Playback & Preview: Creativity Takes Centre Stage

6 November 2025

OCTOBER was a whirlwind month for Kuala Lumpur’s creative scene, bursting with art, design and community-driven events that showed why this city continues to shine on the regional stage.

We’ll start with a congratulations to Kuala Lumpur, officially named a UNESCO Creative City of Design 2025! Announced on World Cities Day (Oct 31), this recognition marks a proud milestone for Malaysia’s capital – celebrating its growing influence as a hub for innovation, culture and urban creativity.

DBKL set the stage for the announcement that morning with the launch of its 2026 Kuala Lumpur Events Calendar at the Mayor’s Courtyard on Jalan Tangsi. Officiated by the Mayor, Dato’ Seri TPr (Dr) Maimunah Mohd Sharif (pic below), the event was attended by Tourism Malaysia Deputy Director-General (Planning) Datin Rafidah Idris, and partners from various government agencies, private sectors, and tourism industry players.

The 2026 Events Calendar brings together a year-long lineup of tourism, cultural, arts, sports and recreational programmes showcasing the city’s diversity as a world-class destination. Key highlights include Kuala Lumpur Car Free Morning, KL Street Jam, Festival Orkestra Kuala Lumpur, Pesta Teater Kuala Lumpur, and the National Day and New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The ceremony also marked the launch of VisitKL’s official theme song (below) Joget Visit KL – a first for DBKL in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2026 – alongside the unveiling of the new “Ronda Ronda Kuala Lumpur” Hop On Hop Off buses, designed to give visitors a refreshed and more engaging city experience. Guests were treated to a first look at the newly designed buses – complete with retractable roofs and multilingual audio guides, set to offer tourists a more immersive KL experience next year.

Listen to Joget Visit KL!

Over at GMBB, the A4 Art Fair 2025 (Oct 30–Nov 2) drew crowds with its bold theme, “The Art of Everything.” The four-day event blurred the lines between art and life – merging creativity with everyday experiences, from food and furniture to fashion and design. Curator Ng Si Juan, co-founder of A4 Art Gallery, summed it up: “It’s about breaking walls – between art and design, the conventional and new, idea and experience, creator and audience.” With works spanning Art x Brand, Living, Sustainable, Prints, Artisan, and New Media Pop & Art Sculpture, the fair offered a chance for visitors to meet familiar faces like Michael Chuah, Katun, Shakir and Laowang1102 and others, who mingled freely with fans and collectors alike.

Look who we bumped into at the A4 Art Fair: Self-taught animator who focuses on traditional 2D animation and cinematic imagination, Michael Lim (Studio Space Dawg); Shi, founder of Shí Terrazzo Atelier, a Malaysian business that creates and sells handcrafted terrazzo and jesmonite home decor; and NFT/graffiti artist Abdul Hafiz Abdul Rahman aka Katun.

Meanwhile, RIUH x ASEAN turned up the energy across the city. The festival returned as a curated showcase of South-East Asian creativity, featuring mini-events such as FrequenSEA (music conference), Rumah Sora (indie concert), SEA Slam (poetry slam), Lit Connect (typewriter writing workshop), and Suara Belacu (gallery installation). The main event at Stadium Merdeka (Oct 24-26) united art, music, food and local products under one massive roof. FrequenSEA, in particular, offered eye-opening discussions on regional music support – like how much airplay local songs receive in their home countries.

SEA Slam

Lit Connect

Panggung Gelak: Big Riuh Energy and Stand Up Sis

Rumah SORA

The creativity didn’t stop there. The ASEAN Arts and Crafts Bazaar (Oct 10–20) at the Kuala Lumpur Craft Complex lit up Jalan Conlay with artisans from across the region. Highlights included beaded baskets and Tree of Life designs by Sarawak’s Zurinawati Razali and Rahanee Tambi, clay batik accessories by the Komuniti Perak Muallim collective, and woven mats from rare kerchut leaves by Fazliyaton Daud Mashi of Kelantan. The bazaar, organised by Kraftangan Malaysia, beautifully captured South-East Asia’s diversity and craftsmanship.

The ASEAN Arts and Crafts Bazaar featured craft from communities across the ASEAN region, including Komuniti Perak Muallim’s clay batik creations and beadwork from Komuniti Kraf Manik Labuan.

To round off the month, PESZTA brought the party to Kampung Attap on Nov 1, turning the heritage neighbourhood into a spirited arts quarter. The community came together – from The Zhongshan Building and Pentago House to Sam Mansion and Triptyk – hosting open studios, art markets, and balcony music sessions and cool projection works with light and motion. There was karaoke, T-shirt printing, letterpress making and delicious bites (laksa, dumplings, cookies, and more!). It was a day of reconnecting and rediscovering – proof that KL’s creative spirit lives in every corner.

November Highlights to Watch

This month promises a calmer but no less inspiring rhythm as the city turns its attention to nature, sustainability and discovery.

Kickstart your weekend with the Uniqlo-Taman Tugu Eco Talk Series on Nov 8 (9.30am–11am) at The Shed, Taman Tugu Nursery. Join Norsham Suhaina Yaakob, researcher at FRIM, for “The Woman Who Followed Frogs: And Found a Vanishing Kingdom.” Expect fascinating insights into her journey studying Malaysia’s frog species – including her discovery of the Leptophryne borbonica!

Later in the month, explore the greener side of the city with Sayur in the City – an urban farm experience by Eats, Shoots & Roots set against KL’s iconic skyline. The next tour happens on Nov 22, inviting visitors to discover how small city spaces can nurture biodiversity and edible gardens. With over 90 species of local plants thriving amidst the skyscrapers, this is a rare chance to see nature and city living grow side by side – and to take home a little something to start your own garden.

Istana Budaya returns to celebrate the Malay language and performing arts with a stage adaptation of Uda dan Dara, the timeless masterpiece by National Laureate Dato’ Dr Usman Awang. The musical theatre production runs from Nov 20 to 23 at the Playhouse Theatre, The Campus in Ampang.
Presented in collaboration with Pertubuhan Rumpun Seni Mekar Budaya, this production features a stellar local cast, including Johan As’ari, Zera Hariz, Jay Iswazir, Farah Ahmad, Azwan Hassan, Sara Sulaiman and Amerul Affendi.

Teater Muzikal Uda dan Dara tells the poignant tale of a young farmer who falls in love with a woman from a wealthy family, only to face opposition rooted in class differences. The production, supported by Istana Budaya under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, aims to rekindle appreciation for classic Malay literature and strengthen the bond between language, culture and society. Tickets, priced from RM40 to RM150, are available via CloudJoi, with special 15% discounts for senior citizens, students, civil servants, and persons with disabilities.

Discover more stories

See full list