[Review] Kuantan Arts Festival Was A Blast! And Here’s Why It Matters
When you let creatives organise an arts festival, you get KuArts.
- KuArts brought together local artists, vendors, and creatives in Kuantan, showcasing the city's thriving arts scene through exhibitions, performances, and workshops.
- Organised by artists themselves, KuArts proved great festivals don't need gimmicks, just a community that genuinely believes in its creative talents.
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The Kuantan Arts Festival (KuArts) is not your run-of-the-mill local festival. At first glance, we could already tell that a lot of love, care, and effort went into each of the programmes that made up the entire creative event.
It had a curated marketplace full of local vendors selling food, art, and all sorts of other goodies you might only find in Malaysia’s East Coast.
Meanwhile, creative workshops and art seminars by people who actually work in the arts industry line the festival’s itinerary as well. Discussions on artists’ rights, an upcycling workshop, and talks that support being a proactive community are just some of the enriching programmes hosted at KuArts.
Art exhibitions, film screenings, theatre plays, and projection mapping installations all done by Malaysian talents were also part of the three-day festival.
Everything, Everywhere, All In KuArts
One of the best things about KuArts is that each venue on the programme list were all within walking distance.
The venues were Blok56, Hock Bee Building, Studio Belatuk and Belatuk Social, Barn House by Macinda, and Lorong Seni, which if you look on Google Maps, is all within the Jalan Besar area, near the town’s iconic landmark: Kuantan 188.
So, if you’re staying in Kuantan town itself or a little further out like in Teluk Cempedak, you’re all set once you’re in the festival zone. No need to book e-hailing services to go to each venue!
To make things easier for festival-goers, a user-friendly KuArts app was also developed where you can check the festival’s programme information, make bookings for shows and workshops, and even get Google Maps or Waze directions to the spot you’re going to.
Why each programme is important for the East Coast creative community
The staple of KuArts was Pasar Sera, a highly popular artisan and creative market based primarily in Kuantan. Managed by Sera Group, it serves as a community-driven platform for local entrepreneurs, artists, and creators to showcase their products, art, and food.
Located along Lorong Seni just off Jalan Besar, the venue served as a fitting platform for Pasar Sera as visitors walk through mural-adorned walls while they explore the market.
Meanwhile, the festival’s creative programmes such as the soft soft sands art exhibition, Beleber Sessions talk and discussion sessions on art by various art workers and artists, screenings by Kuantan’s independent filmmakers, theater plays by local stage producers and actors, as well as musical performances by musicians from the East Coast all contribute to the state’s creative awareness by providing them a platform to showcase their talents.
While the arts may be considered a niche interest in Malaysia, our experience with KuArts has demonstrated the significant untapped talent present not only in the East Coast of the peninsula but also nationwide.
With the help of festivals like KuArts, many more of the country’s artists would gain better exposure and recognition, and generate more interest in Malaysia as a creative hub and art destination in the region.
When you let creatives organise a festival, you get KuArts
Being at KuArts made us realise another thing: the festival was organised by people who are in the arts — visual artists, musicians, storytellers.
We felt a stark difference compared to festivals organised by corporations, the government, and bored rich individuals.
KuArts had a vibe that was warm, inviting, and distinctly Kuantan. The community-focused programmes delivered authentic creative experiences that was not seeking to make maximum profit (although it certainly deserves that), but to share what Pahang’s contemporary talents have to offer, as well as a glimpse into what life in Kuantan is like: relaxed, pleasant, and slow-moving.
The festival was primarily funded by independent sponsors, who are either patrons of the arts or artists themselves, while Takaful Malaysia Keluarga Berhad (Kaotim) partially sponsored the event.
KuArts was organised by Cempaka Sessions, a company owned by Soraya, Nazeera, and Irena Taib, three Pahang-born siblings who make up indie-folk band The Impatient Sisters.
More than just a festival
If KuArts proved anything, it’s that great festivals don’t need flashy gimmicks or celebrity headliners to leave a lasting impression. Sometimes, all it takes is a community that genuinely believes in its artists, its stories, and the place it calls home.
Kuantan has long been known for its beaches, food, and laid-back charm, but KuArts showed us there’s another side to the city that’s just waiting to be discovered. Beneath its relaxed pace is a thriving creative community filled with people making meaningful art, music, theatre, and culture.
As the festival continues to grow, we hope it inspires more Malaysians to look beyond the usual arts hotspots and explore what places like Kuantan have to offer. Because if this year’s edition is anything to go by, KuArts isn’t just building a festival — it’s helping shape the future of Malaysia’s creative scene, one exhibition, performance, and conversation at a time.
If you missed KuArts this year, follow them on Instagram to see everything that happened and to stay posted on updates.
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