By: Yip Wai Fong
KUALA LUMPUR: KL Festival (KL Fest) will take place from May 6 to 31, 2026, with programme venues spanning more than 26 heritage buildings, public spaces and streets. Organisers Think City and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) said that the programme is part of a long-term strategy to rejuvenate the capital through culture-led urban regeneration.
Supported by the Finance Ministry and the Federal Territories Department (Prime Minister’s Department), the festival targets more than 100,000 visitors. With programmes extending beyond business hours, the festival is expected to increase dwell time in the city centre and stimulate spending across food and beverage outlets, retail, transport services and surrounding commercial establishments.
"This festival demonstrates how culture can function as a catalytic role in regeneration strategies. Physical upgrades alone do not sustain city centres. Activation, identity and consistent public engagement are critical drivers of investment and commercial activity. KL Fest is structured to reactivate space, increase visitation and create meaningful economic opportunities for local enterprises,” said Think City managing director Datuk Hamdan Abdul Majeed.
The flagship programmes feature theatre, dance and performance works open to the public, including Jogeton at Dataran Merdeka; Aswara Artskap at Aswara; Irama Pusaka at Auditorium Bandaraya over three nights; Public Art Installations through the KL Architecture Festival Competition across Downtown KL; Warung Terang by Filamen, activating laneways and streets through projection mapping; Planet KL at River of Life and The Making of Merdeka Textile Museum: A Creative Journey, among others.
KL Fest artistic director June Tan said the festival’s theme, Memory and Tomorrow, reflects the city’s evolution shaped by heritage, migration and continuous transformation.
“We looked at how KL is often a city in constant motion, shaped by rivers, memory and transformation. The festival draws from this ever-changing landscape, inviting us to reflect on the memories we carry and the futures they inspire,” she said.
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