3rd Kuching Music Festival draws 30,000 on finale night

Over 30,000 turned up at Kuching’s Padang Merdeka for the final night of the Kuching Music Festival 2026.

KUCHING, 18 May 2026: The 3rd edition of the Kuching Music Festival, which took place at Padang Merdeka in Kuching city centre, officially concluded last night, drawing in over 30,000 people to Padang Merdeka for 2 nights of emotional music, dazzling performances and stunning vocals.

Last night’s concert was headlined by Indonesian singer and songwriter, Cakra Khan, most well-known for his raspy, soulful vocals and emotional ballads. The 34-year-old took to the stage to the thunderous applause of thousands, performing a total of 8 songs, including 2 duets with fellow performers of the evening, Chien Ng for ‘Seluruh Jiwa’ and Carrie Geres for ‘Hal Hebat’.

Cakra Khan

The evening kicked off with captivating performances from local Sarawakian artists, Mal Imran, Chien Ng and Carrie Geres, who wowed the crowd with their magnetic presence and popular song choices. Mal Imran was the first performer of the evening, and brought the house down with his rendition of N’Sync’s ‘It’s Gonna Be Me’ as well his own ‘Cinta Sukar Ditafsirkan’. 

Up next, Ng Chien performed crowd favourites like Beyonce’s ‘Love on Top’ and even brought out Carrie Geres on stage to sing ‘Golden’ from the K-Pop Demon Hunters movie. Later, Carrie took to the stage for her solo performance, dancing out to Blackpink’s ‘Jump’ and Taylor Swift’s ‘The Fate of Ophelia’, as well as her hit single, ‘Dayang Bidayuh’.

Mal Imran

Chien Ng

The entire festival culminated in a finale performance of ‘Berkikis Bulu Betis’, with performers from the previous night, Firdaus Materang and Ramles Walter joining the evening’s headliners Cakra Khan, Mal Imran, Chien Ng and Carrie Geres as well as hosts Rezza Ali and Natasha Juan for one last song that perfectly encapsulates Sarawak’s sense of unity, fun and 

Despite the light rain that descended upon the crowd just as the night draws to a conclusion, the audience can be seen singing and dancing together, reflecting the spirit of togetherness in support of the home-grown festival. 

Carrie Geres

(From left) Chien Ng, Firdaus Materang, Natasha Juan, Cakra Khan, Carrie Geres and Rezza Ali during the final performance of ‘Berkikis Bulu Betis’.