KUCHING (July 24): The much-anticipated Kuching Festival 2024, an annual festival listed in the Sarawak Tourism Calendar, is set to take place on the compounds of Kuching South City Council (MBKS) community hall at Padungan this Friday (July 26) until Aug 18.

With the theme ‘Bridging Generations: The Legacy of Our Kuching City’, this festival is expected to attract delegates from eight friendship cities of Kuching South, namely Dongcheng, Quanzhou, Zhenjiang, Chongzhou, Kunming and Taian in China, Guro in South Korea, and Toyota City in Japan.

“The City of Kuching South is delighted to announce the commencement of the Kuching Festival 2024, a spectacular celebration of the city’s rich cultural heritage, vibrant community spirit, and diverse culinary offerings,” said Kuching South mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng at a press conference held at the council headquarters here today.

Wee said the organiser is optimistic the festival this year, with over 300 stalls, would attract a record-breaking number of visitors, and Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian would officiate the launching ceremony of the festival on Tuesday night.

“The festival plays a crucial role in fostering a sense of pride and community among the residents of Kuching and contributes significantly to the local economy and tourism,” he said.

As part of the festival’s celebration of cultural heritage, visitors can also expect to be entertained with performances such as the ‘Kungfu Fan’, ‘The Uyghur Dance’, ‘Classical Dance Xiang Yun Fei’, ‘Universal Harmony’, ‘Japanese Drumming’, and K-pop.

“We encourage everyone to take full advantage of the festival’s offerings. Explore the food stalls, enjoy the performances, and participate in the various activities,” said Wee.

Kuching Zumba Fiesta to be held in conjunction with the festival is also now open for registration on the iPeople mobile application, while registration for the Mayor’s Walk will start on July 29. The Mayor’s Walk t-shirts are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Programmes line-up for the upcoming festival include garden show, nightly entertainment, Kuching Half Marathon Heritage Run 2024 on July 28, International Friendship Cities Night (from July 30 to Aug 1), fishing competition (Aug 10), Kuching’s Got Talent (from Aug 10 to 11), charity night (Aug 15), martial arts display (Aug 17) and Mayor’s Walk (Aug 18).

Sponsors for this year’s Kuching Festival include Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak; Magnum 4D; Sports Toto; Ibraco; KTS Group; Cash Sweep; Petros; 38 Yayasan Amal Cinta; Love Book Association; Echo Sound and PPM.