Kuala Lumpur Comes Alive with Creativity and Culture

DANIAL ISHAK | 7 April 2026

NEXT month, the city of Kuala Lumpur will transform into a living stage, brought to life by its most passionate creatives in the scene. The KL Festival organised by Think City and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) was recently announced, running from May 6 to 31 across 25 venues, public spaces and streets, presenting over 80 events and more than 700 hours of programming with 90% of its line-up free and open to the public.

June Tan, Artistic Director of KL Fest shared that the programming of the festival was designed to suit any kind of audience.

“The festival brings together many art forms and highlights the richness embedded in our everyday lives. We have been particularly mindful of avoiding a sense of generic multiculturalism or events designed solely to be photo-friendly. The goal for this curated KL Festival is to engage people with art in meaningful ways – to spark imagination, inspire new ways of thinking and encourage audiences to experience something fresh,” says Tan.

Not sure which shows to catch? Three arts practitioners offer a closer look at their productions, shedding light on the ideas and intentions that shape KL Festival.

Old Traditions Reimagined

It’s not often you find wayang kulit (shadow puppet) shows in KL, and its even rarer to find one from an all-female ensemble. On May 16, 9pm the Wayang Women troupe will perform live at Dataran Merdeka, bringing its unique showcase of recognisable folk myths told with modern flair.

Much like the two sold-out shows in Kuala Lumpur last year, the troupe featuring Illya Sumanto (Malaysia), Sarah Amer (Malaysia), Victoria Yam (Malaysia), Tigra Rose (Indonesia), Annabel Laura (Netherlands) and Lynn Nandar Htoo (Myanmar), reimagines ghost stories from across Malaysia and the region with a playful twist.

While Illya brings the characters to life, the others play instruments ranging from celempung, suling, to synthesizers and samplers – blending traditional instruments from around South-East Asia with electronic music, found sounds and vocals.

“I was reading a lot about the emergence of female dalangs in Indonesia and came across an article by Dr Latifa Ramonita about an all-female karawitan group (a traditional Indonesian music art form) in Solo called Rara Asmoro, founded by Nyi Sri Harti Kenik, a female dalang.

"Then, I thought about this idea of bringing female dalangs to Malaysia for a dialogue,” shares Illya, theatre producer and puppeteer whose PhD work led her to study puppet manipulation techniques.

Beyond the performance, a Wayang Wanita Forum will also be held on May 17 at The National Art Gallery, where researchers from Malaysia and Indonesia explore wayang kulit through the perspectives of women practitioners. The programme includes a demonstration of traditional music reimagined in contemporary forms, as well as an artist market, book fair and hands-on workshops.

“Wayang kulit in Malaysia could be considered critically endangered because no one is really playing it anymore. Most of the master puppeteers, who are predominantly men, belong to an older generation. In the current era, both men and women have to learn, preserve and teach the young. We need more pelapis.

"Having the female dalangs from Indonesia to have a dialogue about the state of wayang in our region might inspire more women to learn wayang. That’s why I think it’s important that we narrate women-focused stories. It’s why Wayang Women is here,” she explained.

More about Wayang Women Live in Dataran here

Last year's production of 'Hantu Kopek' at RXP.KL was an overwhelming success for Wayang Women, proving that people still believe in the art of wayang kulit. – Photo: Wayang Women

Breaking Boundaries

This festival also gives a voice to those who seldom get the opportunity to share their story. In I'm OKay, yoU? – a theatre performance held at Chan She Shu Yuen Clan Ancestral Hall on May 16 and 17 – Malaysian theatre practitioner, producer director and Tamil playwright Santhiagu Thiagu retells real-life experiences growing up.

Through a heartfelt monologue of memory and movement, she tells her story of living with a physical disability and recalling her school days, when during every marathon she was told to sit aside "for her safety."

Tired of pity disguised as care, she decides one year to break the rule and run. Through humour, pain and defiance, she rediscovers her strength and claims her right to belong.

"Living with scoliosis from a young age has never held me back; instead, it has fuelled my drive to keep exploring and trying new things. When I began working on it, I didn't fully realise the emotional intensity the play carried. With no formal training in theatre, I stepped into it purely out of passion," says Santhiagu.

Santhiagu is also excited to be performing at the Chan She Shu Yuen Clan Ancestral Hall on Jalan Petaling, as she’s never performed in an open or culturally rooted space like this before.

“It’s been a challenge adapting our piece to the venue, but at the same time, it’s bee n incredibly fun to explore and play within the space. There’s also something deeply meaningful about performing in a place like this. I feel a sense of presence beyond just the audience. With great respect, we step into the space, believing the ancestors are watching too, and we’re truly thrilled to be part of it.”

Blending Tamil, Malay and English, the play is also a refreshing take on the various cultural influences that make up the Malaysian experience, specifically spotlighting the Indian community.

"At a time when Tamil plays are still underrepresented in the mainstream, opportunities like this mean a lot. They not only open doors for more Tamil productions but also motivate me to continue creating stronger, more meaningful work in the future."

Get your tickets for I'm OKay, yoU? here

Through 'I’m OKay, yoU?', Malaysian playwright and performer Santhiagu Thiagu brings her lived experiences to the stage at Chan She Shu Yuen Clan Ancestral Hall – a moving reflection on resilience, identity and the courage to claim one’s place.

Art For All

If visual arts is more your speed, then the Untitled exhibition at Level 5 of creative mall GMBB is sure to pique your interest as none of the artworks is labelled, and there are no descriptions!

Providing a platform for any creative to submit any artwork regardless of medium or genre, young artist and curator Danielle Lin will be selecting 300 artworks out of over 1000 works submitted in the open call. Running from May 16 to June 7, Lin and her curatorial team will be presenting the diversity of contemporary art and showcasing the hundred different ways that art can be made.

“Some of the submissions definitely stand out in terms of visual clarity and artistic concept, which would get their point across without even needing to read anything. I think we've received a good balance of both types of artwork (visual and contextual), as we prepare an e-catalogue which will hold all the artwork explanations.

"So the contexts aren't exactly missing from the exhibition per se, but the absence of labels prompts people to question and want to find out,” says Lin.

Another unique feature of the exhibition is the entrance fee: all funds from tickets purchased will be collectively divided amongst the artists to support their work. Visitors can express their thoughts about the art works via letters and envelopes (to be purchased at the door) and place them next to the art work in question.

“I think this would spark the idea among all parties (artists, organisers, visitors) that regular people can help be patrons of the arts, that it's not really limited to the upper class. We just have to get creative about it.”

Lin concluded: “It's not every day that artists get encouragement for their work and visitors get to interact so closely with so many artists all at once. I think this would set a precedent for how exhibitions could be organised in the future.”

Get your tickets for Untitled here

Young curator Danielle Lin reimagines the gallery experience with Untitled at GMBB – an exhibition where artworks speak for themselves, inviting visitors to look closer, question more, and become part of the conversation.

KL Festival is organised by Think City and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), and supported by the Ministry of Finance and the Federal Territories Department (Prime Minister’s Department), held in conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2026, Warisan KL and Kuala Lumpur’s designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Design.

For the full list of programmes, visit www.klfestival.com.my