KuArts: Kuantan Is Getting Its Own Arts Festival And Honestly, It’s About Time
There’s more to Kuantan than what meets the eye.
- Kuantan's inaugural KuArts Festival runs 12 to 14 June along Jalan Besar, featuring music, theatre, film screenings, projection mapping, and more.
- Entry is completely free, making it accessible to everyone who wants to experience Kuantan's thriving creative scene.
- Organised by the KuArts Collective, the festival is fully independent and self-funded, driven by community effort and private patrons.
- Beyond just a one-off event, organisers hope KuArts becomes a recurring cultural platform for the East Coast.
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Forget the usual beach stopover reputation because Kuantan is about to prove it has serious creative chops too.
This June, the East Coast city will host the inaugural Kuantan Arts Festival (KuArts), a three-day grassroots arts festival happening from 12 to 14 June around Jalan Besar, turning the heart of Kuantan into a buzzing cultural playground filled with music, theatre, film screenings, projection mapping, art exhibitions, workshops, and more.
The best part? Entry is completely free.
Organised by the KuArts Collective — a collaboration between local creative communities and spaces including Cempaka Sessions, Pasar Sera, Hock Bee, Studio Belatuk and Blok 56 — the festival aims to showcase a side of Kuantan many people may not have seen before.
Sure, the city is famous for its beaches, ikan bakar, and chill coastal vibes, but KuArts wants visitors to discover that there’s a thriving creative scene quietly growing there too.
Kuantan has long had the ingredients for a cool arts and culture movement: charming old streets, independent cafés, passionate local creatives, and a pace of life that feels just relaxed enough for artistic ideas to flourish. Jalan Besar itself already has that artsy, old-town energy that feels perfect for wandering between exhibitions and performances with an iced coffee in hand.
According to KuArts Executive Producer Nazeera Taib, the festival was created from the belief that Kuantan has always had creative talent, but lacked enough platforms to properly showcase it.
Meanwhile, Bazaar Curator Nadia Rustham said the festival was intentionally designed to feel intimate and community-focused, giving visitors the chance to genuinely connect with local artists, musicians, makers, and entrepreneurs.
Unlike massive commercial festivals, KuArts is currently fully independent and self-funded, powered by community effort and support from private patrons. The organisers see the 2026 edition as the beginning of what could eventually become a recurring cultural platform for the East Coast.
Beyond the performances and exhibitions, the festival also hopes to encourage more cultural exchange, creative collaborations, and support for local independent businesses.
So if you’ve been looking for an excuse to plan a weekend road trip, this might be it.
Because between the beaches, food, and now an arts festival taking over the city, Kuantan is shaping up to be a destination that deserves way more attention than just being “that place you stop by on the way to Terengganu”.
Anyone who is interested in being a part of KuArts, be it collaborating, participating, volunteering, sponsoring, or contributing, you can reach out to them at kuartsfestival@gmail.com.
For more information and updates, follow KuArts on their official Instagram page or go to kuartsfestival.com.
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