I’ve been a big fan of the Sarawak Rainforest World Music Festival for a long time now. I got to know of it in 2002 and even attended for 3 years in a row (2002, 2003 and 2004). In those early days, not even the Penang tour agencies knew what it was.
But then we stopped going.
I did say I loved it. I still do.
I came home and spread the word about this fantastic event happening in the Sarawak Cultural Village, some 40 minutes by car from Kuching city.
Many friends, upon my enthusiastic (OK, mad is more like it) response, would be so envious. I’d come home, rave about the musicians I’d met, the people I’d spoken to, the air in Sarawak, the CDs I bought, the live jamming sessions, the different cultures and languages.
Of course, I’d tell them, “You HAVE to go. It’s one of those things you must do in your lifetime because it’s so much FUN!”
And bless their souls – they did take my advice and go. And they loved it to bits too.
When I am at the Rainforest World Music Festival, I feel I am in another country. It’s not Malaysia any more. It’s laidback, it’s international, it’s cool. It’s also open air, no seats (just bring a mat), informal and come-as-you-wish.
As it’s held in Sarawak (a world totally removed from Peninsular Malaysia), there’s a lot of leeway and freedom. People strut about in bikini tops, Caucasians and locals alike hang out at the beer gardens within the festival grounds.
There’s an insouciant air, irreverent and bohemian.
But the crowd gets bigger and bigger each year, thanks to rabid fans like me. I go and tell everyone because I’m so freaking excited.
Unfortunately, the Sarawak Cultural Village grounds aren’t meant for humongous crowds.
The nearby hotels cannot accommodate the crowds either. And the prices of hotel rooms keep skyrocketing yearly. And it’s alienating the very crowd which helped popularised the festival! In the early days, the crowd was fun, looking for cool music. In fact families came with kids. I could still get a room at the Holiday Inn Damai Beach by calling up my Kuching tour agency. It was a music festival for everyone.
Over the years, I see the party crowds who are into booze are coming in packs. They get drunk, they party like crazy, they are a hazard to other festival goers. Some look like they’ve been on some substances too. They’re NOT there to appreciate the music; they just want music. I bet you they don’t even know who’s playing on the stage!
And let me talk about prices. From those days in 2002 when I could pay less than RM1000 for a 4D/3N at Holiday Inn Damai Beach which included the festival ticket for 3 days, now I have to pay lots more.
I am talking about being a domestic traveller.
I am travelling to Sarawak, another state in Malaysia, dammit. If I have to pay RM2000 plus just to attend a 3-day music festival locally, why don’t I just go to HK or Thailand? Or wait for the Singapore music festival and just take a Jetstar plane down south?
Maybe RWMF just caters to the ang mohs and the Singaporeans.
If it is about the venue, why can’t it be held somewhere centrally in Kuching city? Then the crowd control can be better and there’s no shortage of hotels.
I think RWMF is a great tourism draw but it is losing some of its appeal by alienating the very fans who have raved about it. I am lucky I can get to attend the Penang World Music Festival if I choose not to go for the RWMF.
I just wish Sarawak Tourism Board realizes that lots of die-hard fans are just appalled at the way things are done and the way prices keep going up.
Perhaps we Malaysians aren’t the target audience they want. They’d prefer US Dollars to our measly Ringgit.
More stuff you can get your hands on:
What to prepare if you are going for the RWMF 2009.
If you’re in Kuching, you might as well sample some local food.
If you’re in Penang, try Penang World Music Festival. This year, it is from 20 to 22 November.
Where did they announce the dates for Penang? The official site is still last year’s page.
HI Gette – I got the date from the Visit Penang website at http://www.visitpenang.gov.my/portal/
At first I thought it was cancelled but the dates were announced in their recent e-newsletter. I hope it happens.
I guess that’s the negative part of allowing booze.
It’s becoming like a disco or rave party.
Hi Keeman – Yup, it is a terrible rave party where people go absolutely bonkers, pour beer over each other and if it rains, they jump right into puddles and mud and stomp like no tomorrow. This is very disturbing to me as I go there to enjoy the performances (some are good, others are probably a bit of a hit-and-miss), not to get splashed with liquor!
you are right. not enough people who attend the festival are there for the music and even less appreciate the kind of music played at the festival.
You are definitely right! I went there for the first time this year. It’s more like an observer kind of thingy. I was proud of Akasha performances though. They really made Malaysia proud with their fusion of music. I can see clearly that most of the youngsters that went there did not even appreciate the music. They all were too drunk to even hear the real pleasure and the eccentricity of each music played. It’s just another wild party ground for some. All they ever cared to do was to hit on girls and each other. Hahaha!
But it was fun, nonetheless. No harm in partying as long as we give due respect to the performers. Yes. The prices of accommodation and cost of transportation were killing my pocket. I didn’t even have enough money to buy souvenirs for people back home.
Will surely check it out next year.
LadyBug: Happy you enjoyed yourself! Did you stay near the Cultural Village or stay in downtown Kuching? Come to Penang’s version of this in November this year. It’s definitely cheaper than RWMF! 😉 Plus you get tonnes of good hawker food and cheaper hotels.
Hi, i chanced upon your site.. I went to the RWMF for the first time this year with enthusiasm but it was not what i’ve expected. Perhaps cos i stayed in the `wrong’ accommodation’
Read my `ranting’ blog post on it.. http://jesscet.blogspot.com/2009/07/festival-of-incidents.html
I would love to go to the Penang Jazz Festival but this year it clashes with my church’s VBS which i’m involved in.. oh well. maybe next time
hey there
this is really useful info for my post
thanx a lot!
Thanks Sandy! Glad you found it useful!
As a local Sarawakian attending for the second time, I do feel sorry for what you have experienced…
Anyway, i have to agree that the rain-fest is getting out of purportion… The crowd tends to be huge at night, but I believe that it should be all day as the Rain-Fest is more than just a night concert. The real festival goers are those who come and enjoy the whole fest during the day. Those who come at night just want to party, and at some point spoil the whole event.
I dance, I sing along to the music, and I admit.. I do not know half the bands playing coz some of their names are too difficult to memorize/mention. But yeah, like I said, those whom come just to party at night should skip this fest.
Lastly, The workshops are a gem. If you do not attend the workshops, you HAVE NOT been to the Rain-Fest. They should stick this in front of the entrance so that those wild party people stay away and feel ashamed 😛
Hi Cyril – Yeah, I think sometimes it happens. A good thing turns unpleasant and the very people who supported it in its infancy get disgruntled and go away. I believe the day workshops are also packed like mad. Nic and I love the day workshops – very casual, very bohemian – but over the years, it’s been getting harder and harder to get into these workshops too, especially if they are held in the longhouses of the SCV. The beauty of RWMF is that it was a nice crowd, music fans, families but I’ve seen that it’s no longer this crowd any more.