Pesta Raya 2026 brings film La Luna to the stage and Zainalabidin’s 50th anniversary concert
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The Esplanade has commissioned Malay-language theatre company Teater Ekamatra to adapt director M. Raihan Halim’s La Luna (2023) – Singapore’s entry to the Oscars in 2025 – for the stage.
PHOTO: ESPLANADE – THEATRES ON THE BAY
SINGAPORE – A theatre commission about a new lingerie shop which causes an upheaval in a small village and a production blending Shakespeare and Minangkabau folk tradition are some of the thought-provoking highlights of Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of Arts 2026.
The festival, organised by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, celebrates its 25th edition from April 16 to 19. Early-bird tickets are on sale from Feb 12, 10am.
The Esplanade has commissioned Malay-language theatre company Teater Ekamatra to adapt local director M. Raihan Halim’s La Luna (2023) – Singapore’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 2025 Oscars – for the stage.
In the comedy, currently streaming on Netflix, city girl Hanie opens a lingerie shop in a small Perak village and exposes the deep divisions that run through Kampong Bras Basah.
La Luna – which will play five shows at the Singtel Waterfront Theatre from April 16 to 19 – reunites director Mohd Fared Jainal and playwright Ridhwan Saidi. The duo’s collaboration on Bawang Putih Bawang Merah
Festival producer Hanie Nadia Hamzah, 45, says Raihan was invited to watch Bawang Putih Bawang Merah, after which he gave the green light for Ekamatra’s adaptation – which will now tell the story through the lens of a Gen Z character.
The star-studded cast includes Munah Bagharib, Fir Rahman, Farhana M. Noor and Siti Khalijah Zainal.
In addition, renowned Malaysian musician Dato’ Zainalabidin will celebrate 50 years in the music industry starting with a concert in Singapore – his first since 2019 – before he performs in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysian artiste Dato’ Zainalabidin will celebrate 50 years in the music industry starting with a concert in Singapore – his first since 2019 – before he performs in Kuala Lumpur.
PHOTO: ESPLANADE – THEATRES ON THE BAY
The 90-minute set at the Esplanade Concert Hall on April 17 at 8pm will feature original songs like his popular Hijau (1991) and tunes from his musical inspirations Sting and Stevie Wonder.
What is more, Shakespeare fans will relish a staging of the tragedy Macbeth reinterpreted through the Minangkabau theatre tradition of randai. It is a form incorporating elements such as music, dance and silat, which Ms Hanie notes Singapore’s Minangkabau community is trying to revive too.
Randai Macbeth by Malaysia’s ASWARA Traditional Performing Arts Centre is the first theatre show to be brought in from overseas for Pesta Raya since 2013. It won eight BOH Cameronian Arts Awards in Malaysia and will stage four shows from April 16 to 19.
Randai Macbeth by Malaysia’s ASWARA Traditional Performing Arts Centre is the first theatre show to be brought in from overseas for Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of Arts since 2013.
PHOTO: ESPLANADE – THEATRES ON THE BAY
Music programmes at the Esplanade Annexe Studio include the Esplanade debut of Indonesian R&B sensation Adrian Khalif (April 19, 8pm) and the return of Indonesian alternative band The Trees & The Wild (April 18, 7.30pm), while families can look forward to Papermoon Puppet Theatre’s PUNO: Sewing Memories, which features Japanese puppetry traditions like bunraku and kuruma ningyo.
Those in search of more interactive fare can join a workshop on jamu – a traditional herbal medicine rooted in Nusantara home practices – led by cook Suria Insyirah and heritage advocate Hafiz Rashid on April 19 at 11am.
Free programmes include performances by Nana Karia, Persatuan Pemuzik Tradisional Melayu Singapura and P7:1SMA.
Asked how the festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary, Ms Hanie says: “The commission is always a celebration for us and we are looking at bringing back all these artists that we have worked with throughout the years. That is something special for us as we try to create new works with them.”
Citing the success of Samsara – A Cine-Concert by Indonesian film-maker Garin Nugroho, which was commissioned by the Esplanade and picked up an award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in 2025, Ms Hanie says of the festival’s future: “What we hope is to see that it becomes an inspirational platform for artists from the region and that the works get picked up beyond Asian shores as well.”
Book It/Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of Arts 2026
Where: Various locations at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, 1 Esplanade Drive www.esplanade.com/pestaraya
When: April 16 to 19, various timings
Admission: Free and ticketed
Info:
