A Decade of Arts for All - Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival!

🇲🇾 A Decade of Arts for All

Yayasan Sime Darby is back for their 10th year anniversary with a special touring edition of Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival!

Presented by Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) and The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac), with support from Sime Darby Berhad, SD Guthrie Berhad, Sime Darby Property Berhad, and for the first time, the MADANI Government under Belanjawan 2025, this festival kicks off in February.

WIth MADANI Government’s support, the festival promotes job opportunities, art-based education, community bonds and cultural preservation, now on a bigger scale.

🤝🏻 Community: Side by Side

This year’s theme is Community: Side by Side. Coming from the goal of making arts accessible to all, YSDAF is carrying this theme across the country with 10 different locations in Peninsular Malaysia from quaint kampungs to bustling cities. Each location will host a curation of performances and workshops that involve touring creatives and local communities, creating meaningful cultural exchanges. Regardless of age, gender, race, physical abilities, there will be something for everyone at the festival.

Dato’ Dr Faridah Merican, Executive Producer of klpac and YSDAF shared, “Like before, there will be a variety of offerings, from the traditional to the contemporary, dance to theatre. YSDAF 2025 sends a strong message and is not just about showcasing the arts but about driving home that the arts belong to all Malaysians. Whether in the kampung or the cities, it is an invitation to come together, to share, and to experience the beauty and power of creativity in all its forms.”

🌳 Kampung Tour at 7 locations

For the first time in YSDAF’s history, those beyond the Klang Valley will have the opportunity to experience the essence of YSDAF as the team journeys across schools and communities out of state from April through May. The curation of events will vary to each location, including drum-making workshops implementing recycled materials and educational theatre showcases by the KL Shakespeare Players to name a few.

Human library interviews called “Ceritaku” will also be conducted at each stop to turn these real-life experiences into a performance that will premiere at the Urban Tour, connecting communities across Peninsular Malaysia.

🏙️ Urban Tour at 3 locations

YSDAF will initiate their Urban Tour segment from June to August, covering the three locations - KL East Mall, PARC, and Elmina Lakeside Mall.

In addition to YSDAF experience of performances across genres, hands-on workshops, ecozone booths and drum circles, the Urban Tour will also include snippets from the Kampung Tour. The highlights of YSDAF 2025 are three site-specific works that have been commissioned for the festival. In addition, the festival will debut three new works under Pitch Start involving Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

Programme partners for YSDAF 2025 include Orang Orang Drum Theatre, MyDance Alliance and Soundscape Records.

📣 Pitch Start - Call for Entry

For YSDAF 2025, themed “Community: Side by Side”, Pitch Start is calling for creative and meaningful ideas to engage Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) through the arts and encourage collaboration between people of all abilities. 

Successful applicants stand a chance to win a grant of up to RM30,000. The project team is expected to run a 6 to 8-week programme to conceptualise, train and/or devise a presentation or performance with participants comprising PWDs to be premiered at YSDAF 2025 Urban Tour’s Community Stage.

The deadline for all entries is 30 March 2025, 11.59pm. More information here.

🤗 Variety for All

YSDAF continues to strive for an accessible and diverse environment for art enthusiasts, veteran creatives, and curious minds alike. 

As the only festival in Malaysia to have its crew undergo Disability Equality Training (DET) and Disability Related Services Training (DRST), YSDAF 2025 continues this tradition to be inclusive and welcoming.

Everyone is invited! And the best part is admission is free! YSDAF 2025 will be a celebration of unity, creativity, and the shared experiences that bring Malaysians closer together. Let’s come together, side by side, for the arts.

For the latest updates and schedules, follow YSDAF on social media or visit their website. Stay tuned to festival partner CloudJoi for updates too!