Ombak Festival 2024, Desaru Coast

Ombak Festival 2024, Desaru Coast

Words: Stephen Reid
Photos: Han Sen Hau

In the present economic climate, it’s becoming challenging for existing music festivals to continue and thrive worldwide. Indeed, in my native UK, according to the Association for Independent Festivals, 50 UK festivals announced a postponement, cancellation or complete closure in 2024. If it is difficult for existing festivals to continue, setting up an entirely new event in such adverse conditions is much more complicated. 

Everyone remembers the complete disaster that was the Inaugural Fyre Festival in 2017. Promoters promised an absolute luxury experience with fine dining and luxurious accommodation on a private island in the Bahamas. A-list celebrities were pledged to attend and perform, and influencers on social media heavily promoted the event. It collapsed in disgrace due to alleged fraud and mismanagement, with guests arriving to discover that the ‘luxury accommodation’ were surplus disaster relief tents with mattresses on the ground. The ‘fine dining’ turned out to be processed cheese sandwiches in a styrofoam box. The A-list celebrities failed to arrive, and the whole thing collapsed into a complete fiasco.  

Therefore, we cannot underestimate the resounding success of the inaugural Ombak Festival 2024, which took place around the beautiful tropical beaches and hotels of the Desaru Coast from Friday, September 13 to Sunday, September 15, 2024. The festival’s organisers deserve immense praise and recognition for their achievement in flawlessly delivering a luxury boutique music festival and applause every bit as loud as that given to the headliners. They created an unforgettable experience and set a new standard for boutique music festivals worldwide, and they did it all here in Malaysia. 

The festival encompassed evening Main Stage headline performances by international artists such as The Cardigans and Macy Gray, icons such as Grace Jones and Nile Rodgers & CHIC, and local and international DJs. However, it was more than music alone. Incredible food and family-friendly events were staged throughout the weekend, including Michelin-starred-chef kitchen take-overs, art installations, and pop-ups by some of Malaysia’s top chefs and artisans. 

When Monica asked me to join her and the other members of The Yum List team to experience the inaugural Ombak Festival 2024, I was just returning from the Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe.  It is one of the oldest and, by far, the largest Arts Festivals in the world.  During my visit, I spoke with Shona McCarthy, the Chief Executive of the fringe, about the difficulties of organising the festival each year, even with so much existing momentum, so I knew immediately that the organisers of the Ombak Festival 2024 would have a challenge on their hands to pull off the event without a hitch. Would they manage this, or would I end up reporting on a Malaysian version of the ‘Fyre Festival’? Of course, I had to go along and find out, knowing I wouldn’t end up sleeping in a disaster relief tent at least.

However, I did have other reservations about going to a music festival due to experiences in the UK, Europe and Australia, as well as large concerts here in Malaysia, which have made me reluctant to attend them as much as I used to.  Many of these are the logistics of getting to and from the event; travelling by car and Uber/Grab is virtually impossible, and public transport usually involves long waits for overcrowded underground trains and public transport. On the last tours by artists such as Madonna and Rihanna that I attended at The O2 arena in London, artists started their concerts hours late, meaning that concertgoers missed their last trains home and either had to walk or spend massive amounts to get a taxi home. Crowds at such events can often be rowdy and uncivilised, security staff unpleasant and intimidating, and queues for bars and food stalls take so long that I usually give up. Given all of this, when I eventually got to see the artists, I was often disappointed that the sound quality was terrible or it was impossible to see the stage as I was so far away from the action. I needn’t have worried, however, as all these ‘pain points’ about attending a music and arts festival had all been considered, addressed, and solved by the organisers of the Ombak Festival 2024. 

Ombak Festival 2024 Accommodation

No tents for festival-goers here; there are a range of stunning luxurious hotels dotted along the Desaru Coast, most a short walk from the Ombak Festival 2024 main stage, others a short buggy. These included Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast, The Westin Desaru Coast Resort, One&Only Desaru Coast and Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas, where we would stay. This also cleared up another pain point of music festivals: once you had arrived at your resort for the weekend, it was a short stroll home after the applause and cheering died down; you could be back in your luxurious accommodation in minutes, showered and between crisp high-thread-count linens and drifting off to sleep with the sound of ocean waves soon after. 

Sustainability

I appreciated that the Ombak Festival 2024 made a great effort to reduce the vast amount of plastic waste usually generated at festivals. Usually, when you leave at the end of the evening, you are clambering over a virtual sea of plastic cups and water bottles, all of which need to be collected by someone and hopefully recycled appropriately. At the Ombak Festival, there were reusable stainless steel cups for purchase, with handy clips to attach to your bag or belt. They came with a sheet of fun stickers that you could use to decorate the cups, featuring lines from the songs of the artists appearing that weekend. In addition to using these for the drinks you purchased over the weekend, there were water fountains provided by the Ayer Ayer project, which also had an exhibition called ‘Shore Debris Table’ at the Westin Beachfront. They offered engaging and informative discussion on the prevalence of plastic waste found along Malaysian shorelines, which you could pick out and repurpose into a little art piece. 

The regular zero-emission electric shuttle buses connecting the resorts to the main stage were also free of charge and hassle-free. Beachfront dining was presented in biodegradable bamboo or recycled paper fibre cups with wooden cutlery and drinking straws made from pasta tubes.

Rather than distributing countless flyers for each event, that usually end up as a pile of litter post-festival, I was pleasantly surprised by Ombak Festival’s approach. A user-friendly smartphone app provided detailed event information, including an organiser to save our favourite events and a porthole to purchase tickets. The app even sent reminders so we didn’t miss a single performance.

DJ Sets & Live Performances at the Ombak Festival 2024

The Ombak Festival 2024 indeed offered something for everyone, boasting a lineup of local, regional, and international headliners. My only criticism could be that the scheduling across various hotel venues and stages made it simply impossible to experience everything. However, this is common in many festivals worldwide. For instance, the recent Glastonbury music festival in the UK also has multiple stages, allowing festival goers to navigate their own experiences based on their tastes and preferences. Similarly, the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe hosts over three thousand performances daily across the city. Therefore, I can’t fault the Ombak Festival for offering too much choice of entertainment over the weekend. Despite my best efforts to fit everything in, missing out on some things was inevitable. I had similar thoughts about the bountiful hotel buffet breakfast at Anantara Resort each morning. You simply can’t consume it all, although, as my waistline can prove, I certainly gave it a good go!

Opening Night Party – Ombak Festival 2024

As we arrived at the Ombak Festival Opening Party hosted at The Westin Beachfront, Chinese drumming band JB Drums kicked things off. Seven band members played percussive driving beats underneath fizzing fireworks animations on giant LED screens, providing a banging start to the weekend’s entertainment.

As the sun set, the music continued with WVC Jazz, who appeared in the ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ movie and are one of South East Asia’s leading contemporary jazz groups. They played smooth, easy jazz tunes while the giant puppets Meera and Fiz, a festival commission by Thai puppet and animation studio Nice Monster, danced with guests, much to the squeals of delight of the assembled children. 

The Shang Sisters, Asia’s leading Chinese female vocal jazz trio, picked up the tempo with their kitschy, jazzy pop fusion vibe. Comprising Janet Lee, Winnie Ho and Mian Tan, they performed classic Chinese and Malay songs alongside American Jazz standards and even a post-modern take on the Spice Girls hit Wannabe’, a favourite of our photographer Han Sen and myself. They upped the energy with their charm and enthusiasm, mixing genres and styles. Like an Asian version of the Andrews sisters, their harmonies ensnared us; tearing ourselves away when we needed to head to our next event was hard.  

All Q’ued Up (RM 300)

We rounded off the evening entertainment with an intimate DJ set by Quantic, also known as Will Holland, a British DJ, producer and multi-instrumentalist renowned for his eclectic musical style encompassing funk, soul, jazz and Afrobeat elements. Despite it having already been a long day filled with events, when Will ended his set, everyone was crying out for more, and I’m sure the party could have continued until dawn if he had continued to play. 

Ombak Festival Saturday Evening Main Stage 

Swedish pop stars The Cardigans, who had huge worldwide success in the 1990s with tracks such as ‘Lovefool’, ‘My Favourite Game’, ‘Erase/Rewind’ delighted audiences by giving their first-ever performance in Malaysia and their only Asian show in 2024. Their lead vocalist, Nina Persson, took to the stage dressed in a sparkling purple leotard under multiple layers of delicate tulle fabric, balanced on enormous platform boots, her vocals as crisp and clear as ever. 

After a DJ set by Disko Santan, which kept the audience’s energy levels up, there was an air of anticipation before Saturday’s headline act took to the stage, Grace Jones. I’ve been a fan of Grace Jones, the iconic Jamaican-American artist whose career spans music, modelling and acting, since the 1970s when I first heard her cover of Edith Piaf’s song ‘La Vie en Rose.’ Jones became a prominent figure on the disco scene and was often seen at clubs like New York’s ‘Studio 54’ before evolving her sound to encompass new wave, reggae and pop elements and perhaps had her biggest success with the Trevor Horn-produced track ‘Slave to the Rhythm’ in 1985. Jones has a reputation for being difficult and confrontational. Famously, in 1980, on ‘The Russell Harty Show’ on prime time UK TV, Grace became frustrated with the host ignoring her and slapped him several times live on air. Whilst Jones had no trouble dominating the stage and commanding attention at the Ombak Festival, with an electrifying set that took in all her biggest hits, there was no hiding that she was completely enamoured with the reception she got from the audience and confided that she had fallen in love with this beautiful part of Malaysia and the Malaysian people. 

Offstage, no one had anything other than kind things to say about her either, so perhaps that fierce persona was just a ruse to gain our attention and land fierce roles in the James Bond film ‘A View To A Kill’ and also with Arnold Schwarzenegger in ‘Conan the Destroyer’. At one stage, she asked security staff to carry her beside the audience, where she reached out to touch the hands of fans who were reaching out to her, my own included. My highlight from her set was an electrifying cover of Roxy Music’s track ‘Love is the Drug’ wearing a mirrorball bowler hat that sent green laser light shining across the audience. It ended with an almost eight-minute version of ‘Slave to the Rhythm’, during which she kept a hula hoop going the entire time; no mean feat when she is now 76 years old. I wish I had a fraction of her energy and flexibility! To rapturous cheers and applause, she generously thanked her band and brought her entire staff on stage to thank them.  

Ombak Festival Sunday Evening Main Stage

American singer, songwriter and actress Macy Gray told us several times over the course of the evening that she and her band had ‘travelled all the way from Los Angeles, California’ just to sing for us and that she wanted to hear us sing and cheer, too. When she found the perhaps overly polite audience response lacking, she called out, ‘Me and my band came all the way from Los Angeles, California, to hear you shout out a lot louder than that!’ which had the audience bursting into laughter and eventually producing a loud enough cheer, that she found at least acceptable. Macy Gray’s distinctly raspy vocals sang out under the tropical skies; she clearly has a great many fans here in Malaysia, as although perhaps not as loudly as she may have liked, the audience around me sang along to every track, especially as she led them in her rousing final track, and her biggest hit ‘I Try’.

DJ Kenji Law kept things moving, and the audience’s energy levels up with his soulful take on house music before the six-time Grammy award winner Nile Rodgers took to the stage with the band he co-founded, CHIC. A voice-over and rolling display of album covers was displayed behind him, as we were reminded that as well as the numerous hits with CHIC during the late 70s, including ‘Le Freak’, ‘Good Times’ and ‘I Want Your Love’, he produced, wrote for and collaborated with a range of other artists, including Madonna, David Bowie, Duran Duran, Diana Ross and most recently, Daft Punk, with whom he received three of those Grammys and the well deserved Lifetime Achievement Grammy. Kicking off with ‘Everybody Dance’, the hits then came thick and fast. Indeed, many had to be condensed into a few medley sections as there would be no way that he could have possibly included even all his own hits in one show, let alone those he’d written and produced for others. The powerhouse lead vocals with CHIC were from Kimberly Davis and Folami Ankoanda-Thompson, effortlessly hitting every note right out of the park. Then came a sequence of tracks Niles had written and produced for other artists, including ‘I’m Coming Out’, ‘Upside Down’  for Diana Ross, ‘We Are Family’ for Sister Sledge, ‘Like a Virgin’ and ‘Material Girl’ for Madonna, ‘Let’s Dance’ for David Bowie, and ‘Get Lucky’ and ‘Lose Yourself to Dance’ with Daft Punk. Then, the classic CHIC hit ‘Good Times’ ended the show and provided a good summary of the evening we had all shared. Movingly, Nile confided that he was delighted to be able to perform in Malaysia once more; as a two-time cancer survivor, he was passionate when he told us that nothing could be taken for granted and that good times and good experiences needed to be treasured and shared. 

I must say that the sound, lighting, and visuals at this weekend’s festival were incredible. The behind-the-scenes crew deserve great praise for their work. The sound quality was crisp, clear and not distorted; the lighting was captivating, and the high-definition visuals on the giant LED screens were immersive, hypnotic and, at times, jaw-droppingly good. I’ve been to countless concerts and festivals, but the only one that came close to the production standards I witnessed this weekend was at a static show at a purpose-built arena for Cirque du Soliel in Las Vegas. To pull off such quality on a temporary Main Stage at the Ombak Festival is simply an outstanding achievement and one that wasn’t matched by outdoor festivals I’ve attended, such as ‘British Summer Time’ in Hyde Park, London. 

Visual Arts & Craft

Alongside the varied music and food events being held, we checked out a few of the many craft workshops, installations, and exhibitions on display throughout the resorts along the coast during the Ombak Festival weekend. 

Shore Debris Table by Ayer Ayer

An installation called ‘Shore Debris Table’  was held throughout the weekend. A long, narrow wooden board with a cut-out coastline is labelled with the various Malaysian peninsular beaches. Sand had been gathered from the beaches, and within it could be seen shards and slivers of plastic, which participants were invited to pick out with tweezers and repurpose into an artwork. This was an installation by Ayer Ayer, a project by artist and photographer Ernest Goh. He uses his work to explore the connection between our planet and its creatures. He’s not just about pretty pictures, though; he’s also passionate about protecting the environment. Through his initiative, Ayer Ayer, he’s tackling the problem of ocean plastic in Southeast Asia with creative projects that raise awareness and encourage action. 

Beachfront Sip & Paint (RM 150)

Whilst sipping a glass of wine on the beautiful beach alongside The Westin Desaru Coast Resort, I was allowed to unleash my inner artist, probably for the first time since I was at school. ‘Art & Bonding’, the project that provides the experience, was founded by art enthusiast Stephy Lew and community builder Philip Chan. One of the talented local artists encouraged me, step by step, on how to recreate a restful coastal scene. Whilst the result won’t be hanging in any art galleries anytime soon, it was a fun experience, and my masterpiece now takes pride of place in my bathroom.  

Ombak Festival 2024 – Food, Drinks & Kitchen Take-Overs

Welcome BBQ at Westin Beachfront by Carbon KL and Reka:Bar

In addition to the music and art events taking place over the weekend, there were many gastronomic experiences that quite literally had my taste buds tingling. The first event was at the ‘Welcome BBQ at The Westin Beachfront by Carbon KL and Reka:Bar’.  Monica recently visited Carbon’s restaurant in KL to sample a wider selection of dishes available at the resorts over the weekend of the festival. We sampled just one of their dishes, and I can confirm that the Carbon team showcased their culinary expertise with a trio of succulent skewers. We sampled chicken, lamb, and beef skewers, each with unique flavours. These tender and moist skewers were the perfect accompaniment to the innovative cocktails by Reka:Bar, recently recognised on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list. Colleagues at The Yum List are aware of my dislike for durian. Still, I was surprised that as an ingredient in their Passionfruit Tuak cocktail, which also combined tequila, honey and fermented glutinous rice, I didn’t find the fermented durian objectionable at all! 

Ombak Supper Club with The Stars by Yellow Fin Horse (RM 350)

Later that evening, we attended the Ombak Supper Club with The Stars by Yellow Fin Horse at the Observatory Bar at the Anantara Resort, Villas and Residences.  Chef Jun Wong of Yellow Fin Horse provided a delicious grazing table there, but I won’t recount each dish here as Monica wrote about them when The Yum List visited recently to preview some of the dishes. However, I simply must comment on my favourite, which was the mouthwatering smoked Tasmanian Petuna ocean trout, renowned for its association with Chef Tetsuya Wakuda, whose own restaurant sadly had to close its doors this year due to redevelopment after being a mainstay of Asian fusion dining in Sydney for over 23 years. The savoury beignets with a scallion relish were also delicious. As we were in the Observatory Bar, I had mistakenly assumed that the ‘Stars’ that I would be dining with were above in the sky; however, I was mistaken as we were joined by members of The Cardigans who were entertaining over the weekend on the Main Stage as well as the wonderful bubbly Shang Sisters who we had seen earlier that evening. 

An Exploration of Nusantara Cuisine with Khir Johari and Chef Adu (RM 180)

Held at Turmeric restaurant at Anantara, this fascinating discussion and question and answer session, with Khir Johari, author of the award-winning book ‘The Food of Singapore Malays’ and who is an expert on Nusantara cuisine and its influence on Singaporean Malay Food, together with Chef Adu Amran Hassan, the owner of Adu Sugar Restaurant, who is a passionate chef dedicated to organic, traditional Malay food with a modern twist. Both have deep roots in their culinary heritage, and their discussion and conversation with the diners at the event provided a fascinating insight into the rich history and the hopefully bright future of Malaysian cuisine.

Chef Adu and the kitchen team at Turmeric prepared the lunch following the discussion. I particularly enjoyed the ‘Legendary Laksa Johor’, which was served with a side dish of hand-pounded sambal belacan. It had a freshness and brightness in flavour that can be lost when too much oil is used. I could have easily eaten another bowl, and I will be booking a table at Chef Adu’s restaurant back in KL soon. There was a palate-cleansing Cermai and Melaka Fruit Granita, which had just the right amount of sourness and wasn’t too sweet, served as a charming ‘ice pole’, a playful touch that reminded us of our childhoods. The remaining tasty platters were served family-style for sharing. Monica particularly enjoyed the freshness of the Urab Pucuk Paku, fiddlehead ferns that had been lightly blanched and tossed in a lime, gula melaka and coconut oil dressing, and I found the Hidang Tenggiri steak, which had been marinated in a Malay curry paste before being steamed in a banana leaf very tender and flavoursome. 

The lunch was rounded off with a trio of desserts: a Durian Cream Puff, a Sweet Potato Brūlée and a stack of brightly coloured fruit jelly sweets.  The choux au craquelin was expertely executed, but the twist was the slight durian flavouring in the beautiful light crème pâtissière. This was the second time I’d sampled durian this weekend, and I couldn’t help but wonder if, after 13 years in Malaysia, was I finally starting to appreciate it?

Latin Street Flavours by Feliz

Feliz KL is the new kid on the block from the culinary hit machine that is the Cinnamon Group. Taking over the beachfront kitchen at The Westin Desaru Coast Resort, Peruvian Executive Chef Franco Aldana served a delicious mix of Peruvian classics with a dash of Mexican, Spanish, Japanese and Latin American flair, all with his trademark smile. One of my favourite dishes was Feliz’s Ceviche Limeño, featuring perfectly cured barramundi in a zingy leche de tigre (Tiger Milk) marinade, complemented by crunchy canchita and sweet potato. It was a close race, however, as the Anticuchos de Lomo Fino, melt-in-your-mouth tenderloin skewers enveloped in a smoky aji panca sauce and served alongside fresh sweetcorn sliced into discs were also very juicy and moreish.

There were Venezuelan Arepas and little paper cups filled with creamy mashed potato and topped with succulent prawns – perfect for beachside dining. A range of cocktails and mocktails were available to wash those tasty snacks down – starting with a Pisco Sour using Feliz’s own Pisco infusion, blending their own botanicals, fruits and spices to make the ‘Feliz Pisco’ before shaking it with fresh lime juice, egg white and angostura bitters. I’ll lay my cards on the table. I sampled all the other cocktails briefly, but I only had two of them. We also tried the Horchata, which is made using long-grain rice and soaked for 24 hours in oat milk before adding cinnamon, vanilla, and almond. It was available as either a non-alcoholic mocktail or dark rum could be added for those wanting something with more of a kick. It was very smooth and creamy and, even with the addition of the rum was not overpowering. Havana Jazz Tumbao played infectious Latin beats that had Monica taking to the dancefloor while I sipped on that second Pisco Sour. 

Ember Beach Club Brunch by Chef Andrew Walsh (RM 400)

Sunday brunch at Ember Beach Club, part of the exclusive One&Only Desaru Coast resort, was a definite highlight of my weekend. The setting was a glittering paradise, with white sun loungers, turquoise waters, and tables dressed in crisp white linen napkins and gleaming glassware. Irish chef Andrew Walsh, who has taken Singapore’s culinary scene by storm with restaurants like Michelin-starred CURE, Butcher Boy, and CATFISH, was the mastermind behind the delicious brunch menu. 

Watching him work his magic in the open kitchen was our beautiful host and M.C. of the Ombak Festival, Gabriella Robinson. We watched as he filmed an interview with her, explaining the preparation of one of the dishes on the menu, Grilled Confit Fennel, Feta Cheese, Burnt Cabbage, Labneh, Fermented Sesame, Tograshi, Grilled Romaine, with a Caesar Dressing and Coconut Rice. The food was, of course, incredible. His Tuna Tartare with avocado and sesame citrus dressing was light and fresh and the Thai Grilled Beef Salad had my taste buds singing with the heat of chilli.

Dessert options were ‘Caribbean’, which consisted of coconut cake with banana sorbet, coconut meringue, and vanilla soil. Although light and delicate, the merengue pushed the sweetness a little too far for my taste. I preferred the other dessert option, ‘Chocolate Noisette’, a rich chocolate hazelnut cake baton dipped in dark chocolate and crushed hazelnuts served with a creamy vanilla brule and hazelnut crisp, adding a crunch. 

With his impressive pedigree, passion for quality ingredients, and innovative approach to cooking, it’s easy to see why this was one of the most popular kitchen takeovers of the weekend. Alongside our brunch, we enjoyed a few glasses of what I feel is a perfect wine for a brunch, ‘Whispering Angel’, a pale, elegant rosé from Provence known for its crisp, dry taste and delicate red fruit flavours.  

House of Qureshi by Chef Ahsan Ali Qureshi

A kitchen takeover by Chef Ahsan Ali Qureshi was in the clubhouse at The Els Club Desaru Coast, the exclusive golf club nestled along the shores of the Desaru Coast. Sadly, given the packed schedule of events we had to cover for The Yum List meant that we had no time to enjoy the whole restaurant experience. This was disappointing as Chef Ahsan, a descendant of a legendary culinary dynasty, has an incredible reputation for his modern take on traditional Indian cuisine. Imagine our surprise and delight when we arrived back at the luxurious residence at the Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas where a midnight feast to top all midnight feasts had been prepared for us by the House of Qureshi! 

We feasted on tasty dishes including Dum Lucknawi Biryani, Basmati Rice cooked with saffron, aromatic spices and marinated lamb served in a clay pot, Butter Chicken, delicious morsels of chicken simmered in tomato cream and flavoured with fenugreek. My favourite, Dal Qureshi, featured slow-cooked lentils finished with butter and cream, perfect for mopping up with a fluffy Butter Naan. The House of Qureshi will be at The ELs Club until the end of the year, so don’t fear if you missed out – you have a couple of months to dine.

Suri-real Experience at Dusky Monkey 

At The Yum List, we appreciate a well-crafted cocktail, and we were excited to attend a cocktail crafting experience at the Dusky Monkey bar at the One and Only Desaru Coast. This was an exclusive experience for guests at that resort. However, expert resident mixologist Morris made an exception for us. He explained that the cocktail experience had been named after the very first ‘customer’ at the bar, a dusky leaf monkey called Suri, a picture of who he shared, showing the cute little monkey herself sitting on a bar stool. 

The three cocktails we sampled were all rum-based, and we were given a brief introduction to the different styles of rum used to prepare cocktails. We also took step-by-step instructions on how to make our first cocktail. At the same time, Morris and his team made another two for us to try. My favourite was the Jungle Bird, which contained rum, Campari, and pineapple juice. Incidentally, this cocktail was first served as a welcome drink in the 1970s at the former Hilton Hotel in KL.  

We were also served a trio of tasty Caribbean-inspired bar snacks alongside our cocktails: a coconut-covered prawn, tangy skewers, and a ‘slider,’ a bite-sized burger.  

Food Fiction Festival Village

Located near the main entrance to the Main Stage area was Food Fiction by REXKL, bringing together pop-up food stalls from KL favourites such as Jojo’s by Joloko, Stellar, Kantin and my favourite, Calle Taco, where I grabbed a couple of their delicious Chicken Al Pastor Tacos served with Pineapple Satay Salsa (RM 12) and washed it down with a glass of one of the natural wines from Fafaba.

Ombak Festival 2024 Review 

The Ombak Festival 2024 held along the beautiful Desaru Coast, was undoubtedly a resounding success. Despite the challenges facing new festivals, the organisers delivered a flawlessly executed, luxurious experience. With world-class musical acts like The Cardigans, Grace Jones, Macy Gray, and Nile Rodgers & CHIC, alongside Michelin-starred chefs, engaging art installations, and a focus on sustainability, the Ombak Festival set a new standard for boutique music events.

Every detail was carefully curated, from the vibrant opening party to the delicious Sunday brunch at Ember Beach Club, offering attendees a truly unforgettable weekend. The festival proved that Malaysia can host world-class events, providing top-notch entertainment and showcasing the country’s stunning natural beauty and diverse culinary scene. I returned to KL incredibly tired, but telling everyone within earshot how good everything had been. The Ombak Festival 2024 was easily the best event I’ve ever attended in Malaysia, exceeding expectations and leaving attendees eagerly anticipating its return next year. I’ve already marked it on my calendar, and you should do the same. 

Details & Pricing

A two-day festival pass for Saturday and Sunday events, including all headline acts and access to the food and beverage areas of the Festival Village, was RM 990+

A Single Day Pass for the Saturday Night or the Sunday Night Main Stage artists was priced at RM 550+ each.

Stay Packages at the Desaru Coast resorts, which included festival passes and access to exclusive events at the festival and resorts, started at RM 3,500. The resorts include Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast, The Westin Desaru Coast Resort, Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas, and One&Only Desaru Coast. 

www.ombakfestival.com

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