Sarawak Day, on 22 July, is a Sarawak-only public holiday marking the day in 1963 when Britain handed Sarawak self-government. The next one is Thursday 22 July 2027. It is a different day from Merdeka (31 August 1957, Malaya’s independence) and from Malaysia Day (16 September 1963, when Sarawak joined the federation), which makes the three easy to mix up for newcomers and Peninsular colleagues.
Two things set the day apart from what its official name, Sarawak Independence Day, promises. Historians dispute that 22 July 1963 was independence at all, and the state celebration usually happens in another division (Miri in 2025, Sibu in 2026). In Kuching, banks and government counters shut and malls stay open, so the day comes down to a 6am walk, flags on shopfronts and the opening night of the Kuching Festival food fair. I have lived in Kuching since 2016, and the capital treats it as a flag-and-food-fair day, not a parade day.
Next Sarawak Day: Thursday 22 July 2027. The 2027 host division will be added when the state announces it.
What Happened on 22 July 1963?
On 22 July 1963 Britain gave Sarawak self-government, and Stephen Kalong Ningkan was proclaimed the first Chief Minister. The outgoing Governor appointed a Supreme Council, which formed the first cabinet, and the handover came with a condition: Sarawak would join Malaya, North Borneo and Singapore to form Malaysia, which happened on 16 September 1963 (Sarawak Government portal on 22 July, and on 16 September).
The state still calls the holiday Sarawak Independence Day, so the name and the history point in different directions. Prof Michael Leigh and other historians argue that 22 July was not independence, because the British Governor kept full authority until Malaysia was formed on 16 September and Sarawak was never a sovereign state in between.
Sarawak Day vs Malaysia Day vs Merdeka Day
Malaysia has three dates in the independence family, and only one of them belongs to Sarawak alone.
| Date | What it marks | Who gets the day off | Where the main event is |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 July | Sarawak self-government from Britain, 1963 | Sarawak only | State-level host division rotates (Miri 2025, Sibu 2026) |
| 31 August | Independence of the Federation of Malaya, 1957 | Nationwide | National parade, plus a Sarawak-level celebration in a different division each year (Sarikei 2025, Kapit 2026) |
| 16 September | Formation of Malaysia, 1963 | Nationwide | National event rotates between regions; Kuching in 2026, at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) |
Merdeka commemorates a Malayan story from before Sarawak was part of the country, while 16 September is when Sarawak joined under the Malaysia Agreement of 1963, known as MA63, so Sarawakians keep the dates apart. Some put it bluntly: 31 August has little to do with Sarawak, and 22 July and 16 September are the dates that matter. That Malaya-centric view of Merdeka is the background to the holiday’s 2016 declaration, which gave Sarawak a self-government date of its own, and it is part of why Sarawak runs its own affairs on holidays as well as on land and immigration.
How 22 July Became a Public Holiday
Chief Minister Adenan Satem announced the holiday in April 2016 as Sarawak Day. The state gazetted it in May 2016 under the name Sarawak Independence Day (Borneo Post, 27 May 2016), and the first observance fell on 22 July 2016. Both names are in use, and the federal 2027 schedule lists it as “Sarawak Independence Day, 22 Jul, Thu, Sarawak”.
A campaign came first. The 722 movement began in 2013 with parades in Kuching, and in 2026 organisers in Bau said their awareness job was done and that their event might be the last the original committee runs.
The day sits in the schedule of the Sarawak Public Holidays Ordinance, and when it falls on a Sunday the Monday becomes the holiday, a rule the state assembly moved to make automatic with an amendment passed on 13 October 2026. That next happens in 2029. In 2028 it falls on a Saturday, which earns no replacement.
What Closes in Kuching on Sarawak Day?
Banks, state and federal government counters, courts, JPJ, immigration and post offices shut on Sarawak Day, as do public schools and most private ones. ATMs and online banking carry on. Malls, supermarkets, kopitiams, restaurants and Grab run as on a Sunday, though some malls may trim their hours, and tourist attractions stay open. The same rule applies to every gazetted day, with longer closures around Gawai and Chinese New Year (what each Sarawak holiday closes).
Because Sarawak Day is a civic holiday, it closes offices and leaves neighbourhoods alone. Gawai in early June is the opposite case, when family-run stalls shut for days as owners go home to the longhouse or kampung.
The holiday also stops at the state line. Peninsular head offices, KL call centres, online government services and Bursa Malaysia all work on 22 July, so a remote worker for a West Malaysian employer can be the only person away from the desk. The day off comes from Sarawak’s own labour law, and whether a KL employer honours it for you depends on your contract.
Where Are the Celebrations?
Sarawak Day has a state layer that moves between divisions and a Kuching layer that stays put.
The state celebration, Sambutan Hari Sarawak, rotates among the divisions and runs three days ending on 22 July. In 2026 it was in Sibu, at Dataran Tun Tuanku Haji Bujang, under the theme Sarawak Maju Makmur. It had seven main events: a sales carnival from 10am to 10pm over three days, two thanksgiving services, a Zumba morning, a Unity Walk from 6am with up to 10,000 walkers targeted, a townhall with the Premier at 2pm, and the Himpunan Hari Sarawak assembly and People’s Concert together from 8pm. Miri hosted in 2025, and the 2027 host has not been announced.
Kuching has three fixed points, and none is a parade. The first fixed point is the 722 Walk at 6am on 22 July, where walkers wear red, yellow or black, the colours of the Sarawak flag. The three city councils (MBKS, DBKU and Padawan) staged the first walk in 2025 as a 3km route from the MBKS Boulevard to the Waterfront. It was open to everyone, with a target of at least 1,000 people. The second fixed point is the flags: the councils have urged residents and shops to fly the Sarawak flag, and it shows along the Waterfront and Main Bazaar, both listed as open 24 hours (checked October 2026). The flag-raising takes place at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) building across the river, which visitors cannot enter, so the Waterfront side is where you watch from.
The third fixed point is the Kuching Festival Fair at Dewan Masyarakat MBKS, which opens on 22 July from 5pm to 11pm and ran to 16 August in 2026, its 40th edition. Opening night drew 72,596 visitors by the organisers’ count, and the grounds were already full by sunset, with queues at nearly every stall. At the fair, a cheese naan stuffed with Musang King durian sold 200 pieces in under two hours, so the novelty dishes move on crowd volume even at fair prices. Price is the fair’s recurring complaint: dishes cost noticeably more than at an ordinary kopitiam, a grumble that has run since at least 2019, and draught beer was RM15 a mug in 2026.
Smaller towns run their own events too. Bau held a flag-raising and cultural parade at Tasik Biru at 9am in 2026.
Is It Worth Planning Around?
In 2027 the holiday lands on a Thursday, so one day of leave on Friday 23 July buys four days off. In 2026 a Wednesday needed two days of leave to make five.
In any year when another division hosts, the official events are a long way from Kuching, which leaves the walk and the food fair as the local plan. Anyone hoping for a Merdeka-scale march through the capital will not find one unless Kuching is the host, and the walk is a thin substitute for Sibu’s three days. The fair is the one to judge for yourself. Its 2026 opening night meant long queues and prices above an ordinary kopitiam’s. One stall, called NASI, sells only plain white rice, at RM4 to RM5 a bowl, so you assemble the rest of your plate from its neighbours.
Planning the next long weekend? See the full Sarawak public holiday list for every date that falls mid-week.