By Bus: Getting to the Tribal Beat of Music from the Rainforest
Despite years of international acclaim, not a note of Malaysia’s Rainforest World Music Festival 2025 made Tripadvisor’s top lists this year — but perhaps that’s just as well. Held beneath Sarawak’s rainforest canopy and rooted in culture, this beloved event delivers more than just a concert — it’s a celebration of music, heritage, and nature at their most magical.
Located between the South China Sea and the forest-clad slopes of Mount Santubong, the Rainforest World Music Festival (RFWMF) unfolds from June 20-22 in one of Southeast Asia’s most inviting semi-natural settings.
CARNIVAL ATMOSPHERE
To many, the heart of the festival lies not only in the evening concerts but also in the daytime workshops. These informal, often impromptu sessions are a hallmark of the festival, as small-scale gatherings include musicians exchanging techniques, improvising together, and exploring cross-cultural dialogues in front of curious, often participatory audiences.
These afternoon workshops are especially popular with young children, who have the opportunity to learn more about the range of instruments being played as well as to participate in various energetic and educational activities. Afternoon drum circles are another participatory activity where almost anything becomes a percussive instrument.
Despite years of international acclaim, not a note of Malaysia’s Rainforest World Music Festival 2025 made Tripadvisor’s top lists this year — but perhaps that’s just as well. Held beneath Sarawak’s rainforest canopy and rooted in culture, this beloved event delivers more than just a concert — it’s a celebration of music, heritage, and nature at their most magical.
Located between the South China Sea and the forest-clad slopes of Mount Santubong, the Rainforest World Music Festival (RFWMF) unfolds from June 20-22 in one of Southeast Asia’s most inviting semi-natural settings.
Damai, just one hour from Kuching, the Sarawak state capital, is the venue for this internationally acclaimed music festival that brings together musicians from around the world to perform, collaborate and connect within the grounds of the Sarawak Cultural Village, a living museum dedicated to the state’s diverse indigenous communities.
Introduced to the world of music in 1998 by the Sarawak Tourism Board, the festival was conceived as a platform where traditional and contemporary music could play in unison. In its earliest iteration, it drew a few hundred devotees, most of them locals, but today, it attracts some 20,000 concertgoers over the extended weekend.
The festival also aims to promote the state as a tourist destination while providing a platform for the locals and an increasing number of tourists to enjoy themselves. It provides the opportunity for the rhythm and beat of local Sarawakian music to combine harmoniously with that of global musical genres.
The purpose-built cultural village provides a unique venue, as it enables Sarawak’s living cultural traditions to be celebrated during the festival and throughout the year.
What distinguishes the festival isn’t just its global reach, but the way it blurs musical boundaries between genres, cultures and nationalities. Performances take place on two open-air stages backed by forest, as well as workshop performances during the day within traditional Bidayuh and Iban longhouses of the cultural village.
Throughout the festival, the music could range from Bornean sape (a local lute-like instrument) to Iranian Sufi dancers, also known as whirling dervishes, Baltic folk, Tuareg rock, Afrobeat and experimental percussion. This year, artistes come from all over Malaysia and countries as geographically spread as the United States, Japan, Thailand, Guinea, Indonesia, Colombia, and Morocco.
CONCERT CENTRAL
Most evenings commence with local Sarawakian music and end with a well-known international performer or group. The festival supports the continuation of the music and culture of Sarawak’s ethnic communities. Each festival includes local Sarawakian music, and there is always the sound of a sape (a lute-like instrument) to be heard.
It’s probably fair to say that not all the music is appreciated by everyone, all the time. However, regular concertgoers admire the festival’s artistic direction and the fact that it is prepared to take the occasional risk with the musicians who are invited to perform.
While the music is the primary reason for attending the festival, I’m convinced it really doesn’t matter who’s performing, as the musicians are all superb and often the best in their specific field of music.
During the weekend, the Sarawak Cultural Village will resound to the infectious beat of world music. Guest numbers are capped for crowd comfort, and festivalgoers sprawl over the extensive site, with many happy to relax around the lake while watching the performances on conveniently located big screens. This is usually tested on Saturday evenings when the crowd peaks as everyone clambers to enjoy the liveliest performers. The final act on the last night is taken by the most upbeat group, which usually whips the crowd into a frenzied state of excitement.
To get to the festival, shuttle busses run between Kuching and the Cultural Village.
This article was first published in Expatgo
