Attractions and recreational spots

Since 2005, Borneo Cultural Festival (BCF) is held by Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) in July every year at Sibu Town Square, for a period of 10 days. It is a celebration of traditional music, dances, contests, beauty pageant, food stalls, fun fairs, and product exhibitions.

There are 3 separate stages for Iban, Chinese, and Malay performances. It draws around 20,000 people every year. BCF was stopped briefly in 2011 before it was resumed in 2012. Sibu has hosted the National Chinese Cultural Festival (全國華人文化節) twice: in 2001 (18th Festival) and 2009 (26th Festival) which lasted for 3 days.

Among the activities organised during this festival were cultural village (a venue designated to showcase cultural heritages from various ethnicity), lantern riddles, cultural dances, Chinese songs, dragon dances, and Chinese calligraphy.

Sibu International Dance Festival (SIDF) was started in 2012. It is usually held between June to September every year, which lasted for 5 days. It attracted around 14 to 18 international dance troupes for performances in Sibu. It includes activities such as workshops, conferences, outdoor performances, and a dance concert.

There are 9 Bawang Assan Iban longhouses which are 40 minutes away from the town of Sibu. The longhouses can be dated back from 18th century traditional longhouses to present day modern longhouses. Visitors can enjoy traditional rice wine tuak and other delicacies such as sarang semut, kain kebat, and pansuh.

These Iban longhouses showcase their lifestyles, customs, traditional dance, and music. Homestays are also available at these longhouses. There are 3 ceramic factories in Sibu. Ceramic designs mainly depicts traditional culture of the natives.

Sibu Heritage Trail was launched in 2012 to include 9 landmarks in Sibu, which are: Sibu Heritage Centre, Sibu Old Mosque (Masjid Al-Qadim, built in 1883), Warriors Memorial Site (present burial site of Rosli Dhobi, near An-Nur Mosque), oldest Muslim cemetery, Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum, Hoover Memorial Square, Tua Pek Kong Temple, and Sibu Central Market.

All the 9 landmarks can be reached by 2 kilometres of walking distance from each other. Sibu Heritage Centre is housed in a former Sibu Town Hall. It displays the early beginnings of Sibu, Iban and Malay cultures, with Chinese porcelain and clay vases which can be dated back to the era of Imperial China.

Tua Pek Kong Temple is a Buddhist and Taoist Temple which was established in 1870. The 7-storey Guanyin Pagoda (Goddess of Mercy) was built in the 1980s. The Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum is the only medical museum in Malaysia. It displays dental, surgical, and obstetric services offered by the hospital from the 1950s to 1990s.

Sungai Merah (Red River) Heritage Walk is the landmark of the earliest settlement of Foochow Chinese in Sibu in 1901. There is a walking trail at the Sungai Merah river front leading up to Wong Nai Siong Memorial Garden. James Hoover Memorial Garden is also located near the Sungai Merah Heritage Walk.

Bukit Aup Jubilee Park was opened in March 1993. It is located 10 km away from the town of Sibu. It has a total undulating land of 24acre. The park was the two consecutive winner of National Landscaping Competition Award in 1997 and 1998.

The highest peak in the park, Bukit Aup (59 m above sea level) was originally a traditional burial ground for Iban warriors. The burial ground has since been relocated to a nearby village for the development of the park. However, the Iban community still regarded the peak as a sacred place and frequently brought offerings for the benevolent spirit named Nanga Bari.

Bukit Lima peat swamp forest reserve, covering 390ha, was gazetted as protected area since October 1929. In January 2001, Bukit Lima Forest Park covering 219ha was constructed in the peat swamp forest and opened to the public. It has two separate trails of wooden planks of 3.5 km and 2.5 km long respectively. The park also has a 3-storey concrete watchtower for sightseeing.  The park is managed by Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC).

Sibu has other urban and suburban parks such as Kutien Memorial Garden, Hin Hua Memorial Park, and Permai Lake Garden. The Kutien Memorial Garden located at Lanang Street is managed by Sibu Kutien Association. The Kutien Garden showcase the association’s history and events.

The Hin Hua Memorial Park is established by Sibu Heng Hua community where their earliest arrival in Sibu was in 1911. YMCA Camp Resort is located away from the town. It provides facilities for camping and retreat.

Sibu has three stadiums: Tun Zaidi Stadium, Sibu Indoor Stadium and Sibu Prudential Volleyball Association Stadium. Sibu BASE jump is an annual event that is held in September every year since 2009, which lasts for 3 days. Night jumps are also performed if the weather is fair. The BASE jumping usually takes place from the top of Wisma Sanyan which is 126 m high and is the tallest building in Sarawak.

The number of jumpers has increased from 11 jumpers in 2009 to 45 jumpers in 2014. In 2013, world’s first tandem BASE jumping from a building (Wisma Sanyan in Sibu) was done by Sean Chuma (world-renowned BASE jumper), carrying Rudy Anoi (chief executive of Sarawak Tourism Board, Sibu branch) with him.

Since 2001, Sarawak Health Marathon is held every year at Bukit Aup Jubilee Park, Sibu. The run can be divided into 6 categories, including 21 km Men’s and Ladies’ Open, 7 km Men’s Fun Run and Boys’ Junior, 2.5 km Girls’ Junior, and 2.5 km Ladies Fun Run.

Sibu Gateway is a landmark at the downtown area which includes an illuminated fountain, a garden, and a Swan statue surrounded by 12 Chinese zodiac signs. Rajang Esplanade is one of the 22 community parks in Sibu, mostly donated by Chinese clan associations.

Rajang Esplanade has a walkway along the Rajang riverfront from Sibu wharf terminal to Kingwood Hotel with Hii’s association playground along the way. It offers a scene of muddy river with timber barges, express boats, and fishing boats commuting on the river. Several mural paintings depicting historical lifestyles and local cuisines are found at various locations in Sibu.

Sibu Bike Week is an event that is held in December every year since 2011. It is a 3-day event aimed to bring all the enthusiasts of motocyclists, cars, audio systems, BMX, Zumba, and paintball to share their hobbies and experiences. It has attracted about 2,000 bikers around the world.

Among the activities held during Sibu Bike Week are Miss Sibu Bike Week Pageant, Tattoo queen and King competition. Borneo Talent Award (BTA) is held every year in Sibu since 2011 at Sibu Civic Centre. It showcases performances of singing, dancing, acrobatics, mimicry, playing musical instruments, magic show, and art performances.

Sibu features a number of shopping malls: Wisma Sanyan, Medan Mall, Sing Kwong Shopping Complex, Farley Departmental Store, Delta Mall, Star Mega Mall, Everwin and Giant Hypermarket.
The Sibu Night Market was established in 1973. It was situated in the town centre. Local traders will usually set up their mobile stalls from 5 pm to 10 pm every day. The stalls offer household goods, footwear, fashion items, and varieties of food. In August 2012, the market was relocated to Butterfly Garden at Cross Road near the Tua Pek Kong Temple to ease traffic jams.

The Sibu Central Market is the largest indoor market in Malaysia. It is located at Channel Street, opposite the Sibu wharf terminal. The central market has food stalls on top floor with dry and wet market on the ground floor.

Among the items on sale in this market are exotic fruits, jungle produce, handicrafts, Bario rice, and poultry. There are 1,100 stalls in the market on weekdays and 400-500 additional stalls on weekends when the indigenous people from the interior brought their jungle produce to the market.

Wikipedia