Photos from RWMF 2023

After an explosive world music festival, I have published this article to share photos from RWMF 2023 which was held at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong. This is also published for those who missed RWMF2023 and those who came, saw and were captivated by one of the most unique music festivals in the world.

The Rainforest World Music Festival 2023 was held from 23-25 June at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong, about an hour’s drive from Kuching. This is also the 26th year that the RWMF is taking place in the heart of Borneo, and truly one of the most distinctive music festivals anyone has ever experienced.

The Iban elders perform a Miring Ceremony to start off the festival.

Apart from your regular concerts or festivals, the RWMF focuses on world music, sometimes infused with modern instruments and keeping age-old traditions alive. For those who would like to know what happened during the recent festival, you can read my Rainforest World Music Festival 2023 overview, which I did in July.

Anyway, below are some random photos, 95% of which were taken with my Galaxy S22 Ultra smartphone. Only the close-ups of the musicians were taken with my Canon R7 paired with a 100-500mm lens. Each photo will have its own short description.

The main entrance to the RWMF at Sarawak Cultural Village.

Visitors to the festival take that mandatory photo outside the venue.

Another angle shows the main entrance to the cultural village.

The confiscated items at the festival’s main entrance. No food and drinks are allowed inside.

A group of girls is doing a jump photo in front of the main stage before the show starts.

The atmosphere is filled with colours and positive vibes.

A cultural performance welcomes visitors as they enter through the main entrance.

A Bidayuh craft vendor in the festival bazaar.

Some of the beautiful hand-woven fabrics at the RWMF craft bazaar.

The traditional Baruk War House of the Bidayuh people.

The souvenir and merchandise shop is at the festival entrance.

One of the workshops was conducted in an open area of the cultural village.

A DJ was spinning dance music at one of the booth areas before the festival started.

The drum circle is undoubtedly one of the most popular workshops at RWMF.

A lone visitor sets her spot on the grass by the main performance tents.

The crowd swells up just before sunset at the festival grounds.

The massive food tent is one of the most popular places for visitors, as there are many choices available.

When the music festival begins, the early crowd is still relaxed.

One of the creative vendors sells glowing sticks for the festival.

Mandatory ‘take your phones and light them up’ moment, used by several of the bands.

At peak, the crowd swells up on both sides of the performance stages.

View of the Rainforest Stage from another angle.

A mesmerising performance by Geng Wak Long from Kelantan.

On a Saturday night, the crowd is almost all over the place.

Zee Avi was one of the local homegrown performers for RWMF2023.

Random Photo from around the Sarawak Cultural Village

Below are a few more random photos taken around the Sarawak Cultural Village in no particular order, and with my smartphone as I casually strolled around the festive grounds on a daily basis.

A traditional Sarawakian Malay house is seen in the cultural village.

Big Mountain during a press conference at the RWMF.

Sarawak’s Tourism Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah in a black hat at RWMF2023.

The lush greenery in nature, combined with colours, makes the area exciting.

Next RWMF2024

• Rainforest World Music Festival 2024
• Date: 28-30 June
• Venue: Sarawak Cultural Village, Santubong

The next Rainforest Music Festival 2024 should be even more exciting, as the organising committee will ensure its success every year. For more information about the next RWMF2024, you can also visit the official RWMF.net website, which will have a list of performers and a ticket sales section.

If it is your first time in Sarawak, I recommend visiting the official Sarawak Tourism website to learn more about what Kuching and Sarawak have to offer. Finally, you can also check out my Sarawak articles, which I have been writing over the last 10 years of visiting this fantastic destination in Malaysia.

That’s me sneaking in to take a photo with Big Mountain. Hey, I grew up listening to them!

Conclusion

Thank you for viewing this article, and I hope you enjoyed my Photos from RWMF 2023. Mostly taken with my Galaxy S22 smartphone and my mirrorless camera.

For RWMF2024, I look forward to another explosive year of incredible artists from all over the world and hope that you, reading this, will have the opportunity to also attend.