By NATHALIE ANNETTE KEE, SHERRINDER KAUR and LEEYNESH

YOUTHS who rocked out at the Suara Kami Konsert/Karnival 2011 on Saturday were also treated to a special carnival held on the Stadium Merdeka grounds in Kuala Lumpur.

Thousands of people turned up at the carnival, which began a few hours before the concert. Tents were set up in true carnival-style to house food and beverage booths, a flea market and a variety of activities.

Among the highlights at the carnival were dance performances from participants of the Astro Battleground competition, as well as intimate gigs by indie artists like Mynoriti, Darren Ashley, Diandra Arjunaidi, Bedroom Sanctuary, Rashdan Harith, Tilu, Liyana Fizi and Kyoto Protocol.

DJs from local radio stations entertained the crowd with interactive games and prize giveaways, including tickets to the Suara Kami concert.

DJ Anantha from THR Raaga was pleased with the response from the crowd.

“Many people wanted tickets to the concert. Music is our language in the concert. This is a good place where people of all races will join and unite together in each other’s company,” said Anantha.

One of the attractions at last weekend's Suara Kami Karnival/Konsert 2011 was a skateboard ramp where pros showed off their skills.

Although the bazaar catered mainly to young people, there was something for everyone, too. There were also booths that offered on-the-spot henna tattooing services and carricature drawing.

There was also an Interactive Arena, where visitors played a variety of console games. Meanwhile, extreme sports enthusiasts got their adrenaline pumping with activities such as wall climbing, paintball shooting, skateboarding, driving an F1 simulator car and riding a mechanical bull.

Hitz.fm had a booth for K-Pop fans to sing and dance to their favourite tunes and win special edition posters of their favourite bands and singers.

And in the middle of the hustle and bustle, students from SMK Seafield, Petaling Jaya, started a flash mob with the tune of Malaysian Boy playing in the background.

Carnival-goers were given the opportunity to scribble their names on a big wall in the middle of the carnival, behind which was a funky graffiti created by some of Klang Valley’s top graffiti artists.

“It was a truly memorable day for me,” wrote Sebastian, 25, from London, who enjoyed the carnival thoroughly.