For Chinese New Year 2026, Kek Lok Si Temple in Air Itam becomes Penang’s crowning light display, with more than 10,000 lanterns and LED decorations turning the temple into a “sea of light” from 13 February to 16 March, highlighted by a 7:00 pm lighting ceremony on 13 February that includes prayers and fireworks, plus nightly openings until midnight so visitors can soak in the festive atmosphere and religious activities throughout the lunar‑new‑year period.
Pek Kong Cheng (Bukit Mertajam) has a notable Chinese New Year decoration setup this year featuring lots of red lanterns plus a special “Leaping Fish” theme using fish-shaped lanterns. The installation consists of more than 300 fish-shaped lanterns in the area around Pek Kong Cheng Temple (also known as Hock Teik Cheng Sin) at Jalan Pasar.
Raja Uda (Butterworth) is Penang’s well-known CNY “lantern street,” with thousands of red lanterns spanning roughly a few kilometers and best enjoyed after nightfall. At night, the lanterns form a continuous red canopy that’s become a major “check-in” / photo spot in the area. It’s also a long-running local tradition that has been done annually (with pauses during the pandemic period). The lit-up stretch runs from the south junction of Jalan Telaga Air through Jalan Raja Uda.
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 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 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’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’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.
Chinese New Year decorations at Love Lane before they were apparently removed by the local council due to potential obstruction to the road.
Note as of latest status, these are now back in place as shown below:
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.