City aglow with Mid-Autumn joy

Visitors trying to solve lantern riddles at Komtar Walk.

The Love Penang Mooncake Festival brightened up quiet corners of the Komtar area of George Town with a wide range of cultural activities.

At Prangin Mall, 25 participants paraded in the han fu, a traditional Chinese costume, while a mooncake market nearby drew a crowd keen to sample the festive delicacy. A blood donation drive was also held.

Zumba and line dancing shows entertained families at The Top and later in the evening, children happily went on a lantern walk.

At 1st Avenue Mall, almost 200 children showed their artistic skills in a colouring contest while 50 others joined a lantern-decorating contest at Komtar.

At Komtar Walk where the celebration was focused in the evening, shoppers flocked to a bazaar with over 20 stalls and food trucks.

A dragon dance on stilts and other traditional dance and drum performances added to the merry atmosphere.

Komtar assemblyman Teh Lai Heng said malls in the area were glad to promote the Mid-Autumn Festival after a two-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who joined in the celebration, said he was delighted to see life slowly returning to normal in the city area.

“This year’s Mid-Autumn Festival provided families a chance to have fun and spend quality time together.”

He said the event also helped re-introduce Komtar Walk to the public. It was reopened in May this year after a RM2.1mil renovation by Penang Development Corporation.

Chow added that seven shops there had been rented out and when these shops open their doors soon, the Komtar area would be even livelier.

The Lantern Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar with a full moon at night.

It falls on Sept 10 this year.