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The Borneo Bird Festival 2023 is scheduled to take place in October, and tentatively, it is set to happen on 21-22 October at the Rainforest Discovery Centre in Sandakan, Sabah.

When writing this, the date for the BBF2023 was given to me by the committee, but again, once I get an official announcement, I will indicate it here. But the bird festival will take place in October at the RDC in Sandakan.

Borneo Bird Festival 2023

Birdwatching Asia has covered the event since its inauguration through our sister site, MalaysiaAsia. Since 2018, we have had our own domain and website dedicated to birdwatching and birding, and we have been covering all the bird festivals in Sabah and Malaysia.

This unique bird festival has been going on for over a decade in Sabah and is the premier birding event for the island of Borneo. This year also marks the 13th year that the BBF is taking place here at the RDC in Sepilok, Sandakan.

Sabah Borneo Bird Festival — Some of the mascots for the Borneo Bird Festival.

The two-day event sees thousands of visitors that come here for the weekend to enjoy the festivities, participate in various programs and, of course, see if they can spot any of the Sabah birds here.

The main event is no other than the Sabah bird race, where registered teams participate and go on a race to see which team spots the most birds. There is also a bird photography race for those who enjoy bird photography.

For a rough idea of what goes on during the bird fair and festival, please see this article on the Borneo Bird Festival at RDC, Sandakan. There are several posters and written info on what happens throughout the event.

This year, there is also a bird photography and video contest, which offers over RM30,000 in prizes for those taking part.

Sandakan Borneo Bird Festival — The crowd at the bird festival in Sandakan’s RDC.

Sabah Bird Festival Fair — Dr. Robert gave a speech during the last event.

Borneo Bird Festival 2023 Information

Date: 21 & 22 October
Day: Sat & Sun
Venue: Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) Sepilok, Sandakan, Sabah
Time: 8.00 AM to 6.00 PM
Entrance with Malaysian IC:
• Adults & Seniors – RM7.00
• Children/Teens (5-17 Years) – RM3.00
• Infants/OKU – Free
Entrance with Passport:
• Adults & Seniors – RM20.00
• Children/Teens (5-17 Years) – RM10.00
Borneo Bird Festival Official Website

For those planning to attend the Borneo Bird Festival, you should look at this article on where to stay in Sepilok, as we have done a breakdown of the hotels, resorts and lodges from around the venue area of the RDC.

The Asian Bird Fair 2023 is also taking place one week before this event at Kota Kinabalu on the west coast of Sabah. For those planning on attending both events, this would be a one-off double birding event in Malaysia.

Here is the Asian Bird Fair 2023 program for those interested in attending both bird watching events in Sabah in October. It will be one long trip and well worth it if you travel from abroad.

Sabah Black and Yellow Broadbill — A beautiful Black and Yellow Broadbill was seen at the RDC during the festival.

Sabah White-bellied Woodpecker — A White-bellied Woodpecker was spotted on one of the trees during the bird festival.

Conclusion

For birders or birdwatchers from Malaysia, Singapore or around the region, if you plan to visit Sabah in October, please take note of the Borneo Bird Festival 2023 dates as it is 20-21 October at the RDC in Sandakan.

The venue for the bird fair is on the east coast of Sabah, with direct flights from several cities in Malaysia and via several local airlines like Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, MyAirline and even Batik Air Malaysia. The Rainforest Discovery Centre, or RDC, is about an hour’s drive from the Sandakan Airport.