The much awaited “Samarahan Food and Cultural Festival 2025 (SFCF2025)” will be held from 21 to 29 November at the Desa Ilmu Market Place in Kota Samarahan and the organisers are optimistic for it to become a signature tourism event which is capable of attracting visitors from across Samarahan and other divisions including Kuching. I have mentioned this to our media friends during the recent press conference held at Majlis Perbandaran Kota Samarahan (MPKS) and for a festival of this scale, the organisers may achieve around 250,000 visitors which is possible since it is bringing together Samarahan’s rich food and cultural heritage in a 10-day showcase.
The annual event would feature various traditional dishes and cultural elements from Malay, Iban, Bidayuh, Bugis, Jawa and Chinese communities which will be a crowd puller considering Samarahan’s position as a residential and education hub.
The festival is aimed to introduce the uniqueness of food and culture found in Samarahan. With so many ethnic groups here, the festival can feature traditions rarely seen elsewhere. Thus, the event also offers families a chance to enjoy different dishes without needing to cook at home throughout the festival period.
With support from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and local agencies, we believe the event will reflect Samarahan’s local identity and strengthen community participation. There will be nightly cultural performances would include Malay ‘bermukun’, ‘bertandak’ and ‘kompang’, Iban ‘gendang pampat’, Bugis cultural items and Chinese traditional arts. Cultural groups from Kelantan, Kedah and Melaka under UNIMAS’ cultural units would also be featured throughout the festival. Popular singers from Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia — including Baby Shima, Baggio Damasutra, Mawat, Rickie Andrewson and Winnie Albert — would further enliven the event.
The public are invited to join the event which will enable them to see cultural elements beyond Sarawak through the participation of groups from Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. These cultural performances will help broaden cultural appreciation and strengthen Samarahan’s role as a gathering point for different traditions.
There are a number of exciting side activities which include Samarahan Idol, Fun Run, Cooking Competition, Pineapple Arrangement Contest, Aerobathon Challenge, Battle of the Bands and a three-hour Non-Stop Zumba session. The festival would also provide business opportunities for local food vendors and young entrepreneurs to expand their business exposure and develop their interest in food-based industries.
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