The secret is out. After sending thousands of Malaysians onto trains without telling them where they would end up, Keretapi Sarong 2026 (KS26) has finally revealed its destination: Raintree Plaza at Tun Razak Exchange (TRX), Kuala Lumpur.
The journey began at 12 stations across 10 cities in the Klang Valley, with participants turning up in sarongs, batik, songket, kebaya, baju Melayu, and other traditional attire. The destination, however, stayed under wraps until the day of the event.
Held on Malaysia Day, KS26 also marks 10 years of Keretapi Sarong. Its theme this year, “Sayang Malaysia,” takes the celebration beyond dressing up and taking photographs, asking participants to get to know the person standing next to them.
A Decade, With a Few New Stops
For LOCCO Co-Founder Shamsul Bahrine Zainuzzaman, the outfits may make the spectacle, but they are not the story.
“What matters most is the person standing beside us,” he said.
That person could speak a different language, practise a different faith, come from a different state, or have a different ethnic background. The point, he said, is that they still share the same country.
This year, Keretapi Sarong is also travelling further. Communities in Padang Besar, Langkawi, Sungai Petani, George Town, Ipoh, Melaka, Johor Bahru, Kota Bharu, and Kuantan are joining the celebration.
There is no template to copy. Each community gets to shape its own version through local art, music, traditional attire, and identity.
Kuala Lumpur gets a new starting point of its own. Women Station Only, introduced at Titiwangsa MRT Station, gives female participants a dedicated place to begin their journey. The initiative follows requests from women in the community for a more comfortable starting point when stations and trains get crowded.
Then comes another first: a soundtrack.
For its tenth anniversary, Keretapi Sarong has released its first official theme song, “Joget Sarong,” performed by Aina Abdul and Didie Shazry. It adds a new beat to an event already known for folk music, spontaneous performances, and plenty of collective singing.
Sarawak, meanwhile, will have to wait for its turn. The Kuching edition, planned as Keretapi Sarong’s first official event outside Peninsular Malaysia, has been moved to December 2026 due to the haze situation in Sarawak.
For ten years, Keretapi Sarong has made the journey part of the celebration. In 2026, the formula remains familiar: dress up, board a train, follow the crowd, and wait for the destination to reveal itself. But only this time, there are more places to start and a new song to sing along the way.
