LIMBANG: The Northern Region Music Festival (NRMF) 2025 came to a vibrant close at Limbang Bazaar on Saturday night, drawing more than 1,500 visitors from Sarawak, neighbouring Brunei Darussalam, Sabah, and Labuan.
The event, jointly organised by RTM Limbang and its strategic partners, featured cultural performances, traditional dances, sape music, and a star-studded concert that kept the crowd entertained late into the night.
Sarawak Deputy Minister for Food Industry, Commodities and Regional Development, Datuk Dr. Abdul Rahman Ismail, who is also the Bukit Kota Assemblyman, expressed pride in Limbang’s role as a hub for multicultural music and arts.
“The aim of this festival is to highlight the richness of music in northern Sarawak, especially with our diverse communities – Malay, Kedayan, Chinese, Lun Bawang, Murut, Bisaya, and others. This event ensures that our cultural heritage remains strong and visible, especially for the younger generation and visitors,” he said.
He noted that the NRMF has been listed in the official calendar of the Limbang District Main Celebrations Committee, which oversees 14 key programmes this year.
The Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts (MTCP) allocated RM100,000 to support the event, with Dr. Abdul Rahman personally pledging an additional RM20,000 to cover the costs.
Dr. Abdul Rahman emphasised that the festival not only strengthens cultural identity but also promotes Limbang as a tourism destination.
“We hope events like this will contribute towards MTCP’s target of five million tourist arrivals to Sarawak this year. In Limbang alone, this festival has attracted around 5,000 attendees over two days and generated over RM50,000 in income for local traders,” he added.
Small businesses, food vendors, and craft entrepreneurs benefited from the influx of visitors, while the festival’s live broadcast on Facebook and TikTok via LimbangFM allowed for wider online participation.
The closing night began with official speeches, a lucky draw, and the presentation of tokens of appreciation before the much-anticipated concert took the stage.
Local performers showcased ethnic dances, Sape instrumentals, and multilingual songs, followed by crowd favorites such as Anthony Usan, Roxy Ixzy, and Ramles Walter.
Dr. Abdul Rahman also announced a string of upcoming festivals that will continue to enliven Limbang, including the Santaba Jetty Festival (Aug 23–24), Nuba Laya Festival (Sept 12–13), Bebuak Meritam Mud Festival (Sept 20–21), Bedudun Festival and Buffalo Race, Bukit Mas Day, Youth Day, Limbang Motor Day, the International Open Tug of War Competition (Nov 20–23), and the New Year’s Eve 2026 celebration. -UKASnews
