Jalan Mahsuri is a major, well-connected road in Bayan Baru that links important junctions and supports daily residential and commercial activity. This was a lighting and streetscape beautification project along Jalan Mahsuri which was initiated through a close collaboration between YB Fahmi Zainol (Pantai Jerejak state assemblyman) and the Penang Island City Council (MBPP). Its aim is to improve the area’s appearance while enhancing comfort and safety for residents and road users.
An AR-enabled mural beside IKEA Batu Kawan at Ikano Centres adds a new interactive art spot in Penang, touted as the state’s second-largest outdoor painted mural. Created by Ikano Centres and IKEA Batu Kawan for the Creative Spark Batu Kawan initiative, the piece, titled “Building Yourself”, was produced with Can Can Public Art and painted by artist Leonard Siaw with support from three mentored art graduates. Visitors can activate the augmented reality effects by scanning a QR code on-site, standing on a marked spot, and pointing a phone at the mural to see it “come alive,” while the artwork’s theme highlights modern ambition, mutual support, and Batu Kawan’s growth as a township full of possibilities.
For Christmas 2025, Sunshine Central in Farlim has gone all out with its “A Beary Merry Christmas” festive display, turning the mall’s main atrium into a whimsical Christmas village filled with 10,000 teddy bears, earning recognition from the Malaysia Book of Records for the largest teddy bear holiday display in a Christmas event. The setup features giant plush bears, a towering Christmas tree wrapped in bears, wooden cottages, festive gift boxes, twinkling lights, scenic photo spots, a nostalgic Bear Tunnel, and a classic Bear Train Ride circling the space. As part of the season’s cheer, shoppers can adopt teddy bears through a charity programme that supports children’s homes, and enjoy snowfall effects, carolling music, dance performances, and appearances by Santa Claus amidst the joyful holiday ambience.
Queensbay Mall in Penang is celebrating Christmas 2025 with its “Happy Piñata Holidays” theme, turning the Centre Atrium into a colourful and lively festive space inspired by Mexican Las Posadas traditions. The mall features oversized piñatas, a giant floating Christmas tree, playful installations, interactive “snowy icy bubbles,” and fun family elements like sleigh gondolas and Santa walkabouts. Shoppers can enjoy seasonal workshops, vibrant performances, and festive booths while soaking up the cheerful holiday atmosphere that blends bright decorations with joyful experiences for all ages.
The Nine Emperor Gods Festival is a major Taoist celebration held during the ninth lunar month, honoring nine deities believed to control the movements of planets and bring good fortune. In Penang, especially at temples like Tow Boo Kong in Raja Uda, the festival is marked by vibrant rituals, long processions, vegetarian food offerings, and the lighting of massive incense sticks. Devotees often observe a nine-day vegetarian diet as an act of purification and devotion. The celebration is both spiritual and cultural, filling the streets with color, music, and prayers.
The Nine Emperor Gods Festival is steeped in legend and ancient Chinese cosmology. According to Taoist belief, the Nine Emperor Gods (known as Jiuhuang Dadi) are celestial beings representing the nine sons of Dou Mu, the Goddess of the North Star, who governs the universe and controls the life and death of mortals.
One of the most popular legends tells that the festival originated during China’s Qing Dynasty, when a secret society of devotees prayed to the Nine Emperors for protection against oppression. When the prayers were answered, the people began holding annual rituals to honor the gods.
During the festival, devotees welcome the gods on the eve of the ninth lunar month with a ceremonial procession to the sea or river, believed to be the portal through which the deities descend to Earth. After nine days of prayers, offerings, and vegetarian observance, the gods are sent back to the heavens through another water procession.
The Tow Boo Kong Temple in Raja Uda, Butterworth, is one of Penang’s largest and most impressive Taoist temples, dedicated to the Nine Emperor Gods. What began as a small shrine in the 1970s has grown into a grand complex featuring ornate dragon pillars, intricate carvings, and a beautifully landscaped courtyard. The temple becomes especially lively during the Nine Emperor Gods Festival in the ninth lunar month, drawing thousands of devotees and visitors for prayers, processions, and cultural performances that fill the streets with color and devotion.
Bukit Mertajam’s Hungry Ghost Festival, locally known as Phor Thor or Yu Lan, has been a deeply ingrained tradition in the town for over 130 years, blending spiritual reverence with community spirit. During the seventh lunar month, believed in Taoist lore to open the gates of hell, a towering effigy of the hell deity Tai Su Yeah (measuring nearly 9 meters tall) is constructed from bamboo and vibrant paper and placed under a tent for worship. Devotees lay out offerings of food, paper money, and prayers for ancestral spirits and wandering souls, as traditional Chinese opera troupes perform nightly to amuse both mortal attendees and supernatural guests.
On the 15th day (which is today), the highlight of the festival unfolds: the effigy is paraded through Jalan Pasar and ceremonially burned to send the deity and the spirits back to the underworld, a ritual witnessed by thousands of participants from across Malaysia and beyond. The event not only honors tradition but also teaches younger generations about filial piety, ancestor respect, and cultural continuity.
A view of the Goddess of Mercy (Kuan Yin) Statue and pavilion of Kek Lok Si temple.
Ayer Itam Dam, located about 7.6 km from George Town on the slopes below Penang Hill, is Penang’s oldest and once-largest dam, built between 1958 and 1962 with a capacity of 2.16 billion litres. It supplies water to nearby areas like Ayer Itam and Paya Terubong and also offers a peaceful 2.8 km walking trail with scenic views of the city and surrounding hills. Interestingly, it was the first earth dam in the world designed using electronic computers for structural analysis—a pioneering move at the time. Today, it remains a popular spot for hikers, birdwatchers, and nature lovers alike.
Pulau Jerejak, a 3.6 km² islet just off Penang’s eastern shore near Bayan Lepas, has had a dramatic evolution over time. It started as pre‑colonial fishing villages but, under British rule, became a leprosarium (from 1868), a quarantine station (notably between 1877–1957), a TB sanatorium, and later a high-security prison known as “Malaysia’s Alcatraz” from 1969 to 1993. After the prison closed, the government opened Jerejak Resort & Spa in 2003, which later shut down.
Today, about 77% of the island is forest reserve, and there are initiatives to redevelop parts for eco‑extreme sports like mountain biking and flying fox, while conservationists push for UNESCO heritage recognition to preserve its rich history