Historic Community Event Set to Unite Culture and Enterprise in Keningau

17 June 2025

KENINGAU: History is poised to be made in Keningau as two of Sabah’s major state-level events, the 8th edition of The Crocker Range Festival (TCRF) and the 2025 Keningau Zone Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (PMKS) Carnival, are set to be combined into a single landmark event, themed around cultural and entrepreneurial synergy.

This unprecedented collaboration is expected to become the largest community and tourism event ever staged in Sabah’s interior region, uniting tourism, arts, culture, and grassroots economic development on one inclusive platform.

A coordination meeting to plan the event was held on 16 June 2025 at the Matulai Meeting Room, Keningau District Secretariat Building.

The session was chaired by Keningau District Officer, Peter J. Moinjil, who has been appointed Co-Chair of the Organising Committee.

Also present were Rafie Robert, Chairman of the Keningau Tourism and Cultural Association, and Mohd Ridzuan Ramli, Senior Assistant Secretary (Entrepreneurship) at the Sabah Ministry of Industrial and Entrepreneurial Development, who will also serve as Co-Chair.

Speaking after the meeting, Rafie explained that The Crocker Range Festival has long aimed to position Keningau as an emerging tourism destination, while also promoting the district’s cultural heritage and ecotourism assets.

“The PMKS Carnival, by contrast, focuses on expanding market access for local micro and small entrepreneurs,” he said.

He added that the integration of these two flagship events would not only enhance the impact on domestic tourism and local economic growth, but also reflect the government’s continued commitment to bringing tourism and entrepreneurship closer to the people , in line with the Sabah Maju Jaya Strategic Plan.

The four-day mega event will run from 26 to 29 June 2025 at Dataran Keningau, featuring a diverse array of attractions including cultural and artistic performances, exhibitions of local products, traditional competitions, and a marketplace for PMKS entrepreneurs.

The official opening ceremony is scheduled to be officiated by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor on 28 June 2025 at 10.00am, at the same venue.

In a call for public support, Rafie encouraged all Sabahans to take part in what he described as “a celebration of unity, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit — a true reflection of the people of the Land Below the Wind.”