Baram Regatta roars back with faster boats, fresh thrills, cultural flair this Sept

Borneo Post

23-04-2025

File photo from Baram Regatta 2023.
MIRI (April 23): The iconic Baram Regatta in Marudi is set to return this year, featuring more powerful engines for power boat races and the debut of fibre longboats.
According to the main organising committee in its first meeting on Tuesday, the opening ceremony and main events are scheduled for Sept 20-21, while other side events will begin on Sept 18 onwards.
The rich cultural tapestry of Baram basin will be showcased on the first day of the event instead of the closing night to allow more people to experience and appreciate this rich heritage, it added.
Organising chairman Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil said while the opening and closing events for traditional paddling races are maintained, this year's Baram Regatta will be slightly different compared to previous years.
'We will be leaving out the less popular events to concentrate on the more popular events, like remote control boat racing, as the choppy Baram River waters are not conducive.
'The new additions include fibre longboat races, power boat racing with engine capacity cap raised from 30hp to 50hp—all of which will attract many people including those from Brunei and other parts of the state,' said the Marudi assemblyman.
'The roar and speed of the more powerful boats is expected to provide bigger thrill and excitement to spectators lining up the Baram River banks.'
Penguang, also Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government, said RM300,000 has been approved to spruce up the facilities, including roofing over the stage overlooking the Baram River and covering of walkways on the bank below Fort Hose to the town.
On a related matter, he said Marudi is expected to see a snail-crawl for traffic flow this year following the completion of the bridge across the Baram River last year, which allowed unfettered access to the town instead of reliance on ferry services previously.
'In the last edition, due to the extreme congestion, vehicles lined up from the ferry point to the Marudi Airport, waiting for their turn to cross the Baram River and return to Miri and other places.
'With a bigger influx of visitors to Marudi this year, the main committee has identified Marudi industrial mini-estate and other areas as possible sites for parking to help reduce bottled-neck congestion inside the town area,' he added.
Meanwhile the organiser is inviting members of the public to participate in the competition to pick the best event logo.
Vendors would also be able to rent uniform tents at their respective allotted lots, added the organiser. Baram Regatta cultural marudi Penguang Manggil power boat racing