The 25th anniversary of the Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 will be in a hybrid format to showcase more than 60 international and local performers.
For world music fans, the festival is back in 2022 to celebrate its 25th year with more heart-racing, foot-stomping world rhythms from the jungle stage of Sarawak from 17th to 19th June 2022.
Hybrid for the first time in Malaysian festival history, with the theme “Legendary Rainforest Celebration”, it will return to the Sarawak Cultural Village for the entire festival experience and simultaneously be live-streamed around the world so that everyone can feel the rhythm of the rainforest from wherever they are.
RWMF 2022 The 25th Anniversary
This unique festival has grown into one of the most anticipated events on the world music calendar, and this year will not disappoint. It offers equal excitement for the world music enthusiasts and the fun-seeking festival-goers.
Rainforest World Music Festival 2022 is also held at the Sarawak Cultural Village; it will blend Sarawak’s natural landscape and the sound of its many cultures with the music of the world, featuring 60 performers from a host of countries, including Korea, Canada, China, India, Mexico and almost everywhere in between.

RWMF 2022 International Performers
This year sees more individual acts than ever before on the Rainforest stage, some live at the Sarawak Cultural Village, and some beamed in by the power of modern technology.
This year, various musicians and bands from around the world will be invited to showcase their music at RWMF2022.
As per the international travel protocols for each country, the organisers are finalising each of the musicians and they will be announced weekly. For now, here are some of those who are confirmed;
- Bluguru from Australia – who set the soundwaves singing with their incredible blend of musical styles from Bluegrass to Blues, Indian to Celtic, Swing, Jazz and adventure too.
- Timo Väänänen from Finland – is the leading exponent of Finland’s national instrument, the kantele. He will seamlessly blend the traditional model with the modern, electrical 39-string version to give the Sarawak audience a taste of a haunting and unique sound which has graced film, 25 albums and five solo CDs.
- Randrianantoandro Clément from Madagascar – Better known as Kilema, he burst onto the music scene as part of the Justin Vali Trio, playing his Marovany, Kabosy and Katsa, guitar and percussion, respectively. He blends the sounds of his rich and rhythmic heritage with his world experience, drawing from diverse musical styles to produce a sound entirely his own.

The RWMF Hybrid Format Explained
For those watching RWMF2022 from home, online viewers will get a two-hour experience nightly of the festival through our dedicated platform, combining a livestream of the action at the Sarawak Cultural Village with our original curated content.
Viewers can sign up for one hour at RM25, then extend for another when the rhythm moves you. Or book two hours in advance over all three evenings. Whatever your format pleasure, RWMF2022 can provide.
Expect the same grand performances from international acts, but this time alternating with curated original video material, showing a range of local and international performers in their environments.
You can also get more information about the Rainforest World Music Festival Hybrid Format from another article I did.

From the sweeping beaches of Latvia to the Highlands of Sarawak, we will see incredible instruments as they are played at home. The magic of digital means that we can beam in acts from far-flung corners of the planet.
The mountains of China can come directly to Santubong mountain, making an arduous in-person journey instantaneous. Rarely-seen music from far-off cultures will appear this year where travel restrictions would otherwise make it impossible.
We can also showcase a unique range of acts that might never have previously been able to stage a whole set. Meet Sarawak’s culturSarawak’stioners of purposeful sound – our chanters, drummers, and pratuokng players, all at home.
See their hands striking and strumming, their lips moving and feel their feet stomping by the magic of digital media. Hear the Hokkien Opera, usually played for the Gods but now featured on the Rainforest screen.
This year, the Sarawak Tourism Board truly supports our hard-hit performers after two years of the Covid pandemic, putting them up for global appreciation.

RWMF Legacy
This year is a celebration, but it is also about legacy building, and Randy Raine Reusch, the originator of RWMF, returns to the stage and, behind the scenes, the guiding hand of the artistic content.
He is joined by two rising stars of Sarawak music, Alena Murang and Bob Meldrick of At Adau, as Randy passes the baton to the next generation of musicians who grew up with this festival.
Our two Sarawak performers share their award-winning experience of video production and international travel with the next set of performers to appear on the stage that first welcomed them.

RWMF 2022 Workshops and Activities
All the best of the festival returns for all those familiar with the format, alongside our many surprises. The Sarawak Cultural Village is an award-winning venue displaying all the traditional lifestyles of this amazing state.
It is also home to food bazaars from this newly-crowned Creative City of Gastronomy under UNESCO and Craft fairs featuring the best Borneo handicrafts.
Get an indigenous hand-tap tattoo, enjoy a meal and learn something new under the shadow of our magic mountain, even before the sun goes down and the evening show begins.
All food vendors follow high recycling and waste reduction standards, while RWMF aims to be genuinely sustainable, avoiding single-use plastics and promoting environmental appreciation.
All this is in line with Sarawak Tourism Board’s campaignBoard’ssponsible and Sustainable tourism, supporting communities and the environment that shaped them alike.

The festival workshops are often the highlight and defining feature of the event and will continue this year. These workshops bring together diverse musicians from many disciplines, drawing together these talents under unifying themes to showcase, jam and create unique music in the setting of the Sarawak Cultural Village.
Friday will kick off this year with our ‘Sape Gathering’‘and is calling’together anyone who can strum a sape in Sarawak to get together for a grand sape jam.
This year, there is also the kiddie’s workshokiddie’sng on the next generation where they can play with instruments, create art and enjoy the festival ground to their hearts’ contentshearts’icket prices for this year’s 25th Anniyear’sy.
RWMF 2022 Tickets
The RWMF Early Bird ticket sale is now happening until 14th May 2022 for physical and virtual concerts. You may want to pre-purchase them as they are on sale now.
Those interested in the physical concert can grab tickets in the different categories;
- Adult 1-Day Pass (RM 150)
- Adult 3-Day Pass (RM375)
- Child 1-Day Pass (RM80)
- Child 3-Day Pass (RM155)
- 1-Day Family Package Pass – 2 Adults and 2 Children (RM400)
You can purchase physical tickets via the official RWMF website.
The virtual blocks will feature handpicked artists that will showcase the allure of world music from both Sarawak and the international stage.
Audiences can choose to buy the virtual block of one hour, depending on their preferred lineup. Virtual tickets will be sold later, which will be announced soon.

Things to do at the Rainforest World Music Festival
For those attending the festival, you may also want to know what are the things to do at the Rainforest Whour’susic Festival as the place is huge.
The article in the link above highlights what you can do as a single person, couple of even as a family when you visit the festival.
How to go to the Rainforest World Music Festival?
The event will take place at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong, which is around an hour’s drive from Kuching, and there are several ways to get to the festival.
You can read this article on how to go to the Rainforest World Music Festival, which highlights several methods. However, the bus service may have a different pick-up point this year.
Conclusion
This will be something to look forward to as it has been two years since everything outdoors was stopped, postponed or cancelled.
I will be attending RWMF 2022 The 25th Anniversary, that will be held in Santubong, Sarawak. Do follow my Instagram for live updates when I am there.