Success of the Seventh International Drum Fest

 

The past weekend, September 12 and 13, kicked off to the thunderous sound of traditional Chinese drums at the opening ceremony for the Malaysia 24 Festive Drums National Elite Grand Finals and the Seventh International Drums Festival & International Cultural Exchange Forum, in the Permaisuri Zarith Sofiah Opera House.

 

The winning performance of, Bangau, by 
champions Chung Hwa High School, Seremban

All too soon, this much-anticipated weekend and its activities was over. So when co-founder of the Art of the 24 Festive Drums, Tan Chai Puan, had rested and found a moment to chat with me, we had a lively telephone conversation yesterday evening.

 

“I was looking around for you,” said Tan, regretting that he did not meet me at the Seventh International Drums Festival showcase on Sunday afternoon while he was busy with the Johor Menteri Besar, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, and other invited guests.

 

I did not hesitate to reassure Tan that I was there, enjoying the dramatic drum show and witnessed the closing speech by Vice-President of the Malaysian 24 Festive Drums Association, Lee Sheah Liang, as well as the speech by Johor Menteri Besar where he announced the State’s support for this proudly Johor-born performing art.

 

A scene from the performance by
Chao Xiang Ensemble, Teochew City, China

Over the years, I have worked with Tan to write widely about the drum shows, bi-annual drum festivals and milestone events, so I am familiar with this performing art which has its proud origins in Johor Bahru.

 

Incidentally, Tan Chai Puan was featured as an exclusive story under Portraits in my 2017 MPH Non-Fiction Bestseller, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People,Rich Heritage, and in 2022, the Art of the 24 Festive Drums, was featured in My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and Now, among the brands established in Johor that were also exported abroad.

 

A scene from the performance by
Souls Impact from Selangor, Malaysia

The Drum Festival events started on Saturday morning where drum teams and cultural representatives from across Malaysia as well as China, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Nepal, gathered in Johor Bahru and exchanged cultural and creative ideas that celebrate the vibrant dialogue between the 24 Festive Drums and diverse cultures beyond our borders.

 

On Saturday evening, drumming enthusiasts headed over to Iskandar Puteri for the Malaysia 24 Festive Drums Elite Competition 2026, held in the EduCity Sports Complex.

 

A scene from the performance by
Zingo Festive Drum Group, Singapore

This Elite Competition featured the top 10 teams of Secondary School and High School drum troupes who excelled in their performances in the Regional Rounds held earlier this year in six competitions hosted at the East Coast, Northern, Central, Southern as well as Sabah and Sarawak regions.

 

October 2025 marked a significant milestone for the 24 Festive Drums when the Deputy Minister of Education, Wong Kah Woh, announced that from 2026, the National 24 Festive Drums Elite Competition will be listed on the Ministry’s official annual calendar and national co-curricular framework.

 

A scene from the performance by a
collaboration between Drum-Mover, Taiwan,
with Johor Bahru's own JB Drums

This June 2026, the Art of the 24 Festive Drums celebrated its 38^th anniversary and this was followed by the inaugural National Primary Schools 24 Festive Drums Invitational Competition held in Seremban on August 8, for younger generations of Primary School drum troupes to showcase their drumming skills.

 

In this competition, 16 Primary School drum troupes from across Malaysia participated with the aim to win the prestigious Tan Hooi Song trophy, so named to honour the memory of the late co-founder of the Art of the 24 Festive Drums.

 

A scene from the performance by
Lichun Gushe from Kecheng, Quzhou, China

Tan Chai Puan, who was at this competition to encourage the young drummers, told me that he was delighted to see that some of the Primary Schools drum troupes were made up of a majority of drummers who were not ethnic Chinese.

 

To Tan, this was proof that the Art of the 24 Festive Drums was truly a Malaysian performing art that encouraged the development of discipline, teamwork and appreciation of cultural values, an artform that the entire community can easily embrace and perform with excellence.

 

Looking back, Tan was more than proud that this performing art which he and Hooi Song started with students of Johor Bahru’s Foon Yew High School in 1998, had journeyed from the school field to the prominent stage of KLCC Kuala Lumpur for the previous National Elite Competition and International Drum Festival in 2024.

 

In 2025, Tan was thrilled to share with me about the National Heritage Department’s consideration of the Art of the 24 Festive Drums as a nominee for UNESCO recognition as an International Intangible Cultural Heritage.

 

When Malaysia formally submitted the required details on the Art of the 24 Festive Drums to UNESCO for the international evaluation process in March 2026, it was more than a bid for recognition as this was another step towards documenting the past, honouring the present and safeguarding the future of this performing art that was proudly started in Johor and exported abroad, with drum troupes now established worldwide across five continents.

 

With the prospect of international recognition in mind, drummers and drum enthusiasts at the Malaysia 24 Festive Drums National Elite Grand Finals had higher expectations of the powerful performances in the competition and they were not disappointed.

 

For their commitment and dedication to the sport, every drum troupe was a winner in their own right. After tallying the points, Chung Hua High School, Seremban, emerged the overall champion along with special recognition for Best Concept and Creativity as well as Best Drumming Skills in their performance of a piece titled, Bangau, Malay for stork.

 

The runner-up was Foon Yew High School, Johor Bahru, with special recognition for Best Musical Arrangement, in their performance of a piece titled, Bumi Tidak Bertepi, Malay for, a world without borders.

 

The excitement from the National Elite Grand Finals spilled over to the heart of Johor Bahru early on Sunday morning where sports enthusiasts gathered at the starting point ahead of 6am to join drummers and drum enthusiasts in the event dubbed, Run for Heritage.

 

It was no ordinary flag-off for the 4.2km run as this was accompanied by the sound of thunderous drumming by the 24 Festive Drums at the start. The run circuit was from the City Council Office at Jalan Ibrahim, along Jalan Wong Ah Fook to Jalan Abdullah Ibrahim, Jalan Dato Dalam, pass Kota Jail to Jalan Ayer Molek with the end point, the Jubilee Arch at the entrance of Istana Besar.

 

The closing performance by runner-up team
from Johor Bahru's Foon Yew High School,
Bumi Tidak Bertepi

Later that afternoon, the weekend’s festivities culminated with the Seventh International Drum Festival showcase and closing ceremony held in the Permaisuri Zarith Sofiah Opera House, officiated by the Johor Menteri Besar.

 

Also present at the event were Director of Tourism Johor, Mohammad Nazrul Abd Rahim, Director of Johor Heritage Foundation, Nor Shazlan Abd Razak, Chairman of the R&F Group Malaysia, Lee Ming Liang, Vice-President of Malaysian 24 Festive Drums Association, Lee Sheah Liang, the president and representatives of the Johor Bahru Tiong Hua Association, along with other guests and of course, Tan himself.

 

The showcase aptly opened with the winning performance of, Bangau, by champion drum troupe from Chung Hua High School, Seremban, and after the performances by the professional drum troupes, the show closed with runner-up, Foon Yew High School, Johor Bahru, presenting their interpretation of, Bumi Tidak Bertepi.

 

The show included a variety of pulsating pieces performed by Chao Xiang Ensemble from Teochew City, China, Souls Impact from Selangor, Zingo Festival Drum Group from Singapore, a collaboration between Drum-mover from Taiwan with our own JB Drums, and Lichun Gushe Drums Team from Kecheng, Quzhou, China.

 

Clearly, the remarkable standards of performance in this spectacular showcase were the result of passion for the art, countless rehearsals and the sacrifice of rest and time with families. And the fact that this performing art was celebrating its Seventh International Drum Festival was proof that it should be acknowledged as a proudly Malaysian culture and heritage, ready to be presented on the world stage.

 

Lee Sheah Liang sharing his
'letter' to the 24 Festive Drums

At the close of the show, Lee Sheah Liang had the privilege to address the audience. He opened with an expression of gratitude, thanking individuals, sponsors, partners and all the parties involved for completing the series of activities that started months ahead and for every event that weekend that was accomplished with much success.

 

To the delight of the audience, Lee succinctly recapped the history of the Art of the 24 Festive Drums by presenting its chronology in a clever nutshell, in the form a 'letter' that he had written to the Art of the 24 Festive Drums.

 

It was deeply personal account that started with when Lee was born in 1989 and where the Art of the 24 Festive Drums was born in 1988, just a year ahead of him.

 

He chartered the achievements and significant milestones of the 24 Festive Drums alongside his own journey in drumming and how he brought this art of drumming abroad when he went to further his studies in the UK.

 

When drummers in Johor Bahru’s Foon Yew High School brought their passion for drumming abroad and started drum troupes in colleges and universities, this performing art was organically exported all over the world.

 

Johor Menteri Besar endeared
himself with the audience when he
closed his speech by speaking a 
few lines in Mandarin

Lee, a businessman who identifies himself with Bangsa Johor, expressed his desire to see Johor Bahru develop as a city of growth in the spirit of Maju Johor not only in improved infrastructure and economy but also as a world-class city with soul where people can live, work and play.

 

In response, the Johor Menteri Besar commended the Art of the 24 Festive Drums on its achievements and declared that the State Government would like to be part of the future of this performing art.

 

He also commended Lee for his passion and support of the Art of the 24 Festive Drums and agreed with his call to safeguard our culture and heritage alongside the development of Johor under Maju Johor by 2030.

 

He congratulated the drummers and said he was impressed by the high school drummers whose drumming skills and creativity in choreography was equal to the skills of professional drum troupes.

 

Johor Menteri Besar presenting his speech at the
close of the Seventh International Drums Festival

The audience responded with a roar of applause when the Menteri Besar announced that the State Government will allocate RM150,000 annually to preserve and promote the Art of the 24 Festive Drums, made up of a RM50,000 grant to the Johor Bahru Foon Yew High School drum team and a RM100,000 grant to the Malaysia 24 Festive Drums Association.

 

The Menteri Besar then encouraged Lee and the drummers to work with Yayasan Warisan Johor or the Johor Heritage Foundation, to present drumming performances regularly at the Sultan Abu Bakar Heritage Complex, for visitors and tourists to enjoy and appreciate this performing art.

 

In closing, he reiterated the State’s wish to continue to develop culture and heritage, and encouraged everyone to work together to build this beautiful state in the spirit of Maju Johor.