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Celebrate Community & Culture at YSDAF 2025: Elmina Lakeside Mall Finale
[Photo credit: Azmil Photography]
Malaysia’s beloved arts biennale, the Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival (YSDAF), is concluding its 10th‑anniversary edition with a spectacular final stop on 9 August 2025, hosted at Elmina Lakeside Mall, Shah Alam. This marks the conclusion of a six-month, nation‑wide celebration themed “Community: Side by Side”—a journey bringing the arts closer to diverse communities across the Malaysia peninsula.
The Urban Tour Finale: Arts into the Night
Set between 4 pm and 11 pm, the Elmina Lake stop is the only event with an evening programme—featuring over 80 free activities for all ages, including live music, performances, art installations, and interactive workshops in both indoor and outdoor settings.
What to Expect
This final edition brings together the best of communal creativity:
- Live music and band performances that showcase local sounds.
- Street theatre and dance pieces commissioned specifically for YSDAF 2025.
- Community workshops, eco‑art zones, and Pitch Start debut works by artists with disabilities, continuing the festival’s commitment to inclusivity and innovation
Festival Highlights from YSDAF’s Programme Partners include FabU, Malaysian Institute of Arts, MyDance Alliance, Orang Orang Drum Theatre, Rhizo, Soundscape Records, Stage ReSET, The Actors Studio Seni Teater Rakyat and Young KL Singers (YKLS).
Fresh off their “Best Of” win at the 2025 BOH Cameronian Arts Awards, YKLS presents Spice, Magic and Mystique, a musical journey through Southeast Asian folk songs. They’ll also offer a sneak peek into their upcoming Coldplay tribute concert, complete with an epic community sing-along.
Contemporary dance fans are in for a treat as MyDance Alliance premieres new site-specific works in their outdoor series Dancing in Place, while Orang Orang Drum Theatre puts a fun, rhythmic twist on a classic fable with Berlumba Seperti Arnab. Two emotional crowd favourites from the Kampung Tour return in full form: Dollah, a coming-of-age theatre piece, and Ceritaku, a poignant monologue series based on real-life stories. Both are directed by Christopher Ling.
A Landmark Season for the Festival
YSDAF 2025 has truly reimagined how an arts festival can serve its audience:
- Celebrating over ten years of “arts for all”, with 63,000 attendees across earlier editions and more than 1,500 arts activities delivered since 2014
- Taking the festival to 10 locations, including remote kampungs and urban malls, reaching communities rarely served by high-profile cultural events
YSD Arts Festival. - Generating over 1,000 jobs for creatives, and operating with practices that emphasise sustainability and accessibility—from Disability Equality Training to eco-conscious vendor policies.
Why It Matters
YSDAF is more than just performances and installations—it’s a civic act of cultural democratization:
- It affirms that arts should belong to all Malaysians, regardless of geography or ability.
- By commissioning new pieces and inviting creative contributors from across Peninsular Malaysia, it fosters collaborative storytelling rooted in community identity.
- It models how major festivals can integrate social responsibility, environmental stewardship, and arts innovation into a seamless experience.
YSDAF 2025’s final event is a vibrant testament to the power of accessible art. Whether you’re a curious newcomer, a family looking for creative fun, or a cultural professional scouting for inspiration—this finale promises to bring community, creativity, and joy together on one magical evening.
Stay up to date with the full festival guide, schedule, and updates via the official YSDAF website or social channels.
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