This celebration is to showcase the richness of the living heritage in Penang, in line with Penang status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There will be treasure hunt and Chinese New Year cooking demonstrations and lots of wonderful and interesting events during the night.

Seven thematic little “towns”, highlighting different cultural aspects related to Hokkien, Canton, Teochew, Hainan, Hakka, Wushu and Malaysian cultures will also be featured.

Download full itinerary.

The folk tale has it that the Hokkiens escaped mistreatment by ruthless army in ancient China by seeking refuge in a sugarcane plantation. They emerged unharmed on the 8th day of Chinese New Year. The birthday of the Jade Emperor. Hence the New Year of Hokkiens.

Hokkien New Year is celebrated widely in Penang. The Hokkien community in Chew Jetty is celebrating this year’s Thni Kong Seh in a grand scale. Over 30 long tables of food and fruits, big bottles of cognac and trays, baskets, and sugarcane stalks.

Built since 1850, the newly renovated Snake Temple will hold it’s yearly prayer on the 5th day of Chinese New Year.

The “Fire Watching” is a traditional ceremony to predict the economy outlook of Penang.

For the whole day, the devotees will visit the temple to pray to “Chor Sor Kong”. Legend has it that Chor Sor Kong was a healer who gave shelter to the snakes of jungle. After the completion of the temple, snakes appeared on their own accord.

Believers from as far away as Singapore and Taiwan come to pray in the temple on this sixth day of the Chinese New Year.

Thaipusam Penang

Organizer: Penang Hindu Endowments Board
Contact: 04-6505136
Venue: Murugan Temple, Waterfall

This Hindu festival is usually celebrated in January or February, during the full moon of the 10th month in the Hindu calendar.

A pilgrimage procession takes place to bring the statue of Lord Muruga, who represents virtue, youth and power, on a silver chariot led by more then 60 Kavadis adorned with peacock feathers from Little India to the Nattukottai Chettiar Temple atop the hill of Waterfall Road.

On the day before (29th Jan 2010), old coconuts are smashed along the roads where the Chariot procession will pass for its spiritual journey.

During Thaipusam in Penang (30th Jan 2010), devotees go through a physical endurance of being skewered and pierced on the back and front of their bodies by hooks with miniature urns as an act of penance.

Majority of the devotees who go through this act are Indians but Chinese, Sikh and other visitors can also be seen taking part in this act of faith which leaves many devotees and observers alike, spiritually transformed.

In celebration, more than 100 beautifully-decorated make-shift stalls, are erected along Waterfall Road road where charitable Chinese and Indian families give out bottled water, fruits, sweet, buns and prepared sweetened and sour rice to devotees. Thunderous loud music, singing, dancing and the beating of drums of devotional songs by their supporters can be seen and heard far and wide throughout the entire vicinity of the festival.

Upon reaching the temple, devotees will fulfill their vows, offer thanksgiving prayers and penance to Lord Muruga. The chariot is then scheduled for a return trip to start from the temple (31st Jan 2010) on the same evening and reach Kovil Veedu before dawn the following day.

This festival of rich culture and deep tradition is an ‘out of this world’ experience which draws a massive crowd of tens of thousands to these streets in Penang yearly.

Queen Mary 2

Location: Swettenham Pier, Geroge Town, Penang

The luxury ocean liner, Queen Mary 2, will be docking Penang Swettenham Pier International Cruise Terminal on the 4th February 2010.

Queen Mary 2 is named “Best Luxury Cruise Ship” for the sixth consercutive year by the readers of Travel Weekly.

This grand ocean liner and it’s 6,500 including the crew will be arriving from Phuket. It has 15 restaurants and bars, 5 swimming pools, a casino, a ball-room, a theatre and a planetarium.

More than 3,000 passengers are expected to land on Penang shore and enjoy their day tour here in the heritage town.

We invite all Penangites to come together to show the guests the Penang hospitality and give them a warm welcome. If you are a cruise ship fan, don’t miss this opportunity to see what made this cruise so famous.

Bollywood in action @ Esplanade

This August in Penang is a month filled with cultural excitement leading up to Malaysia’s 52nd National Day – MERDEKA! This month we are bringing the cultures of Penang exclusively to you! So make sure you mark your calendars because Esplanade in Action is featuring the enthralling dance of the Indian Culture in Penang this weekend!

Come watch and experience the fascinating dance of the Indian culture in Penang at the Penang Esplanade this Saturday 22nd August 2009 from 8pm to 9.30pm! You will be in for an unforgettable treat as the dance group of the Temple of Fine Arts in Penang will perform some ever-popular Bollywood dances and will also include an oldies theme medley which will feature indian dances from the 50′s up till the current times to give an insight to the evolving indian dance culture. So be prepared as they dance to the latest and also the classical dances just exclusively for you!

Be in awe of their spellbounding dance movements and costumes of vivid colours! That’s the enchanting Indian Culture for you! If you are really up for a fun filled memorable night, make sure you dance along with these talented dancers to the craze and excitement of Bollywood! See you there!

Esplanade in Action is brought to you by Penang State Tourism Development & Culture.

9.00am – 2.00pm Free Boat Ride – Lim Jetty, Weld Quay

9.00am – 11.30am “Street of Harmony” Heritage Walk “Street of Harmony” – Meet at Town Hall, Jalan Padang Kota Lama

9..00am – 5.00pm Penang Heritage Exhibition – INTI International College Penang, 1Z Jalan Bukit Jambul

10.00am – 5.00pm Food, Craft, Art & Music Festival – Dewan Sri Pinang, Lebuh Light

10.00am – 10.00pm Art International Festival (Art workshop, art forums & drama performance) – Town Hall & Wawasan Open University

11.00am – 7.00pm Exhibition on the Acheen Street Mosque History and Islamic Traditional Culture – Acheen Street Mosque, Lebuh Acheh

3.00pm – 5.00pm Gostan Forward a solo performance lecture by Marion D’Cruz – Penang Heritage Trust, 26 Lebuh Gereja

5.00pm – 10.00pm Food Stalls and Craft Demonstration – Islamic Museum Park, Lebuh Acheh

5.00pm – 7.00pm “Street of Harmony-Heritage Zone”

5.00pm – 9.00pm Hokkien Puppet Theatre – Cheah Kongsi, 8 Lebuh Armenian (Open House, 9.00am)

5.30pm – 9.30pm Teochew Opera – In front of Goddess of Mercy Temple, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling

5.00pm – 10.00pm Islamic Musical Performance – Acheen Street Mosque & 35 Lebuh Queen

5.00pm – 10.00pm Little Penang Street Market Craft and Food Corner of Little Penang Street Market – Lebuh Armenian

6.00pm – 10.00pm Open House – Meng Eng Soo Temple, Jalan Pintal Tali

6.30pm – 10.30pm Showcase of Teochew & Chinese Culture (Dragon Dance, 24 Seasonal Drum, Teochew Opera,Traditional Games, Chinese Dance & Teochew Delicacies) – Inside & in front of Teochew Association, 127 Lebuh Chulia

7.00pm – 10.00pm Indian Dance and Classical Music – Next to Kuil Arulmigu Mahamariamman, Lebuh Queen

8.00pm – 10.00pm Multi ethnic street performance – “Street of Harmony – Heritage Zone”

8.00pm – 10.30pm “Road to Dawn” Film Screening “Road to Dawn” – Penang Chinese Town Hall, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling

9.00pm – 10.30pm George Town Sebagai Tapak Warisan Dunia UNESCO Closing Ceremony of The 1st Anniversary George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site Celebration – Khoo Kongsi, Lebuh Cannon

Looking for activities for the family? Well, don’t look too far because the Art, Craft and Food Fair is just around the corner!

The Art, Craft and Food Fair (ACF), organised by the Women’s Development Organisation (WDO) of George Town and endorsed by the State Tourism Development and Culture, will be held at Dewan Sri Pinang along Lebuh Light from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm from 24 to 26 July 2009. Entrance is free.

Be sure to be there because with more than 60 art, craft and food stalls and various activities planned, the ACF promises to cater to the young and old alike. There will be a ceramic painting workshop and demonstration by a master ceramic painter from China and there will also be a ceramic competition which is open to the public. Among other activities include the “Young Stars Discovery Contest” and also the “My Beautiful Hometown, Penang Landmark” which is a colouring competition for children.

The objective for organising this fair is to attract artistic talents from across the board and also to commemorate the first year anniversary of George Town being listed by Unesco as a World Heritage Site

1. Hokkien Puppet Theatre @ Cheah kongsi 5pm-9pm;
2. Teochew Opera @ Goodess of Temple 5.30pm-9.30pm;
3. Islamic Musical Performance @ Acheen St Mosque 5pm-10pm;
4. Dragon dance, drums, tradtional games @ Teochew Association Chulia St 6.30pm-10.30pm;
5. Indian dance & Classical Music @ Kull Arulmigu Mahamariamman Queen St 7pm-10pm;
6. Multi ethnic Street performance @ "St of Harmony – Heritage Zone" 8pm-10pm;
7. Street market craft & food @ Armenian St 5pm-10pm.

Come and witness the stunning performance by the best Chingay masters this Sunday. Penang State Tourism Developement & Culture organize this first ever National Chingay Championship where 7 teams from Penang, Kedah and Perak will be battle to claim the National Championship title.

Rules & regulations and standard judging system has been formulated to ensure this championship event is a professional competition and a fair platform for the Chingay performers. This competition not only for the performers to compete with each other but to show their best to the audience and to the world.