4 days ago
Kuching Food Festival 2025 returns with 324 stalls, rich cultural flavours and international flair
Liew (fourth left) presents a mock cheque to Wee (fifth left) while others look on. – Photo by Jude Lee
KUCHING (July 18): The highly anticipated Kuching Food Festival 2025 is set to return from July 25 to August 17 at Dewan Masyarakat, Kuching South City Council (MBKS), featuring 324 stalls in a vibrant culinary showcase of Sarawak's diverse heritage and international flavours.
Kuching South Mayor, Dato Wee Hong Seng, announced this during the handover ceremony of Magnum's RM45,000 sponsorship at the MBKS building here today.
'The contribution is not only financial, but also a gesture of trust, shared value, and commitment to the community that both MBKS and Magnum have held dearly,' said Wee, expressing his appreciation to Magnum for its continuous support spanning more than three decades.
'The long-lasting donation is the friendship that links together and builds up to make sure that as a whole, the community will benefit from this sponsorship,' he added.
He further announced that this year's festival will feature 320 food stalls, three beer stalls, and one dedicated drink stall.
Among the main highlights is the Chinese Home-Cooked Delicacy Corner, showcasing traditional dishes prepared by Chinese dialect groups in Sarawak – Hainan, Chawan, Teochew, Hokkien, Hing Hwa, Foochow, Kwong Wai Siew, and Hakka.
They will each take turns to showcase and sell their traditional dishes over a dedicated three-day period, he noted.
'These are not the commercial recipes; these are dishes that represent the stories, the tradition, and family memories.
'So it is our way of preserving our culture through food and ensuring our younger generation understands and appreciates the richness of the root,' he pointed out.
The festival will also feature a 'Gastronomy Pavilion', a special section reflecting Kuching's status as a Unesco Creative City of Gastronomy.
Sister cities from Zhenjiang and Quanzhou, China, will also participate, sharing their culinary arts and culture with festival-goers.
Additionally, there will be a 'Bumiputera Corner', a space where the Malay, Dayak, and other indigenous communities can proudly present their traditional delicacies.
Wee encouraged the public from all over Sarawak to come and experience the delicious food, lively atmosphere, performances, and support local businesses.
'Do come, because your support matters. By visiting the stores, you are supporting all the small businesses, encouraging cultural continuity, and helping to keep this community spirit alive and thriving.
'The success of this festival is not just measured in numbers, but in all the smiles that we are creating in Kuching, the stories that we share and the memories that we create together,' he said.
Also present was ENE Sdn Bhd vice president and East Malaysia regional head Liew Kee Chuan. Kuching Food Festival 2025 MBKS Wee Hong Seng
