KUALA LUMPUR – Negeri Sembilan will host the inaugural Nine Arts Festival from Aug 14 to 16, bringing together Malaysian and international artists for a three-day celebration spanning music, dance, theatre, film, visual arts and cultural heritage.
Held as part of Visit Malaysia Year 2026 and Visit Negeri Sembilan Year 2026, the festival will feature nine interdisciplinary programmes under the theme “Origins”, examining the ways cultural heritage continues to shape contemporary artistic expression.
The festival was founded by award-winning Malaysian pianist and educator Foo Mei Yi, a Negeri Sembilan native who is based in the United Kingdom, and is held under the Royal Patronage of Yang Amat Mulia Tunku Zain Al-'Abidin.
The organisers said the artist-led festival aims to promote artistic exchange, encourage collaboration across disciplines and provide communities with opportunities to engage with the arts beyond conventional concert halls and galleries.
"Guided by this year's theme, 'Origins', the artist-led festival explores how cultural heritage continues to shape contemporary creativity, inviting audiences from near and far to take part in that exploration alongside the artists themselves," the organisers said in a statement.
The festival line-up includes Navarasa, an immersive dinner-and-dance experience featuring Dato' Ramli Ibrahim’s Sutra Foundation; Wayang, a double bill combining Charlie Chaplin’s silent film with live caklempong and wayang kulit performances; Inside the Dreamscape, the Mimpi Kita Film Immersive Experience; The Big Stage Quiz, an interactive theatrical game show; and Music at an Exhibition, which transforms a gallery into a live performance space through musical performances.
Visitors will also be able to participate in community-based activities such as Art Together, an open-air drawing session at Seremban Lake Gardens, and Create Your Own Soundtrack, an improvisational workshop where participants compose live music alongside a projected film.
The organisers said the festival aims to highlight the connections between generations, cultures and artistic forms while creating a platform for meaningful conversations through the arts.
"By looking to the past not as a destination, but as a source of inspiration for the future, the festival creates a meeting point where tradition and innovation converge, fostering meaningful dialogue and reaffirming the transformative role of the arts in shaping society," they added.
With its inaugural edition, the organisers hope the festival will establish a new chapter in Negeri Sembilan’s cultural landscape while contributing to Malaysia’s broader celebration of the arts. - July 28, 2026
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