{"id":33102,"date":"2025-06-15T13:56:50","date_gmt":"2025-06-15T05:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/?p=33102"},"modified":"2025-06-20T13:59:46","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T05:59:46","slug":"wak-festival-showcases-grassroots-spirit-says-sebastian-ting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/?p=33102","title":{"rendered":"WAK Festival Showcases Grassroots Spirit, Says Sebastian Ting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The WAK Miri Arts Festival is more than just a celebration as it is also a vibrant reflection of Sarawak\u2019s cultural and creative dynamism driven by the people, said Piasau State Assemblyman and Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Datuk Sebastian Ting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking at the opening ceremony of the \u201cWAK Miri Arts Festival 2025\u201d, Ting said the festival highlights Sarawak\u2019s grassroots spirit and the community\u2019s creative strength through diverse programmes such as local craft showcases, street performances, visual exhibitions, and storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis festival shows the immense potential of the people of Sarawak when given the right platform and direction,\u201d he said. \u201cMiri is not only a historical oil town but also a melting pot of cultures and today, it is becoming a vital hub for community-driven tourism development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He urged the public to cherish and support this community-led cultural event, adding that the WAK Festival exemplifies the essence of Sarawak\u2019s indigenous culture, grassroots values, and multi-stakeholder collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI am proud of how the festival has taken root and flourished in Miri and in the next three days, he said Miri will transform into a vibrant stage filled with music, theatre, visual arts, traditional crafts, and cultural heritage performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to him, the event is strongly supported by the Sarawak Ministry of Tourism and the Miri City Council, making it a prime example of the state\u2019s \u201ccommunity-rooted tourism\u201d model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe WAK Festival is a living example of responsible, culture-based tourism. It empowers local creative talents and strengthens community cohesion and a sense of belonging,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ting welcomed all guests and visitors, encouraging them to actively participate in the festival, visit various venues, engage with artists, and experience Miri\u2019s unique multicultural charm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLet this festival remind us that tourism is not just about reaching a destination \u2014 it\u2019s about meaningful encounters between people, stories, and cultures,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/wak_miri.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" src=\"http:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/wak_miri-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33103\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7746967071057191;width:800px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/wak_miri-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/wak_miri-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/wak_miri-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/wak_miri-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/wak_miri.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The WAK Miri Arts Festival is more than just a celebration as it is also a vibrant reflection of Sarawak\u2019s cultural and creative dynamism driven by the people, said Piasau State Assemblyman and Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Datuk Sebastian Ting. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the \u201cWAK Miri Arts Festival 2025\u201d, Ting said the festival highlights Sarawak\u2019s grassroots spirit and the community\u2019s creative strength through diverse programmes such as local craft showcases, street performances, visual exhibitions, and storytelling. \u201cThis festival shows the immense potential<a href=\"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/?p=33102\" class=\"read-more\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33103,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,1,9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33102"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33102"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33104,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33102\/revisions\/33104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}