A multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary festival of arts and cultures of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines known as the BIMP-EAGA held every two years where the first festival was hosted by the Philippines in the City of General Santos, Mindanao, 2017, the second was hosted by Malaysia in Kuching, Borneo, 2019 the third was hosted by Brunei Darussalam, 2021 .
Budayaw Festival
Shortly after the addition of the Socio-cultural and Education Pillar in BIMP-EAGA in 2015, the Socio-cultural Development Working Group (SCD) agreed to institutionalize a signature event which will serve as venue to foster stronger connectivity among the peoples of the region. Budayaw, portmanteau of the Bahasa “budaya” which means culture and the Filipino “dayaw” which means good or beautiful, aims to strengthen the ties within the region through a celebration of its cultural diversity and heritage. Budayaw is a grand cultural exchange of the BIMP-EAGA held every two years, hosted by each of the member-states. The first Budayaw Festival was held in 2017, in General Santos City, in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the ASEAN where Philippines was the host.
Bearing in mind the goal of the SCD -to enhance people to people connectivity- Budayaw specifically aims to:
Showcase the diversity of creative expressions of the BE region;
Raise public awareness and appreciation on the landscapes and aspirations of the peoples of the region;
Foster understanding and solidarity among the multi-cultural populations of the BE;
Mobilize collaboration and convergence of multi-stakeholders, public and private.