Sashidaran Gunathevan
Pesta Pulau Pinang is leaving Sungai Nibong on Penang island after more than five decades. Its 60th edition will run from 1 to 31 December at Kubang Menerong in Tasek Gelugor, Seberang Perai. Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow confirmed the move on 15 September.
The reason is the Mutiara Line LRT. MRT Corp will build a depot and a station on the Sungai Nibong festival ground. A transit-oriented development will follow. The festival keeps its name, although it leaves Penang island for Seberang Perai.
Here is why it is moving, how the decision unfolded, and what happens next.
Why the festival is leaving Sungai Nibong
Chow said in December that MRT Corp would take over the festival site in April 2026, The Star reported. The company plans an LRT depot and station there, with a transit-oriented development. EdgeProp reported that MRT Corp had received about 9.9 of the site’s 20.1 acres in phases.
EdgeProp, citing MRT Corp’s revised railway scheme, put the Mutiara Line at 29.67 km with 22 stations. Twenty are permanent and two are provisional. Bernama earlier reported 29.5 km and 21 stations. Services are due to start in December 2031.
Chow said MRT Corp is acquiring only a portion of the grounds. EdgeProp said the draft master plan covers about 23.4 hectares. The Star reported a possible return. Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said Pesta might come back to Sungai Nibong after 2031 in a reduced format.
The state weighed three options by July, Bernama reported. These were suspending the fair, holding it on the unaffected part of Sungai Nibong, or holding it elsewhere. Chow called the Kubang Menerong offer from the Penang Regional Development Authority (Perda) a more suitable short-term solution.
How the decision unfolded
The festival began in 1966 as a sales carnival at Padang Kota Lama and Lebuh Macallum, Chow recalled. It has been held at Tapak Pesta Sungai Nibong since 1974, The Star reported.
On 11 December 2025, Chow said the 59th edition would be the last before a six-year hiatus. It ran from 6 December to 10 January. The Vibes reported a record 400,000 visitors and RM1.8 million in ticket sales.
In a 6 December report, The Star quoted Wong saying no alternative site had been identified. On 12 December, Bernama quoted Chow saying there was no final decision. The state was waiting for the site master plan.
On 30 July, Bernama reported that the state was in talks with Perda over Kubang Menerong. A decision was expected within weeks.
On 15 September, Chow confirmed the 60th edition at Kubang Menerong, RTM reported. He said the site is smaller than Sungai Nibong but suitable. He said the name stays because it is a well-known brand.
What happens next
Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) is planning for traffic and parking at the site, Buletin Mutiara reported on 14 October. Mayor Datuk Baderul Amin Abdul Hamid said a coordination meeting with the agencies will take place on 29 October.
Utusan Malaysia reported the same day that a special meeting would be held next week. It named police, the Public Works Department, other agencies and a developer of nearby housing. Buletin Mutiara listed the police, the department, MBSP and developers.
Utusan also said this is the fair’s first time in Seberang Perai. It said the nearly RM600,000 upgrade to parking and open space on Jalan Kubang Menerong finished over three months ago.
Buletin Mutiara listed the concerns. Traffic may back up on the exit towards Bertam Toll. Visitors may park in front of shops and petrol stations. The paper also cited noise, litter and unlicensed hawkers. No source we read names the organiser, or gives ticket prices, a programme or a return date for Sungai Nibong.
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