7th Sabah International Folklore Festival 2012 : Schedule

Also known as Festival Kesenian Rakyat Antarabangsa Sabah, the seventh edition of this international event is currently ongoing. Scheduled to kick of on July 8, but as we drive through the main venue, Sabah Cultural Centre yesterday there was nothing much going on yet.


Hunting with blowpipe is one of the rituals during the local ethnic Murut traditional dance.


I wrote earlier on the competition schedule during theFestival 2012, highlighting the details of both local folkdance and international folkdance competitions. There will be 18 folk dance troupes from 18 countries showcasing their own unique folk dances and promoting understanding and goodwill through culture. They are from:

1. Brunei Darussalam
2. Czech Republic
3. East Timor
4. Finland
5. Latvia
6. Philippine
7. Poland
8. Thailand
9. South Korea
10. Sri Lanka
11. Kuwait
12. Egypt
13. Nigeria
14. China
15. Indonesia
16. Taiwan
17. Papua New Guinea
18. Kazakhstan

The following itinerary is the latest information gathered from the local daily, and are not stated initially in the brochure:

* Cultural Parade, Wisma Budaya to K.K. Community Hall, 10 July 2012

* Folk Art Exhibition, Ming Garden Hotel, 10 - 15 July 2012

* Sabah Traditional Food Fair, Sport Complex Penampang, 10 - 15 July 2012

* Local Folkdance competition, Sabah Cultural Centre Penampang, 11 - 12 July 2012

* Prime Show, Magellan Sutera Harbour, 13 July 2012

* International Folkdance Competition, Sabah Cultural Centre Penampang, 14 - 15 July 2012


KK City Folklore Parade (10 July 2012)

The cultural parade is jointly organised by Sabah Cultural Board (SCB) and Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK), and is to be flagged off at Wisma Budaya starting at 1.30pm by SCB Chairman, Datuk Wenses Anggang.

From Wisma Budaya, the parade will proceed to Lintasan Deasoka for 'pocket show' via Jalan Laiman Diki and Jalan Tugu, in front of City Hall. All the participating international troops and local cultural groups are expected to participate in the parade. Only the international troops will perform in Lintasan Deasoka though.

The parade will then proceed through Gaya Street and will end at Kota Kinabalu Community Centre. As such, roads mentioned above will be closed in stages to make way for the troops.

This is actually a very good opportunity for the public and especially photographers to make full coverage of the event. I've done one earlier this year during the Universiti Malaysia Sabah annual parade along the streets of Kota Kinabalu.

Lastly, tickets for the cultural shows are available at:
1. Wisma Budaya Building (088-268836)
2. Sabah Cultural Centre, Penampang (088-715464)