Pai Ti Kong (拜天公): the Hokkien night of Chinese New Year. Prayers from about 11pm on Sat 13 February, long altars of sugarcane and roast pig, and a midnight countdown.
The ninth day of the lunar new year is the birthday of the Jade Emperor, called Thni Kong Seh in Hokkien and Pai Ti Kong (拜天公) in the Penang press. It is the Hokkien community's biggest night. Families set up an open-air altar with sugarcane, roast pig, fruit and kuih, and pray from about 11pm on the 8th night into the early hours of the 9th.
The place to be is Chew Jetty on Weld Quay in George Town, where the altar runs along the jetty and the night ends with a midnight countdown. In 2027 that is Sat 13 February. On the hill side, Thean Kong Thnuah in Air Itam is the other main site on the island, and Tow Boo Kong in Butterworth holds a ceremony on the mainland.
It is not a public holiday and it is free. Details for 2027 have not been announced, so this page describes what happened in past years.
天公诞在农历正月初九，2027年为2月14日。拜天公从初八晚（2月13日）约11时开始，延续到初九凌晨。 槟岛有两大拜天公据点：靠海的姓周桥（Pengkalan Weld）与靠山的天公坛（亚依淡，升旗山脚）；威省有北海斗母宫（Jalan Raja Uda）等。 姓周桥设有长长的天公桌，供奉甘蔗、烧猪、水果和糕点，午夜倒数后施放烟花。入场免费。
Based on what ran at Chew Jetty in 2023, 2025 and 2026. The 2027 programme has not been announced: confirm the times nearer the date.
Evening
Stage songs and dance at Chew Jetty while the long altar is laid with offerings. In past years the crowd built up from early evening.
About 11pm
Prayers begin. In the Hokkien reckoning the new day starts at 11pm, so the 9th day starts then. Many devotees pray from 11pm, others wait for midnight.
Before midnight
Speeches, a high-pole lion dance and, in 2026, a yee sang toss with guests, then the countdown.
Midnight
The countdown as the 9th day begins. The organisers have not set off official fireworks for several years, for crowd safety, though people nearby often light their own.
After
Joss paper is burned and the food is shared. Plan your ride home early: Weld Quay is crowded and Grab demand is high.
One jetty, one hill temple and one mainland temple.
Pengkalan Weld (Weld Quay), George Town
The main public celebration on the island. A long altar, about 20 m in the 2025 report, runs out along the jetty, with a stage show, a high-pole lion dance and a countdown at midnight. About 70 families live on the jetty, so keep to the walkway and do not enter houses.
Directions in Google MapsFoot of Penang Hill, Air Itam
The island's hillside site for the night, beside the lower station of the Penang Hill railway: take the lane under the arch marked Jalan Pokok Ceri. A Taoist shrine is said to have stood here from 1869 and the present temple dates from 1905. It is busy on the 8th night.
Directions in Google MapsJalan Raja Uda, Butterworth
The state named Tow Boo Kong as the Seberang Perai site for a solemn Pai Ti Kong ceremony in 2026 and invited visitors to watch. Jalan Raja Uda is also lit with lanterns through Chinese New Year. A second big temple, Simpah Kuan Im Teng Tow Boo Kong, is in the same area.
Directions in Google MapsThe state says devotees across Penang Island and Seberang Perai set up offerings on the same night, and other clan jetties on Weld Quay join in. In 2025 the state also pointed to a 44-foot-high altar with a lion dance on stilts in Bukit Mertajam (大山脚). One guide describes roads on Weld Quay near the jetties being closed to traffic on the night, so walk or take a Grab and agree a pick-up point away from the jetty.
The story Penang Hokkiens tell is that their ancestors, fleeing attackers in China, hid in a sugarcane field. One version says it was for eight days and nights, living on the sweet juice. On the ninth day the attackers were gone, and the villagers gave thanks to the Jade Emperor.
That is why sugarcane stands at the sides of the altar, and why the 9th day is the day to pray. Versions differ on who the attackers were, and it is a community tradition, not a documented event.
The 2025 celebration at Chew Jetty was its 118th, according to the jetty's organisers.
These are offerings to the god. Look, do not touch, and ask before photographing people at prayer.
Two whole stalks tied upright at the sides of the altar. It is the offering that is never left out.
Whole, with head and feet on. The 2025 report also noted seafood offerings at the jetty.
Pineapple, oranges and pomelo are the usual choices.
Ang ku kueh and huat kueh, laid out in odd numbers.
Longevity noodles and hard-boiled eggs dyed red.
Gold and silver paper is burned after the prayers, smaller pieces first.
Chew Jetty is in George Town's heritage zone. Stay within walking distance so you can get home after midnight without a car.
Compare Penang hotelsLanterns, temple fairs and Chap Goh Mei on Sat 20 February.
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The Jade Emperor's birthday is the 9th day of the lunar new year: Sun 14 February 2027. The main prayers are on the night before, Sat 13 February, from about 11pm into the early hours. In 2028 the 9th day is Thu 3 February.
Pai Ti Kong (拜天公, Bai Tian Gong in Mandarin) means worshipping the Heavenly Grandfather, the Jade Emperor. In Hokkien the birthday is called Thni Kong Seh, also spelt Thnee Kong Seh. In Penang it is the signature night of the Hokkien community and is sometimes called Hokkien New Year.
The usual story is that Hokkien villagers fleeing attackers hid in a sugarcane field for days and survived, and credited the Jade Emperor. Versions differ on who the attackers were, and it is a community tradition, not a documented event.
Chew Jetty on Weld Quay in George Town, for the long altar, stage show and lion dance. On the hill side, Thean Kong Thnuah (the Jade Emperor Pavilion) in Air Itam is also busy. In Butterworth, Tow Boo Kong on Jalan Raja Uda holds a ceremony.
Not official ones. The Chew Jetty organisers have not held fireworks for several years, for crowd safety (Sin Chew Daily, February 2026). Fireworks set off by individuals around Weld Quay are common at midnight. The 2027 programme has not been announced.
It is free to attend. The 2025 organisers put attendance above 30,000, and the 2023 report said thousands. Expect to stand and move slowly, and arrive well before 11pm to get a place.
No. The Chinese New Year public holidays are on the 1st and 2nd days (6 and 7 February in 2027). The 9th day, Sun 14 February, is not one, and the big night, Sat 13 February, is a Saturday.
Visitors are welcome to watch. Do not touch or take offerings, ask before photographing people at prayer, and remember that the jetty is a residential area.
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