KUCHING – The WAK Festival will return in October with 83 unique events spread across 31 days, as organisers unveiled the 2026 programme in Kuching on Thursday.
The eighth edition of the festival will run from 1 to 31 October, featuring 440 scheduled event occurrences involving 49 collaborators from Sarawak’s creative community.
The 2026 calendar was officially revealed at The Spring Shopping Mall on 20 August, marking the start of public preparations for a month-long programme covering arts, culture and lifestyle activities across Kuching.
Media partner Sarawak Daily will support the month-long programme by providing exclusive coverage and real-time information to the public throughout the festival.
According to the address delivered by the minister at the launch, this year’s festival will feature 14 genres, including art, comedy, culture, music, theatre, sports, food, film and wellness.
The programme is expected to include exhibitions, performances, concerts, talks, workshops and other community-based activities, with events taking place at different locations around the city.
The minister said the festival, which began in Kuching in 2017, was established to provide a platform for creative talent while bringing communities together. Over eight editions, it has developed into a broader platform involving artists, musicians, performers, cultural practitioners, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, makers and other creative professionals.
The 2026 edition also comes as the WAK Festival expands its presence beyond Kuching. The third editions of WAK Sibu and WAK Miri were highlighted during the launch, with both reportedly recording increased numbers of events and collaborators.
The expansion has linked creative communities across southern, central and northern Sarawak, supporting the festival’s wider development as a state-level creative initiative.
Tourism is another key consideration behind the festival. The minister said WAK was intended in part to encourage visitor arrivals during October, traditionally viewed as a quieter period in the tourism calendar.
The month-long programme is intended to give visitors more reasons to travel to Kuching while supporting businesses that benefit from visitor spending. These include accommodation providers, restaurants, cafes, transport operators and tourism attractions.
The festival’s organisers are also encouraging visitors to plan ahead following the early release of the 2026 calendar. The timing gives people from outside Kuching and Sarawak more opportunity to select events, arrange travel and accommodation, and potentially combine festival visits with wider holidays.
The minister also called for continued involvement from businesses and corporations, urging them to consider sponsorships and partnerships with the festival and the wider creative community.
At the same time, artists, performers, entrepreneurs, cultural practitioners and event organisers were encouraged to continue developing new work and pursuing collaborations.
The public was also urged to attend events and support the creative practitioners involved in the festival, with the minister stressing the importance of audiences to the development of the creative sector.
This year’s festival theme is “SHOOTS”, following “ROOTS” in 2025. The organisers have positioned the new theme around growth, emerging talent, new ideas and collaborations within Sarawak’s creative community.
The latest edition therefore represents both a continuation of the festival’s established programme and an attempt to build on its expanding network across the state.
The minister said the festival’s future would depend on its ability to attract more visitors from outside Sarawak, create additional opportunities for local creative talent and strengthen regional and international partnerships.
The 2026 calendar launch provides the public with an early overview of the programme ahead of October, while also setting the stage for further participation from collaborators, sponsors, performers, audiences and visitors.
With 83 unique events, 440 event occurrences, 49 collaborators and 14 genres scheduled over 31 days, WAK Festival 2026 is set to make October a significant month for arts, culture and lifestyle activities in Kuching.
