CNY 2027: 6 February to Chap Goh Mei on 20 February. Kek Lok Si lights, the Hokkien Jade Emperor night on Weld Quay, and the orange toss at the Esplanade.
Chinese New Year starts in 95 days
Day 1 is Sat 6 February and Chap Goh Mei is Sat 20 February.
See the day-by-day planChinese New Year (CNY, Lunar New Year, 春节) is the biggest family holiday for Penang's Chinese community. The season runs 15 days, from Day 1 to Chap Goh Mei. In 2027 that is Saturday 6 February to Saturday 20 February.
Three things set Penang apart. Kek Lok Si in Air Itam is lit with thousands of lanterns each evening of the season. On the night before Day 9, Penang Hokkien families gather at the Weld Quay clan jetties for the Jade Emperor's birthday (Pai Ti Kong). And on Chap Goh Mei, single women toss oranges into the sea at the Esplanade.
Day 1 and Day 2 are public holidays. Day 2 is a Sunday, so Monday 8 February should be a day off as well. Many Chinese-owned food stalls and shops stay shut for a few days or more, so plan your meals.
Dates follow the Chinese lunar calendar, so they move each year. See the event listing for what is on this year.
Stay in George Town for Chinese New Year. Dates are filled in; change them.
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2027年槟城新年初一为2月6日，除夕为2月5日，十五冥（元宵）在2月20日。初一和初二是全国公共假期。 极乐寺（Kek Lok Si，亚依淡）过年期间每晚点灯；初九天公诞前夜（2月13日），福建社区在海边路（Weld Quay）姓氏桥聚集拜天公；十五冥在海滨（Esplanade）有抛柑活动。 许多华人小贩和商店会休息数天，请提前安排用餐。
The highlighted days are the ones worth planning around. Where we say “in past years”, the 2027 programme is not announced yet.
Eve · Fri 5 February
Reunion dinner night. Families eat together and homes and temples are decorated. Roads are busy.
Day 1 · Sat 6 February
New Year’s Day and a public holiday. Family visits, lion dances at shops and temples, angpao. Many Chinese-owned stalls and restaurants are shut. In past years the Kek Lok Si lights were already on.
Day 2 · Sun 7 February
Second public holiday. Visits continue; expect the same closures.
Day 3 · Mon 8 February
House visits and temple trips. Business slowly returns, but many Chinese-owned places stay closed.
Day 4 · Tue 9 February
House visits and temple trips. Business slowly returns, but many Chinese-owned places stay closed.
Day 5 · Wed 10 February
House visits and temple trips. Business slowly returns, but many Chinese-owned places stay closed.
Day 6 · Thu 11 February
House visits and temple trips. Business slowly returns, but many Chinese-owned places stay closed.
Day 7 · Fri 12 February
House visits and temple trips. Business slowly returns, but many Chinese-owned places stay closed.
Day 8 · Sat 13 February
Night: the Penang Hokkien celebration of the Jade Emperor’s birthday begins on Weld Quay at the clan jetties. In 2026 crowds built from about 4pm, with free food at 6pm.
Day 9 · Sun 14 February
The Jade Emperor’s birthday (Pai Ti Kong, Thnee Kong Seh), the Hokkien new year. Offerings of sugarcane and pineapples continue; the main crowd is the night before.
Day 10 · Mon 15 February
Shops reopen through the week. In past years the Kek Lok Si lights stayed on every evening.
Day 11 · Tue 16 February
Shops reopen through the week. In past years the Kek Lok Si lights stayed on every evening.
Day 12 · Wed 17 February
Shops reopen through the week. In past years the Kek Lok Si lights stayed on every evening.
Day 13 · Thu 18 February
Shops reopen through the week. In past years the Kek Lok Si lights stayed on every evening.
Day 14 · Fri 19 February
Shops reopen through the week. In past years the Kek Lok Si lights stayed on every evening.
Day 15 · Sat 20 February
Chap Goh Mei. The state celebration at the Esplanade had orange tossing, lion dances and fireworks in past years. In 2026 the Kek Lok Si lights stayed on until this day.
Details below are from the 2024 to 2026 seasons, as reported by The Star, New Straits Times, The Vibes and Sin Chew Daily. Programmes for 2027 are not out yet.
Air Itam, George Town
Malaysia's largest Buddhist temple is covered in lanterns and lights for the new year. In 2026 more than 10,000 traditional lanterns plus neon and LED lights were switched on at 7pm on 13 February, four days before Day 1, and stayed on until Chap Goh Mei, about three weeks. The temple says about a million visitors come each year. Go on a weekday evening if you can.
Directions in Google Maps
Weld Quay, George Town
Penang Hokkien families celebrate the Jade Emperor’s birthday here on the night before Day 9, in front of the Chau Yuan Kong temple. In 2026 about 40,000 people came: crowds from about 4pm, free food from 6pm, stage performances and long tables of offerings. Organisers have not held official fireworks in recent years, for crowd safety. In 2021 the celebration was cancelled for the first time in 114 years.
Directions in Google Maps
Padang Kota Lama, George Town
The state’s Chap Goh Meh celebration is held on the Esplanade seafront. The 2025 programme ran from 5pm to midnight with orange tossing into the sea, lion dances, a dondang sayang troupe, local and halal street food, and fireworks at midnight. Single women traditionally toss oranges into the sea, and people now often write a social media handle on the fruit.
Directions in Google MapsGeorge Town
In 2026 rows of red lanterns lit up the heritage district for the season. It is an easy walk from any George Town hotel and costs nothing.
Directions in Google MapsBagan Raja Uda and Bukit Mertajam, mainland
In 2026 thousands of lanterns hung over the Bagan Raja Uda Highway in Butterworth, and the Pui Kung Teng temple in Bukit Mertajam put up a “Fish Leaping Over the Dragon Gate” lantern display. Check that they return before you cross.
Directions in Google MapsCheck with a stall or shop before a long trip to it.
Festive foods and what they stand for.
A raw fish and shredded vegetable salad tossed high by everyone at the table while shouting good wishes. Restaurants serve it through the season.
Buttery pastry with pineapple jam. Pineapple sounds like “fortune coming” in Hokkien (ong lai).
Sticky sweet rice cake, often steamed or pan-fried in slices. The name sounds like “higher year”.
Sweet grilled dried pork slices. Shops that sell it get long queues in the weeks before Day 1.
Gifted in pairs when visiting homes. The word for orange sounds like “gold”.
Thin, crisp rolled coconut wafers, also called love letters. Sold at bakeries and specialty shops.
If you are invited to a home or a reunion meal.
Red is the lucky colour. Avoid all-black and all-white, which are linked with mourning.
Hokkien speakers say “Kong Hee Fatt Choy”. Both mean wishing you prosperity.
The usual house-visit gift. The host gives you a pair back.
Married adults give red packets to children and unmarried relatives. Receive them politely and do not open them in front of the giver.
A clock sounds like “attending a funeral” in Chinese, scissors and knives suggest cutting ties, and pear sounds like “parting”.
Avoid talk of death or illness during the first days.
George Town puts you on foot to the heritage lanterns and Weld Quay. Book early: Day 1 and Chap Goh Mei are busy.
Compare Penang hotelsThaipusam is on 22 January 2027, two weeks before Day 1. Every Penang festival for the year is on the calendar.
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Chinese New Year 2027 is on Saturday 6 February. Eve is Friday 5 February. The 15-day season ends with Chap Goh Mei on Saturday 20 February. In 2028 Day 1 is Wednesday 26 January.
Yes. Day 1 (6 February) and Day 2 (7 February) are national public holidays on the Prime Minister’s Department list. Day 2 falls on a Sunday, and the list’s note says the next day replaces a holiday that falls on a rest day, so Monday 8 February should also be a day off. Confirm against the final notice. Eve and the rest of the season are normal working days, though many Chinese-owned businesses close for longer.
Many Chinese-owned hawker stalls, kopitiams and shops close for a few days around Day 1, and some for longer. Each stall decides, so there is no single reopening date. Malay and Indian restaurants, hotel restaurants, convenience stores and most malls stay open, some with shorter hours on Day 1. Buy essentials before Eve.
The 2027 switch-on date has not been announced. In 2026 the lights came on at 7pm on 13 February, four days before Day 1, and stayed on until Chap Goh Mei, about three weeks. Check the temple’s own channels before you go.
Chap Goh Mei (Chap Goh Meh in Penang Hokkien) is the 15th and last night of the season, Saturday 20 February in 2027. Penang is known for the orange tossing at the Esplanade, where single women toss oranges into the sea. In 2025 the state programme ran 5pm to midnight with lion dances, a dondang sayang troupe, street food and fireworks. The 2027 programme has not been announced.
On the ninth day of the new year, Sunday 14 February in 2027, Hokkien communities celebrate the Jade Emperor’s birthday, sometimes called the Hokkien new year. The main night is the evening before (Saturday 13 February). In Penang the big gathering is at the Weld Quay clan jetties, with offerings of roast pig, pineapples and prosperity cakes. About 40,000 people came in 2026.
A pair of mandarin oranges is the standard gift. Biscuits and sweets are also fine. Avoid clocks, scissors and knives, and pears. Wear something bright, and expect to be offered tea and snacks.
Yes. Day 1 and Chap Goh Mei are busy, and the Kek Lok Si lights draw crowds on weekends. Stay in George Town for the heritage lanterns and Weld Quay, and take a Grab or bus to Air Itam for Kek Lok Si.
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