KUALA LUMPUR: At the heart of the upcoming KL Festival, a 26-day cultural celebration from May 6 to 31, is a meaningful gesture: a "Pay It Forward" campaign inviting those who can afford to attend to include those who cannot. 

The campaign allows donors to sponsor festival experiences for underprivileged members of the public who would otherwise miss out, with contributions starting at RM150 to sponsor one person and scaling up to RM1,500 to cover 10 people with two additional seats.

"All this is meant to make the arts accessible and platform the creativity that Malaysia has a lot of," said KL Festival 2026 artistic director June Tan at a preview event at Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad (BSAS) here today.

It is a detail that points to the broader intent of the festival, which positions itself not merely as a cultural event but as a tour de force for urban regeneration and community inclusion in the capital.

The preview event began with a walking tour from Think City's office in Medan Pasar's Wisma Maran, across Sungai Klang to BSAS.