As part of the George Town Festival 2013, the Theater of Ships, is an art installation by Indonesian artist Joko Dwi Avianto and can be found at the Town Hall and City Hall area. This bamboo art work will remain there for public viewing during the festival’s month long duration.
The opening ceremony of George Town Festival 2013 at Esplanade with a showcase of kites flying. Held annually to celebrate the UNESCO World Heritage status of the city, George Town Festival 2013 is a month long festival of arts, music and various cultural performance. For more info, please visit http://georgetownfestival.com/.
Penang’s old City Hall (Esplanade).
This large multi-purpose auditorium in George Town (at Light Street, near the Esplanade area) was built in the early 1970s and currently serves as a venue for live performances and events.
The largest cannon of Fort Cornwallis still stands proudly at the walls of the fort even as its age of glory had passed.
Built with influences of British palladian architecture, the Penang Town Hall which faces the field of the Esplanade serves as a great monument of the old colonial era.
The Esplanade area is a popular tourist location at George Town as it houses the Fort Cornwallis, the City Halls as well as an old lighthouse which overlooks the Penang Harbour. The large Esplanade field is also the venue of major festivals held at the island (such as New Year celebration, cultural show, and the Bon Odori festival). The seafront of the Esplanade is a popular place to fish day or night while during the night, there is a foodcourt nearby selling local delicacies.
Location at Google Map.
Built during the British rule, Fort Cornwallis is the largest fort still remaining in Malaysia. This old star-shaped fort is situated at the north-eastern side of Penang island. The fort is named after Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis who was the Governor General of Bengal, India in the late 18th century.
Captain Sir Francis Light took possession of the island from the Sultan of Kedah in 1786 and built the original fort. It was a nibong (Malay: palm trunk) stockade with no permanent structures, covering an area of 417.6 square feet (38.80 m2). Despite the fort’s original purpose to serve the Royal artillery troops and the military, historically it was more for administrative purpose than defensive.
