KUCHING: The two-day Kuching Jazz Festival 2022 is indeed a weekend to remember for many, especially jazz lovers.
Held from Oct 28 to 29, the event had Indonesian crooner Afgansyah Reza, or better known as Afgan, headlining the last day.
Donning a white shirt topped with a brown jacket and speaking to his fans from the performing stage, Afgan said he was glad to be back to Sarawak after having to perform in Miri a few years back.
“This is the first time I brought the full team to Kuching,” he said to the large crowd of more than 1,000 people.
Among the songs performed by Afgan included ‘Say, I’m Sorry’. He also serenaded the crowd with his second song ‘Terima Kasih Cinta’ which melted the hearts of fans all over.
Just like the first night, the last day of the festival also concluded with a finale with all bands and singers teaming up to perform a song.
Meanwhile, other performers on the last day of the festival also featured Malaysia’s own Kuching singer-songwriter Ky Den, Ushera, Leon Sapphire and Dawn Wong as well as The Arkroyal from Singapore.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah was also present.
When met by reporters, Abdul Karim said the two-days festival saw an encouraging response from music goers not only from Kuching but also those from within the state, Sabah, West Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Brunei.
“I can see that the event has been very successfully organised. For the two day festival, it has attracted more than 2,000 people, which was above the organiser’s target,” he said.
He added the music festival was held at the right time as other events are also ongoing in the city such as What About Kuching (WAK), Sarawak International Dragon Boat Regatta, and others.
“Even the hotel rooms in Kuching are also almost fully booked,” he said.
When asked if the Kuching Jazz Festival would be held indoors in future, Abdul Karim said he personally prefers for it to be held outdoors.
“I really love this place (the open-air space in Grand Margherita Hotel). The ambience is beautiful which is next to the river.
“But I have told the organiser that in the case where there is a huge crowd attending the festival, it can always be extended to the riverside.
“It can be done. Because we did that for the Citrawarna Keluarga Malaysia 2022 event (at the Kuching Waterfront), where there are boats floating in the centre plus we get to see performances done on the river,” he said.
