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Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 Review

Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 Review

rainforest-world-music-festival-2022-review Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 Review

After attending several Rainforest World Music Festivals, this world-class event was cancelled for 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was brought back in 2022 for its 25th anniversary.

And attending the RWMF2022 was such a joy as it brought the people out, and festivalgoers went all out to have the time of their lives since the lockdowns.

Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 Review

Arriving in Kuching several days earlier, I took the opportunity to explore this laid-back city, seeking to indulge in some of my old favourite food joints.

kuchin-places-to-visit Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 Review
The magnificent Darul Hana Bridge in Kuching should be visited if you stay in the city.

And, of course, also to discover new ones introduced by local friends here. And that was quite an eye-opener for me as it’s been two and a half years since I last visited here.

The first thing on my mind was the famous Sarawak Kolo Mee, found all over the city. And not forgetting, Kuching is also home to some fantastic Foochow food like the Kompia.

kuching-kolo-mee Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 Review
A nice bowl of Kolo Mee in Kuching. (Not Halal)

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Traditional Foochow Kompia, also Not Halal.

After trying out various local noodles and ethnic foods, the next stop was checking in at the Damai Beach Resort, just opposite the Sarawak Cultural Village, also known as Kampung Budaya Sarawak.

The journey takes about 70-80 minutes one way through a picturesque drive through the many peat swamps and local villages (kampungs) towards Damai Beach in Santubong.

As I checked in just after lunch on the first day of the Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 (RWMF2022), I quickly went to the festival grounds to see if any distinguished changes had occurred.

With luck, nothing has changed since the last RWMF 2019, as the Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV) still looks as beautiful as ever, remaining the main venue for this world-class event.

The main stage area is still at the exact location; the only difference is that the Tree Stage or the second smaller stage was not there.

It was a hybrid event, the first time this was done in the history of 25 years, where people worldwide can buy online viewing blocks to catch the festival from the comfort of their homes.

This was mainly created because many needed help to travel or were reluctant. This allowed the organisers to contact them via an online viewing experience.

damai-beach-resort Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 Review
The Damai Beach Resort hill view units.

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Arriving on the 1st day at RWMF 2022, the locals pleasantly greeted me.

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A group of Sarawakian Sape performers before going on stage.

The hybrid format also saw an in-between interval pre-recording of various musicians worldwide performing a song. About two to three different musicians were being shown back to back.

For some strange reason, this did not work well with the crowd as many found it to be a downer, namely after a live performance show. Hopefully, the organisers will do away with this concept for RWMF 2023.

There were musicians from 20 countries performing live with several Malaysians, namely from Sarawak, Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia, played throughout the three-day festival.

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The massive crowd during RWMF 2022.
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Mathew Ngau entertains the crowd from an off-stage area.
alena-murang-rwmf Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 Review
Alena Murang performs one of her best shows at RWMF.

at-adau-rwmf Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 Review
The crowd’s favourite was no other than Sarawakian local band At Adau.

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Jerry Kamit impresses at the RWMF 2022.

rwmf-2022-crowd Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 Review
Massive crowds were seen on all three days during the festival.

As always, there would be a crowd favourite, and this time around, it was no other than the local Sarawakian band At Adau, who played an incredible show.

Alena Murang, the Sape Queen, was equally impressive as she graced the festival with her fantastic performance.

On a personal note, she would have been better if she had performed at the indoor theatre due to her beautiful vocals and soothing music.

randy-raine-rwmf Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 Review
The man himself – Randy Raine-Reusch, performing on stage at RWMF 2022.

The highlight was something I did not expect, and it was one performance where Randy Raine-Reusch, the guy that created the Rainforest World Music Festival, performed on stage. 

This was totally out of this world, as the creator of the RWMF was right there on stage! Wow, this was a rush for me and many others as it brought back memories of the early days.

The crowd was a surprise as it was almost a full house on the festival’s second day, with over 5000 people showing up. Around 12,000 people attended the three days of the festival, which was very impressive.

This surprised the organisers as the number of people showing up was lower than expected. But in all, it was a fantastic turnout, despite borders opening up and Malaysia going towards the endemic stage for Covid19.

RWMF 2023

  • Date: 23, 24 & 25 June
  • Time: 9.00 AM to midnight
  • Venue: Sarawak Cultural Village, Santubong
  • Tickets: RWMF Website
Just to add on, the RWMF 2020 was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic that crippled travel worldwide, shutting events and even locking down people.
rainforest-world-music-festival-dancer Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 Review
One of the Orang Ulu dancers performs a traditional dance.

rwmf-2022-review Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 Review
A visitor taking a quick social media video of Jerry Kamik performing.

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Outside the festival, beautiful Sarawakian sunsets are almost guaranteed at Damai Beach.

Conclusion

If you want to find out what happened the year before, it was an online experience called Rainforest World Music Festival 2021 – Virtual Event.

I hope my Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 review has been enlightening and that you will plan to attend this year’s festival, which takes place in June.

The Rainforest World Music Festival 2023 promises to be bigger and better than last year, and we look forward to any exciting surprises this year. See you there!

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