KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 — The Kuala Lumpur Festival (KL Festival) is now a permanent fixture in the city’s yearly calendar in a bid to transform the city centre into a thriving cultural hub.

Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh, who announced it last night, said that the KL Festival will be held annually starting from May next year, adding that it is also in support of the Visit Malaysia 2027 campaign and to further strengthen its status as a Unesco Creative City. 

“For far too long, many people experienced Kuala Lumpur only as a city to work in, drive through, and rush home from. We want to change that. 

“We want Kuala Lumpur to be a city people slow down to enjoy. A city that feels alive beyond office hours. A city where public spaces are activated with culture, creativity, and community. 

“Because a city should not only feel alive inside shopping malls. Our streets, our heritage buildings, and public spaces must feel alive too,” Yeoh said during the launch.

Returning for its second edition this year, the KL Festival 2026 will run from May 6 to May 31 with over 80 programmes across 26 venues transforming heritage buildings, streets, and public spaces in Downtown KL into a network of cultural experiences.

This includes traditional arts like the wayang kulit reimagined, contemporary dance, immersive installations, outdoor cinema and theatre as well as community programmes. 

As part of the Warisan KL national initiative, KL Festival is also focusing on heritage-led urban rejuvenation by encouraging people to rediscover urban spaces while fostering a deeper sense of belonging, collective pride and national identity. 

“KL Festival is part of a long-term effort to strengthen Downtown Kuala Lumpur as a place people actively choose to spend time in — where culture, community and commerce come together to bring the city to life.

“It demonstrates how heritage and public spaces can be activated through curated programming, storytelling and partnerships, creating experiences that are meaningful and sustained over time. 

“This is something we are building deliberately and systematically – working across the public, private and creative sectors to shape a more vibrant, liveable and culturally confident Kuala Lumpur,” said Think City’s managing director Datuk Hamdan Abdul Majeed. 

KL Festival 2026 is organised by Think City along with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) with support from the Ministry of Finance and Federal Territories Department while Maxis is one of their main sponsors. 

The festival, also held in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year 2026, opened yesterday evening with a gala performance coined as ‘Irama Pusaka – Akar Tradisi, Nadi Baharu’ at the DBKL Auditorium in Jalan Raja Laut. 

Guests were treated to an evening musical feast featuring Orkestra Kuala Lumpur alongside leading ensembles including Gangsapura (gamelan), Lee Rubber Chinese Orchestra, EKAM Ensemble, and sape virtuoso Leslie Eli. 

Communication Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, Transport Minister Anthony Loke, and KL Mayor Datuk Fadlun Mak Ujud were also present at the KL Festival 2026 opening night. 

The evening was also graced by the appearance of several other prominent Malaysians such as former national squash player Datuk Nicol David, singer and musician Loque as well as theatre doyenne Jo Kukathas. 

More information on the KL Festival 2026 is available here.