KUCHING, 11 June 2021: “Get entranced, liberated, immersed” from the comfort of your own home when this year’s Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) comes to your screen this June.

That’s the invitation from the Sarawak Tourism Board as the iconic event for the second year in a row goes virtual due to strict Covid-19 restrictions.

This year, a musical showcase featuring a retrospective of past RWMF performances and new pre-recorded sessions with homegrown acts will be streaming on RWMF’s official site rwmf.net from 1800 to 1930daily from 18 to 20 June. Registration closes at the weekend.

Sarawakian talents such as Alena Murang, Kemada, Sang Rawi, At Adau, Tuku Kame, Suk Binie’, Nading Rhapsody and Mathew Ngauwill be lighting up the screens in between flashbacks of favourite musical acts from previous years, along with interviews with RWMF’s forerunners and personalities and giveaway sessions.

“With Covid-19 hampering world travel, it’s important for us to remember the iconic Rainforest World Music Festival during the pandemic. Our online musical showcase this year attempts to recreate a virtual experience for those who are missing the excitement and merriment of our annual RWMF and build up their anticipation for RWMF 2022,” said Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

“I believe that RWMF 2021’s theme – Entranced, Liberated, Immersed – captures the spirit of the RWMF as a whole, and we look forward to being able to hold it in a big way for RWMF 2022, which is tentatively scheduled for next year 17-19 June.”

In the meantime, music festival followers who have missed the annual musical event can relive the ambience of the RWMF with a choice of concerts, workshops, and even food delivery via GrabFoodavailable on rwmf.net. Watch daytime workshops and performances from previous years on the workshop page, where you can watch from virtual SCV longhouses, much like the physical festival.

Through Grabfood and Shopee, RWMF’s official delivery and e-commerce partners, viewers can order and dine in at their own leisure or order exclusive and limited edition merchandise like a T-shirt or cloth face mask to mark the RWMF’s first-ever virtual experience.

Register to be eligible for the giveaways to be held during the online streaming, where you can win free tickets to RWMF 2022, discounts to select hotels, RWMF merchandise and much more.

To qualify for a goodie bag, participants will have to like the official RWMF page; post a photo of themselves at previous RWMFs or watching the virtual concert; include #rwmf2021virtual or tag the RWMF official Facebook page and share the post on their Facebook page.

The viewer to watch the RWMF virtual experience throughout all three days will have to answer questions related to the three-day online concert to win the Grand Prize of RWMF 2022 tickets, RWMF 2021 merchandise, and hotel stays, among others.  

For more information on the RWMF2021, log on to its official website at rwmf.net.

Watch RWMF2011 online at the Rainforest World Music Festival’s official site rwmf.net and relive past RWMFs and enjoy new performances from Sarawakian artists.