Nearly 500 participants from over 40 cultures gathered for the APLC International Food Festival 2026, showcasing their heritage through food and performances while practising English in an authentic setting that transformed experiential learning into global connection.

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Students from every corner of the globe gathered to showcase their vibrant heritage, uniting nearly 500 participants across more than 40 cultures for the APLC International Food Festival 2026. 

Organised by the Asia Pacific Language Centre (APLC), the language education arm of Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU), the celebration took place in Kuala Lumpur. 

Since 2009, this annual event has united students from the Intensive English Programme, Summer Camp and mobility programmes. 

Guided by APLC lecturers and coordinators, students spearheaded their country showcases. 

They spent two weeks researching their heritage, picking traditional foods and activities, designing displays, and rehearsing performances, with backing from embassies, sponsors, and cultural organisations.

Students from Brunei, China, Djibouti, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Russia, South Korea, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Yemen and beyond proudly shared their roots through food, fashion and performances. 

Crucially, the festival offered an authentic arena to practise English as students welcomed visitors, explained customs, fielded questions, and managed their booths collaboratively.

APLC Event Coordinator and Senior Lecturer Ms Haryati Mohd. Amran How, assisted by APLC Lecturer Ms Nur Nazrin Hadia Zakaria and the APLC teaching team, led the preparations while empowering students to take ownership of their exhibitions.

“We wanted students to stop learning about culture and start living it. Watching them turn food into stories, stories into conversations, and conversations into connections was the most rewarding part of the festival,” they shared.

Special guests included representatives from the British Council Malaysia, the English Language Teaching Centre (ELTC) under the Ministry of Education, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), and UNITAR University College Kuala Lumpur (UUCKL).

For APLC Senior Manager Ms Sharen Kaur, the event proved that language acquisition thrived far beyond textbooks. 

“We did not build 40 booths. Our students built 40 bridges between cultures. We gave them a booth. They brought their whole world to it. Food started the conversation. English gave them a voice,” she said. 

Student participants Ahmed Manea Saleh Dahloos (Yemen), Muta Takabatake (Japan), Iana Karisova (Russia), and Korean peers Ang Hyunjun, Kwon So Yeon, and Kim Riwon highlighted the opportunity to represent their heritage, experience different traditions, meet new people and take part in the performances and activities. 

They celebrated the chance to showcase their roots and bond with multicultural peers, noting that the sheer scale of the event proved entirely ‘eye-opening’. 

Coming hot on the heels of APLC winning the Malaysia’s Best Centre of Excellence in Language Education Award 2026 at the recent Malaysia Education and TVET Awards, the festival cemented experiential learning as a vibrant tool for real-world communication and collaboration.