KUCHING: Kuching City North Hall (DBKU) will host the launch of the 31st Kuching City Commemoration Day this Aug 1.

In announcing this, Kuching North Datuk Bandar Datuk Abang Abdul Wahap Abang Julai says this year’s event will take place at the Majma Tuanku Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Hall along Jalan P Ramlee here.

“We are expecting around 2,000 guests.

“The Chief Minister (Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg) has confirmed his attendance to officiate (at the event),” he reporters yesterday.

This year’s theme would be ‘Empowering Smart Community’, with the main objectives of increasing the quality of life, improving regional and global competitiveness, highlighting the benefits of using information and communications technology (ICT) for productivity, and generating a creative and innovative culture.

At the press conference yesterday, Abang Abdul Wahap also announced a list of community activities slated for a whole month of Kuching City Commemoration Day celebration.

They would include a silat competition at Kampung Sourabaya Waterfront on Aug 3-4, angling competition at Kampung Senari Jetty (Aug 17), ‘Uptown Cat Exhibition’ at the Cat Museum in DBKU Complex (Aug 17), a badminton tournament at Datuk Seri Haji Wan Junaidi Hall in Kampung Goebilt (Aug 18), a muaythai championship at the Amphitheatre (Aug 24), and the ‘BandarayaKU Walk’ across Kampung Bintangor Besar Bridge (Aug 31).

The Datuk Bandar said the majority of the activities would be organised and run by the respective communities themselves, and he called upon all Kuchingites to participate in the events, ‘to make the city more vibrant and fun throughout the celebration’.

The key highlight of the month-long series of events would be the ‘Siol International Mountain Bike Challenge’, happening at Bukit Siol – where the DBKU Complex sits upon – from Aug 23 to 25.

For more information, visit www.dbku.sarawak.gov.my or www.facebook.com/BandarayaKU.