Siem Reap: After more than a year of missing buzz, Siem Reap’s dynamic province is expected to return next month. It will start with hosting the first Angkor International Festival of the Arts. Cambodian Arts and Festival Enterprise says the event will take place 2021 in a variety of venues in Siem Reap province and Phnom Penh capital.

The first ever Angkor International Festival of the Arts is scheduled from 10-12 December. The festival organisers represented by the Cambodian Arts and Festival Enterprise has collaborated with the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts to celebrate the designation of Siem Reap as ASEAN City of Culture 2021-2022.

Angkor International Festival of the Arts Chief Executive Officer and Artistic Director, Aaron Carpene says, they have worked on this event for over a year. He has added that with Cambodia taking over the ASEAN Chair and the country opening up, they believe that this is a fitting tribute to Cambodia’s cultural heritage and local arts scene at a time when Cambodia has so much to offer when it comes to arts and culture.

The Angkor International Festival of the Arts 2021 will include performances and contributions from a variety of artists including musicians, painters, writers and dancers. There will also be Writer &Readers Festival Hub, as well as traditional Cambodian kite-flying in front of Angkor Wat, Shadow Puppet theatre, Khmer Bokator fighters, traditional Chapei musicians and Apsara dancers. Carpene says the Angkor International Festival of the Arts 2021 will be a celebration of all art – classic and modern.