Bajau community is one of great Malaysia tribe who has lived in Malaysia since long time ago. Traditionally, the Bajau were mariners, spending most of their lives at sea, only coming ashore to restock on food and water. Some of the Bajau still carry on in this tradition but the majority has settled down on the islands around Semporna or in stilt villages built on reefs along the coast of Sabah. To commemorate the Bajau community and celebrate the seafaring Bajau way of life, this community always runs annually a great festival which is called Regatta Lepa. This festival also becomes the main tourist attractions in April and the great Malaysia vacation packages.
Regatta Lepa festival which was held at the first time in 1994, is an annual water festival held in Semporna, Sabah that features a procession of colorful traditional boats. This festival is held in April when has evolved into an official state holiday in Sabah and is a major Malaysian festival. The Regatta Lepa is a whole day affair, featuring boat racing competitions and demonstrations of traditional Bajau seafaring culture and feats. These include the lepa tug of war, where two boats connected by a rope try to pull each other across a certain distance, and individual motor boating runs by the younger generation of Bajaus. In this festival, the visitor can also see great boat piloting skill.
If you want to see this festival, you should book your accommodation well in advance as the festival is very popular among the locals and Semporna only offers limited accommodation. Alternatively you can stay on Mabul Island, Kapalai Island or Tawau and travel to the festival in the morning. So what are you waiting for? Just come and see great Malaysia Marine Festival
