Kuching Festival returns with youth-centric highlights this Aug
Wee (eighth right), Zaiedi (seventh right), Ruslan (fifth left), Tow (fourth left) and councillors in a group photo after the press conference.
KUCHING (May 29): Three new programmes will debut at this year's Kuching Festival to cater to evolving community interests, especially among the younger generation, said Datuk Wee Hong Seng.
The Kuching South mayor said they are the MBKS Mayor's Pickleball Championship, Cosplay Competition, and K-Pop Dance Cover Competition.
He said the inaugural pickleball championship will be held from Aug 2 to 3 at Picklepro Kuching, Tabuan Laru Family Club.
'This fast-growing sport will feature several categories: Women's Doubles Open, Men's Doubles Open, Mixed Doubles Open, and Veteran Men's Doubles Open,' he told a press conference at the Kuching South City Council (MBKS) building yesterday.
Attractive prizes, including cash, sports equipment, medals, trophies, and certificates await the winners.
Wee said to raise awareness of the sport, MBKS will also run a Community Pickleball Month throughout July.
'Activities will be held every Saturday morning from 9am to 11am at PicklePro Kuching, promoting better health and community bonding among Kuching South residents.
'There will be free coaching across four courts for anyone who wishes to learn how to play. Further details on the competition and coaching programme will be announced on our Facebook page,' he added.
Meanwhile, the Kuching Festival Cosplay Competition will take place on Aug 2 at the MBKS Theatre in Kuching Park.
'This will be a spectacular gathering of creativity, colour and costume, as participants transform into their favourite characters,' said Wee.
On Aug 3, the Kuching Festival K-Pop Dance Cover Competition will light up the same venue, bringing together high-energy dance crews from across the region.
The competition is open to participants from outside Sarawak.
Wee emphasised that the Kuching Festival remains a cherished annual tradition that brings the community together.
'It is more than just a series of events – it reflects who we are as a city: diverse in culture, rich in creativity, and united in our purpose to grow, connect, and thrive together.'
The festival will run from July 25 to Aug 17, and the ever-popular Kuching Festival Fair will take place nightly from 6pm to 11pm at Dewan Masyarakat MBKS.
This fair features three main attractions: the food fair with hundreds of stalls offering local and international delicacies; trade fair showcasing products and services from local entrepreneurs; and nightly entertainment featuring cultural shows, music, dance, and family-friendly performances.
Wee also announced the return of Kuching's Got Talent, which promises bigger prizes and more incredible local talent.
'This year also marks the 10th anniversary of our Kuching Zumba Fiesta, first introduced in 2015,' he added.
To mark the occasion, a record-breaking event is planned on Aug 2 from 7pm to 11pm at the Sarawak Hockey Stadium, with a target of 10,000 participants to break the Malaysia Book of Records for the largest Zumba participation.
Other festival highlights include the Garden Show, Mayor's Walk, Folk Dance Night, martial arts display, traditional music night, International Friendship Cities Night, fishing competition, Kuching Half Marathon, and Yuanji dance performance.
Also present at the press conference were Kuching South deputy mayor Dato Zaiedi Suhaili, MBKS councillors, and Kuching Pickleball Association president Ruslan Bujang and his deputy Alexander Tow Ah Lek.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Suga is last BTS member to complete mandatory military service
FILE - Suga, a member of South Korean K-pop band BTS, poses for photographers ahead of a press conference to introduce their new single "Butter" in Seoul, South Korea on May 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File) SUGA (pic), a member of K-pop megaband BTS, has officially completed his mandatory military service, marking the full return of all seven members of the global supergroup from duty. South Korea's most lucrative musical act has been on a self- described 'hiatus' since 2022 as its members undertook the mandatory service required of all South Korean men under 30 due to tensions with the nuclear- armed North. Suga is the last to complete his service, ahead of the group's widely-anticipated return to activities as a full unit. His final day concluded at 11.59.59pm last night, according to the band's agency Hybe and South Korea's Military Manpower Administration. The rapper, who served as a social service agent – an alternative form of military duty – effectively completed his service on Wednesday after using up his remaining leave, according to his label. 'Above all else, I wanted to sincerely thank our fans who waited for me all this time,' Suga told the group's fans – collectively known as Army on the platform Weverse. 'I've missed you so much.' Before entering military service, the megaband generated more than 5.5 trillion won in yearly economic impact, according to the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute. Analysts expect Hybe's operating profit to jump next year, driven in part by BTS's anticipated return to large-scale touring, with some projections forecasting a 71% year-on-year increase. 'The importance of BTS's reunion to Hybe, K-pop and South Korea at large cannot be overstated. They are singular in their part of the Korean Wave,' Grace Kao, a sociology professor at Yale University, said. 'I think their next tour will be their biggest yet.' Since their release last week, band leader RM has appeared at Art Basel in Switzerland as the new global ambassador for Samsung's Art TV, while member V was spotted attending a piano recital in Seoul alongside Old Boy filmmaker Park Chan-wook. BTS has long been considered one of the best examples of South Korea's soft power reach, even making a White House visit in 2022. They have spoken candidly about mental health and anti-Asian crime and donated US$1mil to the Black Lives Matter movement in 2019, inspiring fans to contribute the same amount. K-pop's surging popularity has also helped break down barriers for Asian artistes, said Keung Yoon-bae, a Korean studies professor at Georgia Institute of Technology. 'Singers such as Eric Nam, born and raised in Atlanta, have discussed before how they had to go to Korea because they felt attaining a music career in the US as an Asian felt impossible,' she said. 'Today, groups such as BTS and Blackpink seem to be breaking down that sense of impossibility.' Despite the widespread acclaim, Suga was fined 15 million won for driving an electric scooter under the influence of alcohol last year. Last Saturday, he once again apologised for the incident in a message posted on Weverse. 'I'm sorry for the disappointment and concern I caused due to what happened last year. More than anything, knowing I caused pain to my fans broke my heart,' he said. 'I'll do my best to repay the love you've given me – now more than ever.' — AFP
The Star
14 hours ago
- The Star
Last member of K-pop megaband BTS to finish military service
K-pop band BTS members RM (left) and V react after being discharged from a mandatory military service in Chuncheon, South Korea, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. -- AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon SEOUL (AFP): SUGA, a member of the K-pop megaband BTS, will officially complete his mandatory military service on Saturday, marking the full return of all seven members of the global supergroup from duty. South Korea's most lucrative musical act has been on a self-described "hiatus" since 2022 as its members undertook the mandatory service required of all South Korean men under 30 due to tensions with the nuclear-armed North. SUGA will be the last to complete his service, ahead of the group's widely anticipated return to activities as a full unit. His final day concludes at 11:59:59 pm, according to the band's agency HYBE and South Korea's Military Manpower Administration. The rapper, who served as a social service agent -- an alternative form of military duty -- effectively completed his service on Wednesday after using up his remaining leave, according to his label. "Above all else, I wanted to .... sincerely thank our fans who waited for me all this time," SUGA told the group's fans -- collectively known as ARMY -- on the platform Weverse. "I've missed you so much." Before entering military service, the megaband generated more than 5.5 trillion won ($4 billion) in yearly economic impact, according to the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute. Analysts expect HYBE's operating profit to jump next year, driven in part by BTS's anticipated return to large-scale touring, with some projections forecasting a 71 percent year-on-year increase. "The importance of BTS's reunion to HYBE, K-pop and South Korea at large cannot be overstated. They are singular in their part of the Korean Wave," Grace Kao, a sociology professor at Yale University, told AFP. "I think their next tour will be their biggest yet." Since their release last week, band leader RM has appeared at Art Basel in Switzerland as the new global ambassador for Samsung's Art TV, while member V was spotted attending a piano recital in Seoul alongside "Old Boy" filmmaker Park Chan-wook. - Soft power - BTS has long been considered one of the best examples of South Korea's soft power reach, even making a White House visit in 2022. They have spoken candidly about mental health and anti-Asian crime and donated $1 million to the Black Lives Matter movement in 2019, inspiring fans to contribute the same amount. K-pop's surging popularity has also helped break down barriers for Asian artists, said Keung Yoon Bae, a Korean studies professor at Georgia Institute of Technology. "Singers such as Eric Nam, born and raised in Atlanta, have discussed before how they had to go to Korea because they felt that attaining a music career in the US as an Asian felt impossible," she said. "Today, groups such as BTS and Blackpink seem to be breaking down that sense of impossibility." Despite the widespread acclaim, SUGA was fined 15 million won ($10,933) for driving an electric scooter under the influence of alcohol last year. On Saturday, he once again apologised for the incident in a message posted on Weverse. "I'm sorry for the disappointment and concern I caused due to what happened last year. More than anything, knowing I caused pain to my fans broke my heart," he said. "I'll do my best to repay the love you've given me - now more than ever." - BTS
New Straits Times
19 hours ago
- New Straits Times
#Showbiz: Last member of K-pop megaband BTS to finish military service
SEOUL: SUGA, a member of the K-pop megaband BTS, will officially complete his mandatory military service on Saturday, marking the full return of all seven members of the global supergroup from duty. South Korea's most lucrative musical act has been on a self-described "hiatus" since 2022 as its members undertook the mandatory service required of all South Korean men under 30 due to tensions with the nuclear-armed North. SUGA will be the last to complete his service, ahead of the group's widely anticipated return to activities as a full unit. His final day concludes at 11:59:59 pm, according to the band's agency HYBE and South Korea's Military Manpower Administration. The rapper, who served as a social service agent – an alternative form of military duty – effectively completed his service on Wednesday after using up his remaining leave, according to his label. "Above all else, I wanted to... sincerely thank our fans who waited for me all this time," SUGA told the group's fans – collectively known as ARMY – on the platform Weverse. "I've missed you so much." Before entering military service, the megaband generated more than 5.5 trillion won (US$4 billion) in yearly economic impact, according to the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute. Analysts expect HYBE's operating profit to jump next year, driven in part by BTS's anticipated return to large-scale touring, with some projections forecasting a 71 per cent year-on-year increase. "The importance of BTS's reunion to HYBE, K-pop and South Korea at large cannot be overstated. They are singular in their part of the Korean Wave," Grace Kao, a sociology professor at Yale University, told AFP. "I think their next tour will be their biggest yet." Since their release last week, band leader RM has appeared at Art Basel in Switzerland as the new global ambassador for Samsung's Art TV, while member V was spotted attending a piano recital in Seoul alongside "Old Boy" filmmaker Park Chan-wook. BTS has long been considered one of the best examples of South Korea's soft power reach, even making a White House visit in 2022. They have spoken candidly about mental health and anti-Asian crime and donated US$1 million to the Black Lives Matter movement in 2019, inspiring fans to contribute the same amount. K-pop's surging popularity has also helped break down barriers for Asian artists, said Keung Yoon Bae, a Korean studies professor at Georgia Institute of Technology. "Singers such as Eric Nam, born and raised in Atlanta, have discussed before how they had to go to Korea because they felt that attaining a music career in the US as an Asian felt impossible," she said. "Today, groups such as BTS and Blackpink seem to be breaking down that sense of impossibility." Despite the widespread acclaim, SUGA was fined 15 million won (US$10,933) for driving an electric scooter under the influence of alcohol last year. On Saturday, he once again apologised for the incident in a message posted on Weverse. "I'm sorry for the disappointment and concern I caused due to what happened last year. More than anything, knowing I caused pain to my fans broke my heart," he said.
