Organisers target 3,000 visitors for Borneo Tuak Festival this weekend

KUCHING (Nov 21): The organisers of the Borneo Tuak Festival are eyeing to host around 3,000 visitors this weekend (Nov 24-26).

To be taking place at The Hills shopping centre here, the event will gather 20 ‘tuak’ entrepreneurs, and line up 15 activities for the visitors.

The traditional rice wine of Borneo, ‘tuak’ is derived from the fermentation of regular or glutinous rice, or the palm tree sap – most of the time with sugar being added in to better facilitate the process.

Ehom Chan, a partner in the SAGO Group and also one of the organisers, said the festival would feature a bazaar, a ‘tuak’ showcase, performances by local artistes, various competitions, as well as in-depth talks and sharing-sessions run by industry players and pioneers.

“All these activities aim to stimulate innovation, deepen the people’s understanding of ‘tuak’, facilitate the discussions regarding ‘tuak’ production, and address the changes in the alcoholic beverage industry today.

“Moreover, the festival will showcase over 20 ‘tuak’ brands,” he said during a media session on the event, held at Baitulmakmur II here today, where Deputy Minister I for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak Datuk Sebastian Ting was also present.

In his remark, Ting hailed ‘tuak’ as ‘holding a significant identity in Sarawak culture, with the traditional drink have connected generations.

In this respect, he regarded the Borneo Tuak Festival 2023 as a tribute to this heritage.

“This festival will be showcasing the skills involved in ‘tuak’ production. It also gives the opportunity to the locals and the tourists to try out some high-quality ‘tuak’.

“Tuak is not just a drink; this blend symbolises identity and it is an inherited knowledge that connects the past and present generations,” he emphasised.

Citing Japan’s ‘sake’ and Korea’s ‘makgeolli’ as prime examples, Ting said ‘tuak’ had been gaining popularity and garnering high demand at the local entertainment centres.

“There’s nothing wrong with celebrating ‘tuak’ with a festival as a historic beginning.

“We want to preserve our culture, and the next step would be to commercialise ‘tuak’ – making it a business and selling it to the neighbouring countries and around the world,” he added.