THE Children’s Festival @ MAG 2025 has kicked off at the Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery (BNM MAG) with a new regional focus that introduces Asean culture, currencies and creativity through hands-on play.
The festival runs until Dec 31 with free admission, and the museum expects up to 7,000 visitors a day, mostly school groups, families and tourists.
Centred on the theme “Exploring Asean”, children aged seven to 17 receive a play passport that guides them through activity stations inspired by neighbouring countries. The passport can be stamped at every station, and children who complete all stamps will receive a special reward.
Each station is designed to be fully interactive, encouraging young visitors to explore culture, identity and daily life across Asean.
BNM MAG director Noreen Zulkepli said the aim is to nurture openness and curiosity.
“We want to promote a sense of openness, respect for diversity and also appreciation for preservation of the culture and especially the culture of different nations in Asean,” she said.
She added that this year’s festival expands beyond financial literacy to include Asean socio-economic narratives, innovation and sustainability.
Visitors can try roleplay games that simulate trading and daily spending, manage pocket money challenges or learn about Asean currencies at hands-on stations. Craft workshops, storytelling sessions and upcycling activities add creative elements to the line-up, giving families a variety of activities throughout the school holiday period.
Daily programmes run from Tuesday to Sunday, featuring activities such as DIY saving boxes, Asean currency exploration, financial roleplay tasks, bamboo bank workshops, water filter demonstrations and floral craft sessions.
At the launch, BNM chief services officer Mohd Fuad Arshad highlighted the festival’s purpose.
“Children are the bearers of hope, dreams and potential, with knowledge and creativity nurtured from a young age, they will grow into an open-minded generation that appreciates diversity.”
He said the Asean-themed stations help children understand regional identity through icons such as Thailand’s tuk tuk, Indonesia’s komodo dragon and Vietnam’s water puppets.
The festival, first introduced in 2015, has grown from a one-day event to a month-long school holiday programme due to strong public demand.
