Visitors arriving at the Kuching Festival 2023. – Photo by Galileo Petingi
 

KUCHING (Aug 17): High pricing, lack of variety and parking woes are among the key reasons why many city folks say they are not making repeat visits to this year’s Kuching Festival Food Fair.

On the food prices, many visitors find them to be quite expensive compared to last year’s edition.

“I plan to go there only one more time before the festival ends. I cannot go many times because the food is overpriced,” Victor Chong, 27, told The Borneo Post, saying that he went to the food fair only last week – a little over two weeks after the official opening.

“For the Kuching Food Festival, most can only afford to go perhaps once. Three times would be the maximum, depending on how much you are willing to spend.

“I understand why vendors have to mark up the prices, as they have invested a lot in paying for the stall rent. The cost of raw items has also gone up,” he added.

Victor Chong
 

Nonetheless, Victor was pleasantly surprised to see the inclusion of some interesting items, including authentic Chinese cuisines.

“Unlike the ones I attended in the previous years, surprisingly I can see that for this year’s edition, there are more Chinese cuisines such as the ‘smelly tofu’. There are also French pastries such as croissants available.

“Before this, there were too many Korean food items, which you could actually get at cheaper prices outside the festival,” he said.

Asked about his potential interest in attending next year’s event, he mentioned that he would consider going if there were unique and exotic cuisines incorporated into the festival.

“If exotic food such as the ones served in Thailand and Japan are added, I would love to go!” he said.

Recently, Kuching South mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng was reported saying this year’s total turnout had exceeded 621,000 as of Aug 10, but noted that this was well below the some 1.13 million visitors recorded throughout last year’s edition.

With the festival entering its final few days, the mayor had expressed hope that the total number of visitors would be able to hit the one-million mark.

Another who has attended the festival is food and beverage (F&B) business owner Perseus Giter, 32, who said he visited on the first day it opened.

An annual goer, he revealed his mixed feelings toward the festival this time around, observing that a majority of the dishes remained unchanged – merely rebranded and offered by different vendors.

“I believe the foods are largely similar with the previous editions,” he said.

Perseus Giter

On the food prices at the festival, Perseus believes vendors were compelled to raise their prices due to inflationary pressures.

“I understand why certain foods can be slightly overpriced. As an F&B business owner myself, I am also affected. Some may be able to afford it, some may not.

“For example, the most I spent at last year’s edition was RM50. This year, I spent approximately RM80 just for one night at the festival.

“I was also told that (stall) rental prices have also gone up,” he said.

When asked whether he would go again, Perseus says he plans to bring his children just before the food fair wraps up.

“I decided to go for the second time shortly before it ends because finding parking space is quite troublesome. I also don’t see it necessary to go many times, perhaps twice or thrice would be enough – unless you want to burst your wallet,” he joked.

Perseus mentioned his hope for next year’s edition to feature more international vendors offering genuine cuisines.

“While foreign food options are available, the majority are prepared by local vendors and have been adapted to suit local preferences through fusion.

“I would be more inclined to attend next year’s festival if they consider inviting foreign vendors who can provide genuine renditions of their dishes. It’s my hope that such an arrangement is taken into consideration,” he added.

One hopeful attendee, who has never previously attended the festival, shared his excitement at finally being able to go for the first time.

“I have never attended the festival before. This will be my first time,” Christopher Seloan, 20, told The Borneo Post.

“I used to live outside the city. Now that I’m staying with my relatives within the city, this is my chance to go.”

When asked how he found out about the festival, he said he first heard of it from a relative of his.

“I noticed there was an ongoing public event at the MBKS grounds, so I asked my relatives about it. That’s when I found out it was the Kuching Festival Food Fair,” he said.

Christopher Seloan

Planning to attend with his cousins, he shared his excitement at finally having the time to go.

“Ever since I found out about the festival, I’ve been interested in going but due to time constraints, I couldn’t attend. I hope to attend this week, and I’m actually very excited,” he added.

The Kuching Festival Food Fair wraps up this Aug 20.