Fun Times in Southeast Asia: Art Festivals You Need to Visit
You only live once! Go out and have fun! Meet people! Experience things! If you’ve heard these before, we’re here to tell you how to do it, while networking and having the time of your life. You’ll get to party like you’re 20 again, or if that’s not your cup of tea, you can experience the finer things in life with fine arts festivals and events. This listicle curates Southeast Asia’s must visit events for everyone, regardless of your age or passion, if you like something, chances are, these festivals have it! Read on to add to your bucket list!
We’ve compiled three festivals from each partner country of the Creative Hubs Connect programme for you to celebrate your youth, because you’re never too old to have fun!
Indonesia
Tempeh, Ayam Penyet, Sambal Balado, Ayam Gepuk and Bingka Telur. Indonesia is known for so much great food and its incredibly friendly people. What it’s less known for is its festivals. But just because they aren’t as well known, doesn’t mean they aren’t wild, young spirited festivals.
Not a stickler for rules and conformism? Are you always looking for a little bit of chaos, the fun kind that keeps you up and running? Are you a person who hates staying in a box? If any of these questions ring through, you’ll probably find that you’re an avid enjoyer of Jazz music.
As an enjoyer of jazz, you need to look no further than the Java Jazz Festival. Quite possibly the largest jazz festival in Southeast Asia with an annual attendance of roughly 45 000 participants, there’s no limit to how many people you can meet. Party people, young travellers, young influencers, if you’re looking to network, you have every type of person you could want to meet (provided they can hear you over the music).
The festival takes place annually during the month of March in Jakarta and usually spans the course of three days. The event which began in 2005 is still going strong, but the 2022 edition unfortunately has passed already. However, if you are excited for the festival, do keep your eyes peeled and on their official website!
Do you dress well? Do you have fits for days? Are you an absolute fashionista? Indonesia has the perfect carnival for all your needs. The Jember Fashion Carnaval has among the most exotic and beautiful lineup of outfits for each installation of its carnival.
The festival features thousands of local artists whose thematic creations are colourful, unique and incredibly beautiful. The costumes seem straight out of a fairy tale and models will walk down the 4km long runway to display their creations. The costumes often mimic mythical characters, as in the 2020 instalment of the festival, with models wearing costumes of Poseidon, Sriwijaya, Aztecs and even an interpretation of the Mahabaratha as a costume!
The festival, with thousands of fans turning up annually at Jember, is held in early August for about 4 to 5 days. Each day features a different type of model, from adults to pets and children. It is held parade-style, with no entry fee required, but if you’re looking for a little more comfort, you can always buy tickets for the shaded seats at a range of IDR25000 to IDR75000. For more information on the festival, you can check out their website here!
Malaysia
The melting pot of culture. A multiracial, multicultural nation full of lovely people, and among the best nightlife scenes you can ever experience (They have food for 24 hours). In Malaysia, the festivals are big, and the festivals are loud, and more often than not, full of young people. So when it’s time for a festival, it’s time to party.
Do you often find yourself looking for new indie writers? The Georgetown Literary Festival first featured artists from Malaysia but has since grown to feature writers from all over the world, and has currently become the biggest literary festival organised in Malaysia. Annually, the festival showcases discourses and discussions among the top literary figures in the world in various venues around Georgetown.
With the backdrop of the UNESCO World Heritage recognised state Penang and its gorgeous, insta worthy scene, the festival managed to draw a total of over 6000 people to its 64 venues last year alone. The festival includes discussions on interesting themes which are rooted deeply in Malaysian, and contemporary Asian Literature, a perfect fit for developing and propagating Asian lore.
The festival does feature some ticketed workshops, but the festival and its many events are widely free of charge. Do check before doing it, but you can simply show up and participate in any of the discussions, book fairs and writer meets organised at the festival. The festival is held annually at the end of November over the course of four days in the city of Georgetown. If you’re excited to learn more about this readers’ haven, you can check them out here!
Calling all nature and music lovers, it’s time to get wild and moving. Thronged by the sounds of nature and encompassed in the lush forests of Borneo, the Rainforest World Music Festival held in Sarawak is set to blow your mind. With traditional and contemporary Asian artists of all disciplines, the festival is made to introduce you to the arts and culture prevalent in Asia.
Annually, the festival features up and coming, as well as well established artists in their lineup of performances over the course of three days. The artists hail from various parts of Asia, including artists from each Southeast Asian nation as well as other parts of Asia such as India, China and Korea! As a personal experience, the music and the overall experience from the festival, including the workshops, were very life changing for me because I didn’t know the art and culture of these nations were this deep.
So, if you want an experience of a lifetime, enjoying art, culture and traditions in the heart of a rainforest, the Rainforest World Music Festival is the best experience for you to get a taste of. The festival is held annually in July over three days. The festival however, is ticketed and prices vary based on how long you want to attend the festival. Personally speaking, the festival is worth the amount of money you’ll be spending on it, and if you want to find out more about it, you can look here!
The Philippines
This nation made of 7640 islands has an abundance of beautiful scenery, amazing people and wonderful culture. The perfect summer vacation is what many people would imagine when they think of the Philippines, as well as loads and loads of mangoes. If you dream of a tropical paradise, the Philippines is the place to be.
Let’s take a step into the world of visual arts and art fairs. The Pinoy are no strangers to self-expression, and their art is a testimony to the statement. The Art Fair Philippines features various disciplines of visual arts such as painting, photography, sculpting and film at its exhibition venues. The festival, held at Makati, Manila is a visual treat for all its visitors.
The festival has featured acclaimed artists such as Nune Alvarado, a social realist who has been active since the Martial Law era of The Philippines in the 70’s. He is also accompanied by up and coming NFT artist Bjorn Calleja, painter and sculptor, Johanna Helmuth, grotesque humorist, Doktor Karayom and many other acclaimed artists. Over the course of ten days their art will be exhibited in multiple exhibitions in Makati city.
If you’re an art aficionado, the fair is made to bring you closer to the heart and soul of Pinoy culture through visuals and you understand the artists better with every brushstroke. It is held annually from the end of march to the beginning of April attracting tourists from all over the world to the city of Makati. If you want to visit these exhibitions, you can get more info here!
Art has the power to change an entire nation. As such, Artletics is an organisation set up to bring about change in the community by building a network of young artists that can bring about this positive change. To date they’ve organised four festivals, and they have more in the pipeline. At its heart, Artletics is an organisation that recognises the importance of art in the ecosystem of a community.
Artletics, does not only organise festivals to exhibit art, but they also organise events for artists to come together, and celebrate their bond as artists. They have sports days for artists and even dedicated residencies to artists. In line with networks making people stronger together, they’ve built an ecosystem for artists to be themselves, free from any influences that may limit them.
As such, their work and events are incredibly fun and interesting as the artists themselves are allowed to take their self-expression to new heights. There is no fixed time for their festivals and you can find out more about their events and work here!
Thailand
Thailand is known for many things. One of Thailand’s highlights is their annual water festival, Songkran, which sees the people of Thailand race to the streets to douse each other in water. The parties in Thailand are no bore either, with many of their festivals featuring loud music, bright colours and extravagant performances. In line with that spirit, it is no surprise that Thailand’s art festivals are giant parties of their own calibre.
A wild party, loud music and artists exploring their art to its fullest potential. Wonderfruit is as big a party as they come. The festival annually features a turnout of over 20000 people as well as a lineup of artists that are both local and international. The festival is unique in the sense that it is highly sustainable, as they are carbon positive, and they’ve also managed to have a positive impact on the environment by, a) banning single use cups, b) segregating their rubbish and preventing over 95% of it from ending up in a landfill and c) using environmentally friendly materials to build their installations and amenities.
The festival is a nature lover’s haven as alongside the music, they highly incorporate nature, arts and culture into their performances and setting. For example, the festival designers will be building an ancestral forest design as the setting for the 2022 installation of the festival. There will be five stages, each with a different theme and different lineup of artists.
The final tickets for the 2022 edition of the festival, which will be held from the 15th to 18th December, go up on sale on the 12th of September, so if you’re raring to go for the festival, this is your best shot! Tickets for the festival can be bought here!
The Mango Art Festival serves as an exposition for national and international issues, with artists using their art to begin discussions on issues such as the invasion of Ukraine, the ongoing pandemic and climate change. The festival happens to be the first and only festival in Asia that features a combination of performances, talks, design and art galleries all in one place.
The festival will be held at River City, Bangkok which is widely known as the arts capital of the nation and will feature over 90 booths in their four sections. The artists featured in the festival are not only local artists, but also international artists from Greece, Denmark, and many more countries. The festival even features talks on topics that enhance the attendees’ understanding of the Thai arts industry and Thai culture.
The festival dates vary annually, with this year’s festival being held in May. If you’re interested in visiting the festival, you can apply to be a visitor here!
Vietnam
Vietnam is popular for many reasons. Beaches, rivers, Ho Chi Minh city, Buddhist Pagodas, scooters and much more. The festivals in Vietnam also come in many fonts. From cultural festivals to loud party types, Viet Nam has it all.
Have you been looking for the time of your life? White sand beaches,a cheap travel destination, a huge party and new people to meet everywhere. Epizode is the biggest party in Vietnam, and it’s a music festival as high profile as they come. Over a 100 artists both local and international are a part of this festival held on the island of Phu Quoc.
If you think of Coachella, then Epizode would be the Southeast Asian version with just as much talent and it being just as fun, but so much more affordable. The festival in its last installation attracted over 10 000 people to Phu Quoc, which is a big achievement seeing as it has only had three instalments of the series.
The next installation of the event will be held from December 28th 2022 until January 8th 2023, so if you’re looking to start your new year with a bang, you should book your tickets for the event as soon as possible! For more info, you can look here!
Fashion. Style. Beauty. Vietnam International Fashion Week embodies all these words. High Fashion is the idea behind this fashion week, with both arts and culture being combined with modern fashion, the Vietnam International Fashion week is your high culture event to participate in.
The event features designers from all over Asia producing their best work for each installation. The Summer installation which was held last May, featured modern outfits perfect for all your high fashion needs. The Fashion Week focused on edgy, avant garde themed outfits and it seemed to be straight out of a Victoria’s Secret Fashion show.
Look out for more info on their social media page here!
Southeast Asia is the land of youth, culture and tradition. Everywhere you look, there’s something exciting happening. It is one of the regions everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime. If you’re here and you want to know what you can do, visit mereka.io for more exciting events and festivals!
