Kuala lumpur: The RIUH X ASEAN 2025 Festival has become the largest 'cross-cultural hub' in the region, bringing together arts, music, food, and the regional creative community on a single high-impact platform.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Deputy Secretary-General (Strategic Communications and Creative Industry) of the Ministry of Communications, Nik Kamaruzaman Nik Husin, stated that the festival is not merely an entertainment event but a platform for cultural integration and the creative economy that strengthens the bonds within the ASEAN community. He remarked that 'RIUH X ASEAN is a regional platform that brings together more than 150 creative practitioners with over 300 creative activities, workshops, exhibitions, and musical performances.'
He further explained that the festival unites elements of art, food, gastronomy, and community to foster appreciation and collaborative creative networking, embodying the spirit of ASEAN solidarity implemented through the ASEAN Summit. This year's edition aligns with the ASEAN 2025 theme, 'Inclusivity and Sustainability', reflected through various arts, cultural, and community engagement programs.
RIUH X ASEAN 2025 is being held from Oct 17 to Nov 2 at various locations around Kuala Lumpur, including Stadium Merdeka, GMBB Creative Mall, Audience KL, and Town House Terrace. The festival features various main segments reinforcing the 'cross-cultural hub' concept, such as the FrequenSea ASEAN Music Conference at GMBB, which was the first ASEAN music conference in Malaysia, held on Oct 21 and 22.
Other key events include the RIUH X ASEAN Marketplace, scheduled from Oct 24 to 26 at Stadium Merdeka, showcasing over 60 retail and F and B brands from Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Brunei, and Indonesia. Nik Kamaruzaman noted that the Marketplace, co-organized with QSR Brands as the official co-host and Merdeka 118 as the official venue sponsor, is expected to attract more than 30,000 visitors throughout the event.
Moreover, the festival highlights elements of comedy, literature, and visual arts, with events like Panggung Gelak, Lead Connect, SEA Slam, and the Riuh Gallery Suara Belacu at Audience KL. Nik Kamaruzaman emphasized that RIUH X ASEAN continues the success of 85 previous Riuh editions, which recorded over a million visitors and more than 10,000 creative practitioners, generating an economic value exceeding RM10 million.