Ting (left) with Izkandar and Simon (right) sitting in a mini-train.
Sibu town’s square has transformed into a wonderland with giant colourful Christmas trees.
The Christmas and New Year 2025 festival organising committee chairman Simon Wee said this year’s Sibu Christmas Festival carried the theme “Fairy Tale Christmas Village”.
“This year’s festival features new attractions, including the largest castle built for the event.
“There is also vibrant lighting and artificial snow,” Wee said at the lighting-up ceremony of the Christmas trees that will remain on display until Dec 31.
Members of the public admiring a Christmas tree with flashing neon lights in the town square.
Wee who is also councillor of the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC), hoped the festival would draw both domestic and international visitors to experience the festive joy in Sibu.
SMC chairman Clarence Ting gave assurance that the council would continue hosting the festival to foster unity among the area’s diverse communities.
Sibu, he said, had a vibrant Christian community that has motivated the council to organise similar festivals over the years.
“Although organising this event has its challenges, it does not deter us.
“Instead, we take pride in creating an opportunity for Sibu’s multi-ethnic and multi-faith community to celebrate together,” added Ting.
He said Christmas was celebrated globally.
A Disney-themed performance in front of a replica castle.
In Sibu, the celebration served as a way to reflect on the year and foster communal harmony.
Ting added that the festival commemorated the birth of Jesus Christ, bringing messages of joy, peace, and renewal as the year transitioned into the next.
He hoped visitors would appreciate the efforts behind organising the festival.
Ting also announced that the council would organise the New Year’s Eve Celebration 2025 at the same venue on Dec 31, in continuance of a tradition from previous years.
The lighting-up ceremony was also attended by SMC deputy chairman Mohammed Abdullah Izkandar Roseley and secretary Yong Ing Chu.
