Eager participants have gala time at Ipoh sarong festival run

The Sarong Festival, held in conjunction with the National Month celebrations and organised by Pertubuhan Seni Kayangan Perak (Peskap) and Bagi Run Club, took place at Sultan Azlan Shah Roundabout in Ipoh. The event saw enthusiastic participation from Malaysians. Bagi Run Club president Khairul Amnan Osman mentioned that over 1,000 participants, many of them adorning various types of sarong, took part in the festival, which aimed to promote and educate Malaysians about the garment and its history.

The Sarong Run, a fun event meant to instil patriotism, attracted about 400 adults and 30 children. The adult race covered a distance of 6km, while the children’s race spanned 800m. Khairul Amnan emphasized that the festival aimed to showcase Malaysians’ continued appreciation for cultural values, evident in the abundance of sarongs worn by participants.

The winners of the Sarong Run received cash prizes, with RM500 awarded to the first-place winner, RM300 to the runner-up, and RM200 to the second runner-up. Similarly, winners of the Sukan Rakyat Sarong competition were awarded RM1,000 for first place, RM700 for second place, and RM500 for third place. Additionally, six participants who displayed the most sporting spirit in the Senam Seni event received RM100 cash prizes.

The festival was held in collaboration with Perak Tourism, the Perak Culture and Arts Department, Temasya Budaya@Negeri Perak, Dedaun Rimba, and More Manjat. Khairul Amnan expressed his excitement about the festival’s second edition, which was organized on a larger scale compared to the initial community-based event. He also mentioned the aim to hold the festival again in the future as it helps promote the Malaysian sarong as a distinctive cultural element in Perak and the country as a whole.

– Bernama