BARIO: The 19th Bario Food and Cultural Festival returns from July 23 until July 25, showcasing Kelabit heritage while promoting indigenous-led tourism and sustainable development in Sarawak’s highlands.
Held in the Kelabit Highlands, the annual festival celebrates traditional food, music, dance, architecture, handicrafts and community life, highlighting Bario as a successful model of community-based tourism.
Rurum Kelabit Sarawak (RKS) president Datuk Isaac Lugun said the festival reflects the community’s enduring commitment to preserving and sharing its cultural heritage.
“The Bario Food & Cultural Festival promotes not only our distinctive highland food, but the richness of Kelabit culture in all its forms, our music, dances, traditional knowledge, craftsmanship, architecture and values,” he said in a press statement on Thursday (July 23).
He invited visitors to experience the Kelabit Highlands through meaningful engagement with local communities, saying every performance, longhouse and cultural expression tells the story of the Kelabit people.
Lugun also reaffirmed the community’s commitment to safeguarding its heritage while strengthening collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, local authorities and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.
Festival highlights include traditional food fairs, culinary demonstrations featuring Bario rice and forest produce, cultural performances, handicraft markets, community exhibitions, traditional games, longhouse visits and homestay experiences.
Organising chairperson Cr Lilla Raja described Pesta Nukenen as more than a food festival, saying it celebrates community spirit, hospitality and the collective contributions of farmers, artisans, performers, volunteers, elders and youth.
Meanwhile, Mulu assemblyman Datuk Gerawat Gala said the festival has evolved into one of Sarawak’s strongest examples of community-led tourism, creating economic opportunities while preserving Indigenous heritage.
He also welcomed Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah’s participation, noting continued government support for sustainable tourism development in the Kelabit Highlands.
The festival also highlights Pulong Tau National Park’s tourism potential and reinforces Bario’s international reputation for Indigenous stewardship, sustainable tourism and community resilience through responsible cultural and environmental conservation.
