Plans for larger venue, more international acts for Kuching Jazz Festival 2025, says SEDC chairman

KUCHING (Oct 3): Plans are on the pipeline to hold the Kuching Jazz Festival at a larger venue next year to accommodate a bigger audience, said Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abdul Aziz Husain.

He said the organisers aim to attract more diverse musicians from across Asia and beyond to further elevate Sarawak as a key tourism destination and potentially position the festival as a key festival in the region.

“I think I’ve told our directors here that we should actually plan next year’s event starting from now, in order to get better, more people, more musicians to come. Maybe those who are more popular, now we know who are popular, especially among the young, to come here and participate in this event, in this festival.

“And of course, we may have to actually enlarge the venues to accommodate more people.

“So this is something that we are actually looking at and planning for next year’s event,” he said at a press conference for the Kuching Jazz Festival 2024 here today.

The Kuching Jazz Festival 2024, organised by Hemisphere Corporation Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of SEDC, will kick off tomorrow at the Grand Margherita Kuching’s waterfront.

The festival will feature an exclusive performance by Rizky Febian, marking his first-ever concert in Malaysia, exclusively in Kuching.

This highly anticipated performance will be one of the main highlights of the festival, drawing fans from across the region to witness Rizky Febian’s incredible talent and captivating stage presence.

His performance promises to add an unforgettable element to this year’s festival, showcasing his unique blend of jazz and pop that has won over audiences internationally.

Kuching Jazz 2024 will feature an eclectic mix of talented artists, including renowned local bands such as Swaiv, Improvisor, Sang Timur, Suhu, Zee Avi, and Aruel Ariel & The Fasola, each bringing their unique sound and energy to the stage.

Abdul Aziz said that they are expecting a strong turnout this year, with visitors not only from Kuching but also from across Sarawak, Malaysia, and even international guests.

“We are pleased to announce that we have already sold over 1,500 tickets for the two-day event, and we’re aiming to surpass 2,000.

“This year’s festival will not only bring music lovers together but also contribute significantly to Sarawak’s tourism industry by boosting local businesses, especially hotels and restaurants,” he said.

Asked on how the festival can strengthen the economy and tourism sector, Abdul Aziz said: “Simple answer, of course it will.

“First of all, we aim to promote tourism, not just within Malaysia but also from neighboring countries like Brunei, Thailand, and Indonesia.

“We are geographically close, and we want to foster regional tourism, particularly within the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area) nations.

“Beyond tourism, we see this festival as a way to encourage cross-cultural exchanges, learning from what our neighbors in Thailand and Indonesia are doing culturally, bringing us closer together and promoting unity in the region.

“So of course, the first aim is to promote tourism, secondly, cultural exchanges, and also to promote unity. I think this should be the main idea behind organising such an event,” he said.

Also present at the press conference were Kuching Jazz 2024 festival director Zaini Zainuddin, Consul-General of the Republic of Indonesia in Kuching Raden Sigit Witjaksono, SEDC deputy general manager Rakayah Hamdan, Hemisphere Corporation chief executive officer Mark Ferguson, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) Sarawak director Debbie Jenggut Nyelang, Tourism Malaysia Sarawak regional director Nurul Ain Mohammed Yunus, and Sarawak Cultural Village general manager Jane Lian Labang.

Kuching Jazz traces its roots back to 2017 when it was known as the Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival (KWJF), later rebranded as Kuching Jazz Festival in 2022. This event has grown into one of the premier music festivals in the region.

For more information, visit www.kuchingjazz.my.