RAINFOREST WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL - VOTED ONE OF THE 25 BEST INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS 2013

NOTE : THE MUSIC PLAYER CONTROLS ARE AT THE BOTTOM BAR OF YOUR SCREEN AS YOU MAY HAVE TO PAUSE IT TO WATCH THE VIDEOS BELOW

British renowned world music magazine - "Songlines" in it's June issue voted Sarawak's Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) as one of the 25 Best International Festivals for the 4th consecutive year in 2013,. Only 3 festivals from Asia are on the list. the other two being theJeonju International Sori Festival, South Korea and Jodhpur RIFF, India. With this kind of stature it was no surprise that a cousin of mine with her friends was all excited to be going for the event and was already packing for it, with 18 days to go!

Songlines 25 of the Best International Festivals

Africa Festival, Germany  - EFWMF member 
Chicago World Music Festival, USA
Druga Godba, Slovenia  - EFWMF member 
Essaouira Gnawa & World Music Festival, Morocco
Ethno Port, Poland
Fes Festival of Sacred Music, Morocco
Festival on the Niger, Mali 
FMM Sines, Portugal
Førde Traditional and World Music Festival, Norway
Guca Trumpet Festival, Serbia
Jeonju International Sori Festival, South Korea 
Jodhpur RIFF, India
Kriol Jazz Festival, Cape Verde 
La Grande Rencontre, Québec
Musiques Metisses, France - EFWMF member
Oslo World Music Festival, Norway - EFWMF member
Rainforest World Music Festival, Borneo
Sakifo Festival, La Réunion 
Sauti za Busara, Zanzibar
Savannah Music Festival, USA
Sfinks Festival, Belgium - EFWMF member
Sommelo Festival, Finland 
Sziget, Hungary
Warsaw Cross Cultural Festival, Poland
WOMADelaide, Australia

Following are video highlights from the RWMF 2012 festival.

Rainforest World Music Festival stands among other renowned festivals like WOMADdelaide Australia and Ulsan World Music Festival, South Korea. According to the editorial team of Songlines the “Selection of the festival is based on the broad representation of the quality and scope of music festivals around the world”

The Festival, now in its 16^th year and held annually in Kuching, Sarawak has put Sarawak on the world map. It brings dazzling performances from across the globe attracting more than 20,000 international and local festival-goers to the magical land of Borneo for three days of daytime music workshops and action-packed nightly shows.  The event this year will be held from June 28-30. This festival has been one of the major contributors of tourist arrivals to the state. It has also won the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Awards 2006 and ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) Excellence Award 2009. 

Following is the video highlights from the 2011 RWMF festival.

For the 2013 festival, watch the video below for the full line-up. 

Those who have gone for the previous festivals swear that it rocks! Many have made it as a yearly pilgrimage on their calendar. Resorts and Hotel rooms in Kuching are booked months in advance.

As a fringe event to the RWMF, Borneo World Music Expo will be held from June 24 to 26, 2013 in Kuching to position Sarawak as a potential destination for art, culture and music. The expo is specifically designed to expose Asian and ethnic musicians to the international market and will integrate a trade fair, musical showcases, conferences, exhibitions and networking sessions which would promote the culture and music. 

Resulting from the strategic promotional effort by Sarawak Tourism Board, total visitor arrivals to the state have increased 7.2% to 4.07 million tourist arrivals as of 31 December 2012, when compared to the same period last year. Foreign arrivals alone have continued to increase steadily at 12.4% to 2.6 million during the period. By having more events in the State, STB hopes to encourage more tourists to come.

This is  truly an event not to be missed, just to experience a truly memorable musical extravaganza amidst the lush green paradise of Sarawak. 

Tickets to the festival can now be bought online. For more information and updates please log on to www.rwmf.net.

Rainforest World Music Festival

28 Jun 2013 – 30 Jun 2013

This year’s Rainforest World Music Festival 2013 will gather music enthusiasts once again at the Sarawak Cultural Village with music by renowned world and indigenous musicians! With a line-up of 18 bands playing a diverse range of world music genres, the festival features seven different acts per night over three nights. For the afternoon session, there will be programmes such as informative workshops, ethno-musical lectures and jamming sessions. It’s a smashing time in the heart of the Borneo Jungle!

Venue
Sarawak Cultural Village, Kuching, Sarawak 

Time
10 a.m – 12 a.m
Visit website

Organiser
Sarawak Tourism Board (STB)