Confluences Asia Spotlights Banger Event's Cultural Push in Cambodia.
- Editorial team
- 17 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Confluences Asia
For a few years now, the Cambodian cultural scene has been evolving rapidly, driven by a new generation of independent actors, creative spaces, and international initiatives.
In this context, Banger Event Asia has gradually established itself as one of the most active independent promoters of live and cultural events in Southeast Asia, with programming often in French, but not exclusively.
With the support of Confluences in Cambodia, the organization today announces the upcoming arrival of French comedian Urbain.
To discuss this, Cambodge Mag met with Manuel Calueba, one of the founding partners of Banger Event Asia, as well as Dara Van, Business Development Manager at Confluences Access.
“For those who don’t know you yet, what is Banger Event Asia today?”
To Manuel Calueba
Banger Event Asia is an event production platform based in Vietnam, but with a truly regional approach.
We mainly organize events around stand-up comedy, live music, DJs, and nightlife, with international programming—even if French-speaking artists currently hold a significant place in our events.
At the start, the idea was simple: bring artists and concepts to Asia that we wanted to see in the region. Little by little, the project grew, and we began organizing tours across several Southeast Asian countries.
In Cambodia, the public has already seen several artists and different formats. We notably organized stand-up shows with Merwane Benlazar, John Sulo, Hugo Tout Seul, Odah Sama, and Redouanne Harjane.
On the music side, we also hosted Fakear in Phnom Penh, organized a boat party with Kanika, and offered a more intimate format with Franco-Vietnamese pianist Van-Anh Nguyen at FCC Angkor in Siem Reap.
In parallel with public events, we are gradually developing a corporate offering for companies wishing to organize private events, parties, or more original entertainment formats for their teams or clients.
Even though French-speaking artists remain very present in our current programming, we also work with much more international profiles and formats depending on the projects and cities. What we like is not being locked into a single event style.
“Why has Cambodia taken such an important place in your regional development?”
To Manuel Calueba
Even though our team is based in Vietnam, Cambodia quickly became a natural choice for us.
First, because there’s a very active French and Francophone community here—with many Franco-Khmer people—and an audience often very connected to current French culture.
But above all, events work really well here. Honestly, for a comparable market size, Cambodia is probably where the audience responds best today.
Venues react well, people really come to enjoy the moment, and there’s often a rare closeness between artists and the public. Artists also enjoy performing here because the atmosphere is free and very spontaneous. Venues are often open to original collaborations, and there are fewer barriers than elsewhere.
Our partnership with Confluences helps us a lot too. They know the local community very well and sometimes challenge us on artist choices or formats likely to work here.
Today, whenever a tour allows, we almost always try to include Phnom Penh—and now Siem Reap as well.
“Why support Banger Event Asia when it’s not your main business?”
To Dara Van
It’s true that it might seem quite far from our usual activities.
But we’ve been living in Cambodia for a long time, and we’re convinced that a great city or country isn’t just about business or the economy.
The quality of the cultural scene matters a lot. When entrepreneurs, investors, or international talents settle somewhere, they also look at the city’s energy: concerts, cultural venues, events, or simply the general vibe.
In Phnom Penh, many players have been carrying this dynamic for years. The French Institute of Cambodia plays an important role, as does Meta House, along with several independent collectives like Sucré.
On our side, we’ve also been involved in this sector for a long time. Today with projects like Immersive Angkor or our partnership with Memorist, but also previously with Last2Ticket, which was one of the pioneers of electronic ticketing in Cambodia.
Through Last2Ticket, we supported dozens of events for several years. The company has since been wound down with our partners, but it allowed us to understand very well the evolution of the local event scene—and we’re already thinking about what’s next.
There’s still a huge amount to build in Cambodia on the cultural front, but that’s also what makes the country interesting today.
With Banger, it simply made sense. They bring the artists and programming, we bring our knowledge of the local scene and community. And honestly, it’s also for the pleasure of seeing more things happen here.
“You’re now announcing the arrival of Urbain. Why him?”
To Manuel Calueba
Because he very well represents the new generation of French stand-up.
Urbain has a very spontaneous, sometimes absurd humor, with a lot of self-deprecation and a very natural tone on stage. He talks about everyday life, social media, or human relationships in a very current and accessible way.
And above all, he perfectly fits the type of modern and offbeat artists we want to continue bringing to the region.
“How do you see the evolution of the cultural and event scene in Cambodia?”
Common question
Manuel Calueba
Frankly, we’re quite optimistic. Cambodia remains a smaller market than some neighboring countries, but the energy is really good, and the audience shows up. We sense a real curiosity for new formats and new artists.
Dara Van
The potential is real, especially between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, where there are now many interesting venues.
We hope to continue bringing artists in very varied styles: stand-up, DJs, live music, classical music, or immersive experiences.
Today, the cultural offering is developing progressively, and every initiative supported by the public helps grow this dynamic and encourage more events in the future. So we’re counting on you.
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