4 - 7 September 2014 - Tebingan Kuching

The Sarawak Regatta is a popular traditional longboats race in Kuching. The longboats are decorated with colourful designs and can accomodate from a few and up to 30 paddlers on the boat. The significant of regattas in Sarawak goes back to the Brooke era. It started with the intention to stop racial wars among local tribes where headhunting was largely practiced. The Brooke has instructed all tribes to instead challenge each other by having boat races to prove their power and strength. The call to challenge each other through the boat race rather than headhunting was successful in bringing peace to the area. Today, longboat races or regattas are some of the major tourism events in Sarawak. The Sarawak Regatta, held at the Kuching Waterfront, has become one of the most sought after events in the tourism calendar. Due to the significant history of the regatta, this event is normally held in conjunction with the Malaysia Day celebration.