GMBB celebrates Malaysian life through culture, stories and traditions

Everyday experiences, cultural traditions and stories from across the country will take centre stage at GMBB through Rentak MalaysiaKu 2026: Slice of Life, an annual Malaysia Day celebration running throughout September.

The programme brings together exhibitions, performances, workshops, films, poetry, city walks, pop-ups and other creative activities, with the main weekend scheduled for Sept 12 and 13.

Curated by GMBB with its creative community, this year’s programme focuses on familiar aspects of Malaysian life, from pasar visits and food choices to shared habits, gathering places and traditions passed between generations.

Rather than concentrating solely on national symbols and milestones, the programme seeks to encourage visitors to examine the everyday experiences that contribute to Malaysia’s diverse cultural identity.

“At GMBB, we have always believed that one of the most meaningful ways to understand Malaysia is through each other,” said GMBB Senior General Manager Lim Ying Hui.

She said the programme was intended to highlight traditions and habits that may be familiar to some Malaysians while being new to others.

Borneo stories and heritage traditions featured

Among the programme highlights is Footnote: Reading KL on Foot by Briana Leong, featuring four themed walks exploring food, objects, signs and spaces around Kuala Lumpur.

Other activities include Rasa Pasar, which examines the pasar as a living archive of food and culture, and IMMERSIO 2026: PASAR, a new media art programme by Filamen featuring installations, projection mapping and digital works.

Bornean perspectives will also feature through a collaboration with HAUS KCH, including poetry, films and artisan pop-ups. Inheritance: Borneo Women, running from Sept 2 to 30, explores indigenous identity, memory and labour through contemporary East Malaysian artists and collectives.

Traditional arts will be represented through Semai cultural performances, Bharatanatyam, contemporary wayang kulit, mini songket weaving and Peranakan-inspired ceramic tile workshops.

Rentak MalaysiaKu continues GMBB’s annual Malaysia Day programming, which began with Malaysiaku in 2019 and has since explored different aspects of Malaysian culture and identity through creative programmes.