KOTA KINABALU, April 28 — After two years of pared-down celebrations, Sabah’s iconic month-long Kaamatan or Harvest cultural fest will be back starting this Sunday, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan said.

He said the state also wanted to celebrate on a grander scale after two years of "hybrid” celebrations but would still maintain vigilance against Covid-19 despite the country’s transition into the endemic phase.

"The harvest festival this year will be celebrated physically in all districts and some branches where the Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association (KDCA) such as Johor, Melaka, Klang Valley and Putrajaya. Sabahans in other countries such as New Zealand, Australia (Perth) and USA (New York) will also be holding their own celebrations.

"In Sabah, it will kick off this Sunday, May 1, at the Handicraft Centre in Keningau,” said Kitingan, adding that Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor will be attending the ceremony.

"But we would like to remind people to continue to be cautious as the relaxation of SOPs is a gift to us, so we should be careful when celebrating together and not overstep the mark and forget about SOPs,” he said.

Kitingan, who is also the state festival main committee chairman, said the state government required masks to be still worn outdoors for the time being, despite the Health Ministry’s recent announcement that this would be optional from May 1.

Kitingan said that event has a RM1.5 million budget, and he hoped the cultural fest would attract more tourists and investors to the state.

Activities that had to be put on hold the last two years would resume physically, such as the Unduk Ngadau, or Harvest Queen pageant, singing competition or Sugandoi, sports, food showcases and musical shows.

"This year’s theme is ‘Kaamatan Monunduan Do Winorun’ or ‘Kaamatan Ensouls Nature’,” he said.

As was the usual, the month-long festivities will culminate in Hongkod on May 30 and 31, with closing ceremony and the crowning of the Unduk Ngadau queen.