Bamboo Band
The Lun Bawang community in Sarawak is looking forward to the annual Irau Aco Lun Bawang (Lun Bawang Festival) to be held from 30 May until 1 June 2023 in Lawas, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia. The festival, a celebration of Lun Bawang’s rich culture and heritage through displays of traditional music, performances, exhibitions and community sports, is organized yearly by the Lun Bawang Association of Sarawak since 1988.
“Irau Aco Lun Bawang is the most sought after event by the Lun Bawang community in Sarawak and also across the region where our fellow natives are situated including in Sabah, Brunei and Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Traditional Music
With the rounding success from last year’s event, we are bringing the festival to a bigger venue at Lawas Stadium so all activities are concentrated in one place. It will also allow participants and visitors to fully enjoy and experience the festival,” said Dolphina Balang, President, Lun Bawang Association of Sarawak.
The 3 days festival will be a display of various cultural programs and sporting activities which will see at least 3,000 participants involved including the opening ceremony, cultural nights, arts and cultural exhibitions. To promote unity amongst community, modern sports are held including football, volleyball and badminton while community sports like tug of war and blowpipe for men and women are included to add variety.
Community Sport
This year, a fun run with a cultural theme will be added into the program to kick off the festival.
Dolphina added, “The planning has begun earlier this year and the Association believes the organizing of this year’s festival will continue its success and even better. The festival hopes to also boost economic opportunities for the locals whilst discovering Lawas unique tourism offerings.”
Jude Benjamin Lisa
For the year 2024, Irau Aco Lun Bawang is supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak, Limbang Resident Office, Lawas District Office and the Limbang Tourism Task Force Group which has been the driving force of the festival’s success over the years. The 37th edition will carry the theme ‘Culture Inspires Unity’ and the Association has also named Mr Jude Benjamin Lisa as the organizing chairman for the third consecutive year.
Jude said, “The success of Irau Aco Lun Bawang relies a lot on sponsorship as being a self funded program. We invite corporate partners to participate and leverage this as part of their community engagement. Aside from arts and culture, brand activation can also be explored through other aspects like sports, women and youth. As we aim to be inclusive for all to celebrate, it will be a synonymous branding exercise especially catered for the northern region of Sarawak.”
Ruran Ulung competition for Lun Bawang’s beauty pageant
Kicking off the 2024 festival, the search for Ruran Ulung and Padan Liu Burung competition for Lun Bawang’s beauty pageant for the ladies and warrior contest for the men, has opened its registration which offers total cash prizes worth RM20,000. Enrollment to participate is open to Lun Bawang descent across Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia with registration closing by 30 April 2024. click here
For more information and highlights, follow Irau Acu Lun Bawang on Facebook and Instagram. For sponsorship and partnership inquiry, contact Jude Benjamin Lisa at 017 877 3871.
