From 6-31 May, Kuala Lumpur will once again transform into a festival venue. Following its inaugural edition in 2024, KL Festival is back with shows and programmes spanning dance, theatre, guided walks, film screenings, public art installations and more.
Led by artistic director June Tan and organised by Think City and DBKL, the festival "invites everyone to rediscover the city in new and unexpected ways."
The majority of activities and events are free of charge, with selected shows requiring ticket purchases.
With so much to do over the 26 day-long festival, we’ve compiled a few picks to get you started. But with so much on offer, we highly recommend keeping an open mind and letting the city guide you to the next adventure.
One of the more intriguing experiences at the festival, the Museum of Disappearance is an “open-air museum” with “no physical exhibits” staged in Petaling Street. While the teasers on social media have been mysterious, the experience looks set to interrogate local history and the process of change and gentrification in the area, framing “what has quietly disappeared from its everyday streetscapes”.
6-31 May | 24 hours | Petaling Street
In an Asian premiere, Lebanon’s Collectif Kahraba presents a multi-disciplinary puppet show. Between dance and storytelling, the actor-sculptors will work with clay as they dig into the origins of fables. “Artists Aurélien Zouki and Eric Deniaud knead and continue to create, inviting us to travel with them through time and space, on a poetic expedition into the strata of speech.”
Tickets: RM30, RM70. Buy tickets at Cloudjoi.
30-31 May | 11am | Rumah Tangsi
Irama Pusaka - Akar Tradisi, Nadi Baharu is a grand musical gala, and a rare chance to hear many distinguished orchestras and bands performing in one concert. The concert is led by Orkestra Kuala Lumpur, DBKL’s own 70-member orchestra, performing classical masterpieces and popular favourites.
Joining them on the bill: Gangsapura (performing with the traditional gamelan), the Lee Rubber Chinese Orchestra (known for traditional Chinese music), EKAM Ensemble (Indian Music Ensemble) and Leslie Eli (Sape’ musician).
8-9 May | 8.30pm | Auditorium Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur
The festival will host a number of guided walks to explore Kuala Lumpur, including tours of Jalan Melayu, the Secret Trees of KL, Chinatown, and Planet KL at the River of Life (where walkers may be able to spot the local otters).
Check online for details of different walks.
Taking on a less conventional style of guided walk, there is also I Can’t See Myself In This Landscape. This audio walk is created by actor and musician Faiq Syazwan Kuhiri (who also stars in the festival’s Fragments of Tuah). Starting at Perdana Botanical Gardens, walkers will trace a route towards Dataran Merdeka while listening to a unique audio guide. The tour promises to “poetically and playfully” combine layers of history, memory, and speculation with a soundscape.
6-31 May | 24 hours | Perdana Botanical Garden
Dataran Merdeka has long been a site of historic significance, but it's also a space for public gatherings, as the festival reminds us. In this first-of-its-kind competition, 200 participants will participate in a 90-minute joget contest, blending traditional joget music with popular songs. Those who persevere to the end stand the chance to take home the winning title and a prize of RM3,000. But regardless of your skills, this sounds like a fun and inclusive dance-off to let off some steam.
9 May | 5pm | Dataran Merdeka
Among the heritage buildings hosting the festival is Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad. Within the restored building, visitors are welcomed to the historic Pejabat Pos Besar Lama for a special experience celebrating the art of printing and letter-writing. The public can try their hand at using a vintage letterpress machine, while choosing from handmade papers crafted by disabled and disadvantaged youth from AACE (Association of Art in Charity & Education).
RM30 entry, no registration required.
16-31 May | 10am | Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad.
An immersive sound and video experience, Ruang Antara Mimpi will transform the Bamboo Playhouse at Taman Botani Perdana into a “shared subconscious” of the city. Shaped by 24 dreams from different people, each room holds a dream from someone you might encounter in your everyday life: "a neighbour, a Grab driver, a temple caretaker, a waitress at your favourite gerai, or a Burmese construction worker." The final room invites visitors to contribute their own dreams.
The project is presented by a stacked creative team that includes Dhan Illiani as art director, Kamal Sabran as a sound artist, and Taha Long and Hafreez Amminuddin as directors.
16-17 May | 7.30pm - 10pm with no set start or end time | Bamboo Playhouse, Taman Botani Perdana
While street art is now ubiquitous in KL, the art collective Filamen turns to light, rather than paint. A series of time-limited laneway projections will be on display during two festival weekends, turning buildings into canvases. Exploring the theme of “Pasar”, artists will use projections in dynamic ways around the city. Artists include Fairuz Sulaiman, The Fox The Folks (Indonesia), Hue (Indonesia), Tan Ji Kian and RUOH.
8-10 May and 15-17 May | 8pm - 11.30pm
Zone 1: River of Life
Zone 2: Muzium Telekom - High Street Studios
Zone 3: Pucks - Jalan Sang Guna - Else
Esquire Malaysia
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