Category: Places to Visit / Attractions

Chinese New Year 2026 Southern Lion Dance Blessing Ceremony at Kuan Yin Temple (Kuan Yin Teng)

A blessing ceremony for the lions which takes place at the old Kuan Yin Temple in George Town during Chinese New Year. Several vibrant southern-style lions in turquoise, pink, and yellow can be seen performing at the temple courtyard as part of the blessing ceremony.

Penang’s southern-style lions trace back to southern Chinese migrant roots, were sustained by local martial arts and community groups, and later evolved in Malaysia into a highly trained, competition-driven performance tradition while remaining central to festive and blessing ceremonies.

Kek Lok Si’s Sea of Lanterns: Penang’s CNY 2026 Night Lights (13 Feb–16 Mar)

Kek Lok Si Temple in Air Itam, Penang, comes alive for Chinese New Year 2026 with a dazzling nightly light-up that turns the hillside complex into a glowing “sea of lanterns,” perfect for an evening visit and festive photos. The CNY light-up season runs from 13 February to 16 March 2026, with the official light-up ceremony on 13 February (7:00pm–8:00pm) featuring prayers and fireworks, and the lights typically shining nightly from 7:00pm to 12:00am throughout the period—making it one of Penang’s most iconic Lunar New Year traditions and a must-see stop if you’re on the island this season.

Sunshine Central Mall : 2026 Chinese New Year Festive Display

Sunshine Central Penang’s CNY 2026 décor concept spotlights the Five Chinese Arts (琴・棋・书・画・茶) and uses the Horse as the central auspicious motif, framing the mall’s festive experience as elegant, culturally rooted, and focused on togetherness and blessings. These five arts combine the traditional “Four Arts of the Chinese scholar” (琴棋书画: qin music, Go, calligraphy, painting) with 茶 (tea culture), forming a refined, literati-style set of cultural pursuits​.

Sunshine Central is a mixed-use complex with a shopping mall podium located in Air Itam (near Farlim/Paya Terubong) in George Town, Penang, and the mall’s published address is along Jalan Thean Tek in Bandar Baru Air Itam.

Gurney Plaza : 2026 Chinese New Year Festive Display

Gurney Plaza’s Chinese New Year 2026 décor is themed around “Luminous Flair of Prosperity” (华灯璀璨) for the Year of the Horse, with a strong red-and-gold “lantern festival” feel. A standout feature repeatedly mentioned in local posts is rows of glowing fish lanterns (发光鱼灯笼) that create a very photogenic walkway/atrium setup.

There were also promotions tied to the theme, including a “glowing procession” event described as involving participants carrying illuminated fish lanterns within the mall area.

Queensbay Mall : 2026 Chinese New Year Festive Display

Queensbay Mall’s Chinese New Year 2026 decorations are themed around the Year of the Fire Horse, described as “Spring Returns, Joy Unbound,” featuring a cute horse motif set in a bamboo-and-lantern landscape with interactive elements like a tea pavilion, a bridge, a “treasure well” with golden ingots (with lucky numbers), and a lantern maze with prayer wheels tied to those numbers. The display’s big visual centerpiece is a towering two‑storey vertical scroll designed to look like a traditional ink painting turned into a 3D installation for photo-taking​.

Armenian Street Lanterns

Armenian Street comes alive at night in this cozy, lantern-lit scene, where rows of glowing red Chinese lanterns float above the narrow lane and warm streetlights bounce off the old shophouse walls. The bright yellow road markings lead your eye into the distance, while little details (plants by the gates, hanging wires overhead, and small storefront corners) give the street its lived-in Penang character.

Penang Hill: Kopi Hutan

Kopi Hutan at Penang Hill (Bukit Bendera) is a forest-style, open-air café set in lush greenery where people stop for coffee and light bites in cooler hill weather, often as part of a nature walk around the summit area.

To get there, first go up to Penang Hill either by hiking or taking the Penang Hill funicular train from the Lower Station in Ayer Itam, then from the Upper Station head toward the Owl Museum area and continue to Monkey Cup Garden, where Kopi Hutan is located. From the Upper Station, you can either walk about 2 km or use the café’s free shuttle (noted by visitors as available for customers) to reach the Monkey Cup Garden/Kopi Hutan.

Design Village Penang : Christmas Festive Decorations 2025

Design Village Penang transformed its open-air outlet mall into a festive “Jollylicious Christmas” setting with cheerful holiday decorations, including a dreamy pink-themed display and seasonal icons like gingerbread figures. Shoppers can soak up the festive mood while enjoying seasonal promotions, photo spots, and family-friendly attractions such as train and carousel rides that can be redeemed when you spend a certain amount at the mall.

Sunshine Central Mall : Christmas Festive Decorations 2025

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.