This month is set to be an exciting one with major events taking place around the country, from marathons to fun runs and concerts as well as festivals. Here’s a quick look at of some of the events you can enjoy this month:
Events in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor
SongkRUN Water Run & Music Festival
You can join the World First Water Fun-Run experience by SongkRUN in Malaysia this month. The non-competitive 5km course will be divided in to five water plus music zones, ranging from water showers with pop music to icy showers with rock tunes and fire brigade showers with dance music.
Venue: Sepang International
Date: 3rd April, 9am-4pm
Tickets: www.eventbrite.com
Ironman 70.3
This event is the official qualifier for the 2016 Ironman 70.3 Championships in Australia. This year, Ironman 70.3 Putrajaya will be held at Floria in Precinct 4, the same venue as the annual Putrajaya Flower and Garden Festival. The event will include running, swimming and cycling in both individual and team categories. There will also be an IronKids triathlon for children under 12.
Venue: Floria, Precint 4, Putrajaya
Date: 3rd April
Registration: Athlete registration is closed. Spectators don’t need to register
Nike We Run KL
Nike We Run KL is back this year with a 21km run in the heart of KL. This year, Nike+ users were able to train with a 12-week program on the running app in preparation for this half marathon, and the app provides personal training tips and nutritional advice.
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Date: 10th April
Nike We Run KL Facebook event page
Josh Kua: Relentless
In this concert, Australian violinist Josh Kua will share his talent for music with everyone. Josh hopes that through his music, he can bring a personal touch and deliver positive messages for having the courage when facing challenges of the world.
Josh’s knack for tugging on the heart strings of his listeners has translated to international gigs and TV appearances as a solo violinist in countries like Australia, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Philippines.
Venue: KL Performing Arts Centre
Date: 16th – 17th April
Tickets: www.ticketpro.com.my
Urbanscapes 2016
For 14 years, Urbanscapes has been one of the most popular creative arts festivals in Malaysia, bringing together performers, artists, and art lovers for a full day of music, arts, and fun in a rain-or-shine festival. This year is sure to follow suit. There will be live performances by various artists including Tame Impala, Rudimentals and Hujan as well as art markets and workshops you can join to tap into your inner creative self.
Venue: Various parts of KL. Refer to the website for information on specific locations for each event
Date: 23rd April – 3rd May
Tickets: urbanscapes.com.my
Amei Live in Malaysia
Zhang Hui Mei, more famously known as A-Mei – a native Taiwanese pop singer and songwriter, and one of the most iconic artistes to emerge from the island nation – will be rocking Stadium Negara with her concert, Utopia. Through her concert, the Diva of Mandarin Pop hopes to bring her audience to a place where there is “only happiness and love”.
Exposed to music at an early age thanks to her mother, A-Mei made her singing debut in 1996 – achieving instant mega commercial success. Her numerous hit songs include: The One I Love the Most Hurts Me the Most, Giving up Everything for You, Listen to the Sea, I Want Happiness and many more.
Venue: Stadium Negara
Date: 30th April
Tickets: buytickets.com.my
Love Me in My Batik
Love Me In My Batik tells the story of batik painting as a distinct modern art form that emerged in Malaysia and beyond from 1950s to the present day. Beginning with the pioneering batik paintings, the exhibition examines how the medium was embraced and reinvented by generations of artists, as they attempted to respond to different national contexts across successive periods in our post-war history.
The exhibition features over 70 artists from the early masters to contemporary artists. The exhibition will survey this uniquely Malaysian story by considering the broader entanglements between the search for a localised artistic and creative vision, the desire for national identity, as well as the transformation of traditional art forms to reflect modern aspirations.
Venue: Ilham Gallery
Date: Exhibition runs until 20th June
Ilham Gallery website
Crackhouse Carnival 2nd Anniversary Festival
Crackhouse Carnival and Crackhouse Comedy club are bringing laughter to KL to celebrate the club turning 2 years old. The line-up this year will include the best local talents as well as some comedic talent from around the world – a total of 28 comics in eight shows across four nights. People can expect to be entertained by performers like Harith Iskandar, Paul Ogata, Kristel Zweets, and Jonathan Atherton.
Venue: Crackhouse Comedy Club KL
Date: 28th April – 1 May
Tickets: crackhousecarnival.peatix.
Crackhouse Carnival 2nd Anniversary Festival Facebook event
Events in Penang
Songkran Festival
The Thai community in Penang will be hosting the Thai Water Festival in various Thai Buddhist temples around the northern state. Traditionally, Songkran is when devotees wash away bad luck by splashing generous amounts of water at each other.
Venue: Wat Chayamangkalaram Thai Buddhist Temple, Dhammikarama Burmese Buddhist Temple (Lorong Burma, Pulau Tikus) and Wat Rajaphohong Buddhist Temple (Ara Kuda, Bukit Mertajam), Penang
Date: 13th April
Songkran Festival event on Visit Penang website
Penang International Triathlon and Duathlon
After much consideration and preparation, the event is back and has been expanded to include a duathlon event for anyone who isn’t keen on swimming. The triathlon includes a 1.5km swim, a 40km biking route, and a 10km run while the duathlon is a run-bike-run course, totalling 17km of running and 40km of cycling. The triathlon was a major event in Penang for a long time until there was a jellyfish attack 14 years ago.
Venue: Teluk Bahang, Penang
Date: 17th April, 7am
Tickets: Registration for athletes is now closed. Spectators don’t need to register
Events in Sabah and Sarawak
Regatta Lepa
Lepa, which means ‘boat’ in Sabah’s Bajau community dialect, are skilfully built fishing boats that is believed to have originated from the fishing community in Bum Bum Island and used by the native community along the coast of Semporna.
The Regatta Lepa started in 1994, and the highlight of the event is the lepa competition where boat builders compete to be the most dazzling lepa on the water. The army of lepas will be adorned with banners and carrying traditional dancers and musicians as the boats are paraded. Other events include sea sports like railing and rowboat races, as well as an exhibition and cultural performances at night.
Venue: Semporna, Sabah
Date: 22nd April – 24th April
World Harvest Festival 2016
The Gawai Dayak celebration is an ethnic festival celebrated by the communities in East Malaysia and one of the highlights of the celebration of the World Harvest Festival held in Sarawak. It is a chance for non-Dayaks to learn about the cultures and traditions of the Dayak community.
There will be a themed play, Ironman competition, Sarawak Ethnic Kitchen cooking competition, a crafts bazaar, the Miss Cultural Harvest Festival grand finale and a series of joint workshops by local and invited troupes; this year will see Nitto Rong Organization from Bangladesh and Kumpulan Batambul Rungus Matunggong of Sabah.
Venue: Sarawak Cultural Village
Date: 29th April – 1st May
World Harvest Festival website
Malaysian Water Festival
This month, there will be three events around the country to celebrate the Malaysian Water Festival, adapted from the traditional Thai Songkran festival. The events, hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, will be a day of fun revolving around maritime activities.
The biggest event will be the Labuan Water Festival, which is also the biggest annual festival in Labuan. There will be major competitions held during Labuan festival including the International Deep Sea Fishing Tournament, Cross Channel Swimming Challenge and Round Island Kayak Challenge.
Langkawi Water Festival
Venue: Pantai Cenang
Date: 1st – 3rd April
Port Dickson Water Festival
Venue: Pantai Cahaya
Date: 15th – 17th April
Labuan Water Festival
Venue: Labuan International Sea Sport Complex
Date: 29th April – 1st May
Visit the website for the Labuan Water Festival
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Catarina Cheah
Tasya Hardy ni lah songkran tu!
Aku sokong korg dr jauh…silakan hehhe :p