LABUAN — The Borneo Arts Festival 2026 (BAF 2026), which opened here today, has recorded 1,008 entries comprising participants and exhibitors, with RM91,400 in cash prizes offered across its four main competitions.
Federal Territories Department director-general Datuk Muhammad Azmi Mohd Zain said the three-day festival, held from Sept 25 to 27 at Kompleks Ujana Kewangan, had evolved beyond a conventional cultural event into a creative arts tourism hub bringing together local and international talent.
“BAF is no longer merely a conventional cultural event, but a creative arts tourism hub that brings together outstanding local and international talents, including those from our own island of Labuan,” he said in his speech at the opening ceremony today.
He said the festival was in line with the ongoing commitment of the Federal Territories Department and Labuan Corporation to transform Labuan into a cultural tourism destination and leading events-based tourism hub in the Borneo region.
“We do not want Labuan to be known solely as an international financial centre, but also for its distinctive identity as a dynamic, modern and sustainable arts, culture and heritage tourism destination,” he said.
The 13th edition of BAF provides opportunities for associations, school students, educational institutions and arts communities to showcase their talents in performing arts, dance, music, fashion, visual arts and handicrafts.
The festival brings together artists and cultural practitioners from across Borneo, as well as Peninsular Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines, while strengthening regional arts and cultural networks.
BAF is also listed as one of the signature events under the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) cooperation framework.
Azmi said the festival was expected to benefit the local economy, particularly the hospitality, homestay, transport, food and small and medium-sized business sectors.
“With the significant number of visitors expected throughout these three days, this festival will certainly provide a direct economic boost to the local community.
“This is an excellent example of how arts and culture can drive the people’s economy, or what we know as the orange economy,” he said.
The four main events are the Borneo Creative Dance Competition, Tingkah Geruh Competition, Malaysia Creative Costume Fashion Design Competition and Jogethon.
The Borneo Creative Dance and Tingkah Geruh competitions involve 27 groups, while the creative costume competition features 15 groups.
The newly introduced Jogethon comprises 15 groups involving 75 participants, 23 duo pairs involving 46 participants and 61 solo participants.
The Borneo Creative Dance Competition offers RM42,000 in prize money, while Tingkah Geruh offers RM16,000 and the Malaysia Creative Costume Fashion Design Competition RM17,500. Additional prizes are also offered in the respective competitions, bringing the total cash prizes for the four main events to RM91,400.
Apart from the competitions, BAF 2026 features a Borneo handicraft exhibition and sale, invited artist performances, visual arts exhibitions and workshops, an artisan market, Instrument Sound of Borneo Solo, Labuan FM’s mini studio, the Citra Minda Intergenerasi programme and the National Language Decade programme.
The festival is also strengthened through a collaboration with the Labuan Visual Arts Association (LAVISTA), featuring the Linut Batik Installation Art Exhibition, Invited Artists Narrative Gallery, Experimental Linut Pavilion, natural dye activities, an artisan and creative craft bazaar, and visual arts workshops.
Azmi also urged artists and visitors to use the festival to create, interact and promote Borneo’s cultural heritage internationally, including through social media.
BAF 2026 carries the theme “Harta Pusaka Borneo, Warisan Yang Menyatukan” (Borneo Heritage, A Legacy That Unites).
Also present were Labuan Corporation chief executive officer Rithuan Mohd Ismail and several heads of government departments and agencies.
