A new venue has been selected for the upcoming Borneo Jazz Festival 2018 in Miri Sarawak. This brings exciting news to festival visitors as for the last 12 years, the jazz event has always been held at the Everly Park City Hotel and Resort.
This time around, the 13th Borneo Jazz Festival will occur at Coco Cabana at the Marina Bay in Miri, Sarawak. Locals are excited to see this change after more than a decade of the usual beach resort venue.
Another new concept is that the Borneo Jazz Festival 2018 will take three days, from 11-13 May.
Previously, the jazz event was a two-day event at the former location. This is also the second-longest Jazz Festival in Malaysia that has been around since 2005.
Borneo Jazz 2018 - A New Chapter
Previously, the jazz event was a two-day event at the former location. This is also the second-longest Jazz Festival in Malaysia that has been around since 2005.
 |
| The final Borneo Jazz at Parkcity Everly Hotel in 2017. |
 |
| The 13th Borneo Jazz Festival poster and logo. |
The Borneo Jazz Festival will also feature brand new event management and organizer Kuala Lumpur's No Black Tie as a totally new venue and concept. Sarawak Tourism Board or STB remains as the event owner and will be in charge of marketing the destination of Miri.
This year also marks the Visit Miri Year 2018 or VMY2018, and the jazz festival is part and parcel of the many events taking place in and around Miri.
A media briefing was held in Miri on the 21st of March at the main venue of Coco Cabana. The Sarawak Tourism Board, No Black Tie and the Miri City Council was present to share the exciting news with local media during the press conference.
Borneo Jazz 2018 Performers |
| Zainal Abidin in white surrounded by Sarawak Tourism Board, No Black Tie and Miri City Council at the press conference |
Currently, this is the confirmed list of performers for Borneo Jazz 2018. The day and timing of each performance are yet to be announced, but once it is official, I will update it here.
The performers are;
- Chris Stalk Quartet - Switzerland & France
- Cecilia Brunori - Italy
- Grzegorz Karnas - Poland
- Havana Social Club featuring Lazaro Numa - Cuba
- Jeremy Monteiro & the Jazz Association of Singapore Orchestra (JASSO) - Singapore
- Malaysian-Japanese WVC featuring Isao Miyoshi
- Gypsy Jazz featuring artists from Belgium, Taiwan and Malaysia
- John Dip Silas
- Nadir
- 3 Saxes featuring Tony Lakatos (Germany), Gaoyang Li (China) and Julian Chan, alongside Zainal Abidin, Michael Veerapen and Dasha Logan
 |
| Borneo Jazz 2018 festival director Evelyn Hii of No Black Tie during the press conference |
For the first time in Sarawak, a special Borneo Jazz Talent Search event was kicked off in March 2018. This will provide a specialized avenue for up and coming and talented jazz artists from all over Borneo.
The selected artist will have the opportunity to perform on stage and in front of an international audience during the Borneo Jazz Festival. For more information, please visit the official website of the Borneo Jazz Festival.
Where is the Borneo Jazz New Venue? |
| The new venue for the Borneo Jazz Festival 2018 |
As most locals and regular festival visitors are accustomed to the decade long Park City Everly Hotel as the venue, this time around, the Borneo Jazz Festival has found an entirely new and exciting home called Coco Cabana at Marina Bay in Miri.
Coco Cabana is no stranger to events as the company has been organizing many outdoor and indoor events at their unique venue, at the Miri Marina.
Coco Cabana is located at the famous Miri Seahorse Lighthouse for first-timers, a 10-minute drive from the city.
The Borneo Jazz Festival will also take place inside the main Coco Cabana building in a multi-stage concept. This means all performances will be indoors without worrying about the weather.
The food and craft market will be held outside at the main Seahorse Lighthouse vicinity, where specially allocated stalls are present.
This provides visitors with a choice of food, drinks and souvenirs to buy while here.
When is Borneo Jazz 2018?
Coco Cabana is located at the famous Miri Seahorse Lighthouse for first-timers, a 10-minute drive from the city.
 |
| Venue for Borneo Jazz 2018 is Coco Cabana at Marina Bay in Miri, Sarawak. |
The food and craft market will be held outside at the main Seahorse Lighthouse vicinity, where specially allocated stalls are present.
This provides visitors with a choice of food, drinks and souvenirs to buy while here.
 |
| Performers at the last jazz festival in Miri |
For the first time in the event's history, it will take three days instead of two days. This year's Borneo Jazz Festival occurs from 11-13 May (Friday-Sunday).
This means that there will be single-day tickets and three-day tickets on sale for visitors who plan to attend the festival here in Miri.
And there will possibly be the early bird tickets, which you can buy from the website once announced.
Borneo Jazz Festival 2018
Date: 11-13 May 2018And there will possibly be the early bird tickets, which you can buy from the website once announced.
 |
| The main Coco Cabana event hall where Borneo Jazz 2018 will take place inside |
Day: Fri, Sat & Sun
Venue: Coco Cabana, Miri Marina Bay, Sarawak
Website: https://jazzborneo.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/borneojazz.official/
Tickets: Starts selling on 22nd March
Main photo credit: Coco Cabana Facebook Page
 |
| Aerial view of Coco Cabana showing the different places. Photo by Coco Cabana Facebook. |
 |
| Sunset at Coco Cabana taken during my visit there in 2017 |
For those planning to visit Miri for the Borneo Jazz Festival 2018, there are many things that you can do around Sarawak's Resort City.
They include city sightseeing, beach visits, cultural experiences, gastronomical wonders and even outdoor activities.
They include city sightseeing, beach visits, cultural experiences, gastronomical wonders and even outdoor activities.
In the main city area, food hunting is one of the top things to experience in Miri, while there are local and unique markets to explore. Mind you, these are best done in the daytime too.
There are several shopping malls available that offer a variety of products, cafes, restaurants, coffee joints and fast food outlets. This is especially for city travellers.
 |
| Close up of the Seahorse Lighthouse here |
 |
| The main outdoor area at Coco Cabana |
Conclusion
For the adventure seeker, heading out of Miri will lead you to some of Sarawak's most impressive national parks like Lambir Hill, Niah and Loagan Bunut National Parks.
To find out more, you can also read my article on what to do in Miri, which narrows down most of the different experiences for any kind of traveller.
Overall, if you plan to attend this year's jazz event, please note a totally new venue for Borneo Jazz 2018 at Coco Cabana in Miri Marina Bay.