Drum show season ends with a bang!

 

On three consecutive days in one weekend, audiences at the Permaisuri Zarith Sofiah Opera House were treated to two dramatic drum shows per day presented in the theme, Drums: A new beat beckons.

 

Onward to a resident drum show
featured at the Opera House

This series of shows in November 2025 was the final season of shows for the year as the artistes of Drum Up JB! gear themselves up for a new season of shows planned in the new year.

 

The mood was upbeat (pun intended!) as this particular weekend marked a significant milestone in the history of the 24 Festive Drums with the soft opening of the 24 Festive Drums Experiential Museum at the R&F Marina Place.

 

It was my privilege to join representatives from the Johor Chinese community and drum practitioners in the art of the 24 Festive Drums and witness this important event.

 

My Johor Stories books for
visitors from China

Over the years, I had the privilege to work with co-founder, Tan Chai Puan, to share reports on the 24 Festive Drums in the English media.

 

Tan, who is bilingual in Chinese and English, is a fountain of information about Chinese culture and heritage and was always generous in sharing such information with me to help flesh out my stories.

 

With his help, I was able to publish a large collection of stories on Johor Chinese culture and heritage in the English language so that the Chinese who do not read Chinese language, were able to learn more about their own culture.

 

When I was working on the manuscript for my book, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage, I decided to feature Tan, the cultural activist, as an exclusive story under the Portraits section.

 

My Johor Stories book for Sheena

In the first week after this book was launched in July 2017, this title went to the Number One spot of the MPH Non-Fiction Bestsellers list. It stayed on the Bestsellers list for consecutive weeks and months, and by year-end, my book was counted among the MPH Best Non-Fiction books in 2017.

 

When the global pandemic reached our shores in 2020, it was unsafe for social gatherings and events, so all drumming activities ceased.

 

During this time, Tan and the Association of the 24 Festive Drums kept the drumming momentum going by hosting online events to share about this unique art of drumming with drum enthusiasts both near and far.

 

These virtual events turned out to be an innovative way to reach drummers and drum enthusiasts globally, with very encouraging number of participants in each session.

 

My Johor Stories book for Gina

To commemorate the 32^nd anniversary of the founding of the 24 Festive Drums in 2020, a series of online events were organized with one of the sessions hosted in English, titled, So what is 24 Festive Drums?

 

Tan invited me to join him in this “live” sharing session as Moderator while he spoke about the art of the 24 Festive Drums in the English language.

 

While when I was working on the manuscript for Book Three of My Johor Stories, I decided to include the story on the art of the 24 Festive Drums in My Johor Stories 3: Proudly Johor, Then and Now, among Johor brands that were proudly established in Johor, spread nationwide and even exported abroad.

 

My Johor Stories book for
visitors from Singapore

From its birthplace in Johor Bahru, this Malaysian heritage of the art of the 24 Festive Drums, went on to establish over 600 drum troops across Asia, Europe, North America, and Africa.

 

With the Malaysian government’s bid to have the 24 Festive Drums nominated to the 2026 UNESCO Intangible Heritage List, my story on this proudly Johor performing art – published in English language – provides essential information for drumming fans as well as visitors to Johor, to learn more about the origins of this artform.

 

When the Drum Up JB shows made its debut at the prestigious Permaisuri Zarith Sofiah Opera House in January 2023, I have had the privilege to partner with them to promote the art of the 24 Festive Drums through a pop-up store for My Johor Stories books, set up in the theatre lobby.

 

Happy to autograph my book for readers

During the pandemic years, all the MPH bookstores in Johor Bahru were closed so readers had to go online to buy my books. I know that many readers did not like to buy online but preferred to touch and flip through the pages of a book before they bought any books. So I got permission from MPH to keep a small stock of books to sell at such events hosted in Johor.

 

Audience members at the drum shows, keen to find out more about this art of drumming, would buy my books to discover more about the origins of the art of the 24 Festive Drums as well as other stories on Johor culture and heritage.

 

In the recent weekend, I had the pleasure to meet with visitors from China and Singapore who were in Johor Bahru to experience the drum shows.

 

My Johor Stories book
for Yong Lee Hua

Among the audience were parents of students who were in search of information on Johor culture and heritage and were relieved to stumble upon My Johor Stories because they wished to help their children who had to complete a school project on the topic of Johor culture and heritage.

 

I also had the pleasure to meet with Yong Lee Hua who was delighted to finally meet me in person as she and her sisters follow my stories posted in My Johor Stories blog.

 

As alumni of the IJ Convent Johor Bahru, she and her sisters often reminisce about bygone experiences – something we have in common – so we had a good chat while she waited for the theatre doors to open. [After the show, she came by to tell me that she was wowed by the drum show!]

 

This year’s Drum Up JB! performances aim to raise funds so that drum shows may become a permanent feature at the Opera House.

 

Dramatic drumming in front of the 
24 Festive Drums Experiential Museum

So just like watching ‘The Lion King’ in Broadway, or ‘Les Misérables’ in West End, when visitors come to Johor in 2026, they have to watch Drum Up JB! at the Permaisuri Zarith Sofiah Opera House.

 

While the art of the 24 Festive Drums was recognized as a Malaysia National Heritage in 2009, we look forward with eager anticipation to the exciting year ahead as the Malaysian government had nominated the 24 Festive Drums for the 2026 UNESCO Intangible Heritage List.

 

For more information on how you can support Drum Up JB! to become the world’s first ever resident show in the theme of the 24 Festive Drums, visit the Facebook page for Drum Up JB or Tel: +6011 2086 0282 and +6016 916 8106.