The Penang World Music Festival (PWMF) returns this year and promises to be “bigger and better” with a line up of 18 international and local bands offering music genre ranging from blues to salsa and reggae.
They include Maite Hontele from Colombia, Kalja Riddim Klan (Vanuatu), Gus Teja World Music (Bali), Tori Ensemble (South Korea) Wild Marmalade (Australia)and Beoga (Ireland, see pix below).
They will be joined by other international musicians from Africa, Australia, Russia, Mongolia and the Philippines.
Among the local bands are Didit Dinai, Penang Dhol Blasters, Kumpulan Minang Moh Geng Wak Long and my favourite, Aseana Percussion Unit.
PWMF will be staged open air at the Quarry Recreational Park, Botanic Gardens from 30 March to 1 April with the concert starting from 7pm.
The musical workshop will start from 2pm while the Kidzworld workshop will be from 5pm to 6pm. There will also be festival bazaar offering a wide selection of food and beverages, souvenir items, handicrafts and the performers’ CDs for sale.
I’m glad to know the organiser, Penang State Tourism Development and Culture Office has appointed UCSI Communications Sdn Bhd (UComms) as the event management consultant to ensure the smooth running of the festival.
Thanks to UComms communications manager Letitia Samuel, I have received the releases, pictures and media invitation to this year’s event already.
Letitia was formerly from the Sarawak Tourism Board, which started and successfully built up the Rainforest World Music Festival and Miri International Jazz Festival (now rebranded as Borneo Jazz) to be recognised music events globally.
When PWMF was last held three years ago, I could still remember how difficult it was for us media in Kuala Lumpur (KL) to get information on the event or even a response from the tourism officer in charge.
Hard Rock Hotel Penang is the official hotel for the PWMF and will not only be housing all the musicians but the invited media as well during the festival.
A preview show will be held at the hotel on 28 March while on 29 March, the preview will be held at Straits Quay, one of the supporters of PWMF 2012.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there will be preview held earlier in KL as part of the build-up for the PWMF.
Tickets to the festival can be bought online at www.ticketxpress.com.my for RM90 a day for adult and RM45 a day for children between five and 12 years old.
Three-day tickets are priced at RM220 each for adults and RM120 each for children.
PWMF tickets are also sold at all Discovery Overland Holidays offices (tel: +6 013 3398113) and Penang Tourism Development and Culture Office (tel: +6 016 4110000).
