Riuh has once again outdone themselves with their event execution. For some of you who don’t know what Riuh is, it is a monthly event held in a specific location or space as a creative platform for pop-up stores, food stalls, workshops, live-acts, performances and so forth.
For the longest time, Riuh was held at APW Bangsar since it first started back in August 2017. Three months ago, Riuh celebrated its first birthday with a bang. Every other Riuh event had a theme to it such us Retro, the 90s, Safari, Tropical Fiesta, and many more. It is a means to get things to feel refreshing and innovated so that it does not feel redundant.
The previous Riuh was held during the Malaysia Day weekend on the 15th and 16th September. It was something different on that particular Riuh because for the first time it was held somewhere not at APW Bangsar, instead, it was at Sentul Depot where its space was a lot bigger and things were differently done.
However, this recent Riuh did not disappoint as well. It was held at the River of Life, the center of KL city and in conjunction with Urbanscapes. Urbanscapes is Malaysia’s longest-running creative arts festival and Riuh collaborated with them during the last weekend of the arts festival.
The new and refurbished River of Life that is smacked in the middle of the KL City Center has changed so much and looked so good. The heritage buildings were well preserved with new paint and the river is so clean there actually were fishes swimming freely in it.
This Riuh, as usual, was packed with loads if performances but lesser pop-up stores compared to the previous events. This is due to the limited space at the location but nevertheless, there were a few of the usual and regular Riuh stores and food stores.
Ooey-gooey-cheesy nachos from Nachoslah
Minced Chicken Grilled Cheese from Roti Butter & Cheese
There were amazing acts lined up throughout the two days and also some performances by some of Urbanscapes live acts. There were lots of dancing, singing, puppetry show and even beatboxing with traditional Indian foot work dance! There were also workshops that you could participate right there and then.
At about 7:00pm, when the sun has set and the sky turned dark, our attention were diverted to the walls of the beautiful heritage building located by the historic riverfront. The walls were projected with beautiful lights, which is called Paint The Light where the public can take a chance on painting the lights with their desired colors- all this live!
It was a really charming Riuh event this timr around as the place looks great transition from day to night. The night lights were so magical and although it was raining a little, nothing was stopping everyone from having fun. Ponchos were given out to everyone and people were still sitting in the rain enjoying the live acts and performances.
It is a great effort for Riuh to actually re-introduce the River of Life as many people either do not know the existence of this place or have not visited this landmark for decades. This river that was once known as the “smelly river” has transformed into a beautiful landmark now.
It was a great collaboration between Riuh and Urbanscapes as the public was introduced to the local arts and talents of Malaysia. Who knew there are so many talented people out there!
The next Riuh will be a Christmas-themed event on the 8 & 9 December however the location is yet to be decided. To find out more about previous events and future upcoming events, go to their website or follow their Instagram for more updates and pictures.