Affected vendors from GVF 2023 to open booths for free at RIUH events

Communication and digital minister, Fahmi Fadzil is inviting vendors who were affected by the abrupt cancellation of the Good Vibes Festival (GVF) this year, to take their business to upcoming RIUH events with no booth rental costs.

In tweet seen by A+M, the minister said that he would like to invite GVF vendors to open booths at RIUH events for free at the next event in Penang on 4th and 5th August.

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The tweet was in response to a user who noted that a vendor from the GVF was featured in a picture Fahmi posted on Twitter at the RIUH event at Kuala Kubu Bharu over the weekend.

Fahmi agreed with the user and revealed that vendors from GVF have already been setting up at RIUH events, a programme organised by MyCreative Ventures which is an agency under the Ministry of Communications and Digital (KKD).

RIUH is a curated platform of pop-up stores, food, creative workshops and live performances that happens one weekend every two months with different offering each time.

The purpose of RIUH is to boost the creative, art, and culture industries in Malaysia, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, said Fahmi.

Responses from netizens to the minister’s offer have been a mixed bag with some saying that RIUH is patronised by many individuals which can help cover the cost of manpower and raw materials without vendors having to worry about rent.

On the other hand, others have criticised the lack of publicity surrounding the minister’s offer saying that it is a good initiative but that it should have a formal video made to ensure that the vendors are aware of the offer.

This comes shortly after The 1975 caused the total cancellation of the highly anticipated GVF when its lead singer, Matty Healy, went on an expletive-laden rant against Malaysia’s anti-LGBTQ laws, which culminated in a prolonged kiss between him and his bandmate, Ross Macdonald.

As a result, Malaysia’s Communications and Digital minister, Fahmi Fadzil made the decision to cancel the whole festival, a decision which had a reverberating impact on multiple stakeholders who were involved in the organisation of the festival such as vendors, performers and more.

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