin next year, could temporarily affect traffic heading to the festival venue.

“It is our 30th anniversary, which is a significant milestone. We want to make sure the festival is even better than before,” he added. — DayakDaily