From 13 to 15 September, the idyllic Desaru Coast transformed into a bustling and vibrant party destination where music, art, food, family, and fun all wonderfully came together for one unforgettable weekend. With its fusion of cultural festivities, electrifying performances, culinary curations and visual art showcases, the inaugural Ombak Festival made a splash by attracting more than 5,000 attendees to its crystalline shores.
During the weekend, festival-goers and families were able to enjoy a relaxing and comfortable stay at Desaru Coast’s award-winning five-star resorts, including One&Only Desaru Coast, Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas, The Westin Desaru Coast Resort and Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast, whilst fully immersing themselves in the vibrant festival atmosphere at tranquil shoreside venues.
This is the first time that all four premier properties in Desaru Coast participated in such a festival with events and special collaborations stretching from one end of the coast to the other.
“Ombak Festival is the first of our many efforts to put Desaru Coast on the regional map for memorable events and once-in-a-lifetime occasions, in the lead-up to Visit Johor Year 2026,” shared Karina Ridzuan, Director of Ombak Festival.
“We believe Ombak Festival exceeded these expectations, with its ability to draw in global superstars and curate a strong line-up of chefs, artists, and kids programming highlighting Desaru Coast as a premier setting for world-class events.”
We had the chance to experience Ombak Festival for ourselves at Desaru Coast—find out our top highlights from our trip ahead, from mouthwatering culinary collaborations to thrilling live performances from iconic global superstars.
FOOD
On 13 September, the festival opened with a lively welcome barbeque party at The Westin Desaru Coast Resort beachfront, showcasing flavours from Carbon KL and cocktails by Reka:Bar.
On the same night, Yellow Fin Horse curated a delightful grazing table for an intimate Supper Club with the Stars at Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas’ observatory bar with several celebrities in attendace.
The next day, we returned to Anantara Desaru Coast for lunch at Tumeric titled An Exploration of Nusantara Cuisine. The session started with an enlightening fireside chat between food author Khir Johari and Chef Adu Amran before proceeding with the course menu that celebrated the diversity and depth of Nusantara cuisine.
Throughout the weekend, Ombak Festival hosted a plethora of events featuring award-winning chefs including Latin Street Flavours by Feliz, Kitchen Takeover by Carbon K, House of Qureshi by Chef Ahsann Ali Qureshi, and Flavours of Borneo by Reka:Bar, Vér and Chocha Foodstore.
If we had to pick a favourite though, it would have to be Chef Andrew Walsh’s Ember Beach Club Brunch at One&Only Desaru Coast. Set against the view of a pristine beach and infinity pool, the menu featured scrumptious sharing plates full of chargrilled flavours paired with fresh produce.
MUSIC
One of the key highlights of Ombak Festival was its impressive lineup of iconic global superstars. On 14 and 15 September, the Ombak Main Stage saw thrilling and jaw-dropping performances from the legendary Grace Jones, R&B and soul artist Macy Gray, music Visionary Nile Rodgers and CHIC, and Swedish pop band The Cardigans.
Further, local and regional artists also took to the Main Stage, including Johor’s very own hip-hop legend Joe Flizzow, rising rap star and BURO’s September 2023 cover star Bunga, Alextbh, Alena Murang, Singapore’s Aisyah Aziz and Matilde G, Indonesia’s Thee Marloes, and Thailand’s Maft Sai.
VISUAL ARTS
The multi-faceted festival also made sure to include plenty of stunning and intricate installations that celebrated Malaysian and regional artists’ heritage. “The inclusion of the arts into the festival experience was important to us as we wanted to engage all the senses. It was also not just important from a visual perspective but also emotionally. The Waste to Art campaign with Segaris Art Center is special and Aisyah leads the gallery with such a deep emotional sense which resonates a lot with us,” Ridzuan shared with us.
At the Festival Village at Riverside, festival-goers had the opportunity to peruse and take pictures of the sculptures that littered the pathways. For the Waste to Art campaign, Segaris Art Centre worked with children from various schools to create pieces from discarded materials and electronic waste.
“We wanted to showcase art in a different setting and to a different audience, especially in Johor and Desaru where art is not exposed as much here in terms of education and gallery showings. Through this campaign, we hoped to share more about art and art-making in the Desaru Coast area,” Afidatul Aisyah, CEO of Segaris Art Center explained to us.
Further, visitors would no doubt be impressed by the five sculptures ranging from eight to 10 feet each by renowned Malaysian contemporary artist Adul Multhalib Musa. The sculptures were inspired by the songs of artists performing at Ombak Festival.
Other events included Ayer Ayer’s Shore Debris Table workshop, Beachfront Paint and Sip, Ombak Kids’ Silent Disco, Star Wars-inspired Wayang Kulit, and storytelling sessions that explored Johorean folklore through Meera & Fiz–two specially commissioned giant puppets by Thailand’s Nice Monster studio and Malaysian filmmaker Lina Tan.
For more exciting happenings that you might have missed, head here.
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