The Mooncake Festival (中秋节): Wed 15 September 2027. Lanterns at Armenian Park, a celebration on the Esplanade, mooncakes and the full moon.
The festival night is in 325 days
Wed 15 September 2027, the 15th night of the 8th lunar month.
See the planThe Mid-Autumn Festival, which most Malaysians call the Mooncake Festival, falls on the 15th night of the 8th lunar month, when the moon is full. Families share mooncakes and tea, children carry lanterns, and everyone looks up at the moon. In 2027 the night is Wed 15 September.
In George Town the lanterns hang at Armenian Park on Lebuh Armenian, usually for a week or two before the night, with a community celebration on the weekend before. In 2026 the state's Penang Mid-Autumn Festival was held on the Esplanade, with a lantern parade in costume.
It is not a public holiday, and Armenian Park is free to walk into. The 2027 programme has not been announced, so this page describes what ran in past years.
中秋节在农历八月十五，2027年为9月15日（星期三）。 乔治市的灯笼通常挂在亚美尼亚街的亚美尼亚公园（Armenian Park），节前一两个星期就会亮灯，节前的周末有社区庆祝活动。 2026年槟城中秋节庆典在旧关仔角（Esplanade）草场举行。中秋节不是公共假期，亚美尼亚公园免费开放。
Based on what ran in George Town in 2023 and 2026. The 2027 programme has not been announced: confirm the dates nearer the time.
About two weeks before
Lanterns go up at Armenian Park and mooncake stalls appear in shops and hotels. In 2026 the park display was lit by 11 September and stayed up to the end of the month.
The weekend before (Sat 11 September)
Community celebrations with lantern walks, stage shows and food. In 2026 the Armenian Park celebration ran from 5pm to 10pm on the Saturday before, and the Esplanade celebration was held the same week.
Festival night (Wed 15 September)
A family night: mooncakes and tea, lanterns for the children after dark, and a look at the full moon. Walk the heritage zone around Armenian Street in the evening.
Both are in George Town's heritage zone.
Lebuh Armenian, George Town heritage zone
The small park on Armenian Street is where George Town hangs its Mid-Autumn lanterns. The Star reported lanterns in the trees for the Tanjong Lantern Festival in 2019, more than 300 lanterns and several thousand visitors in 2023, and 500 pink lanterns with Baba Nyonya touches in 2026, with a celebration on the Saturday evening before the festival.
Directions in Google Maps
Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah, George Town
The 2026 Penang Mid-Autumn Festival was held on the Esplanade field, with traditional performances, games and a food bazaar. Visitors dressed as figures from Chinese legend paraded with lanterns around the field and the streets nearby.
Directions in Google MapsRound pastries, usually filled with lotus seed paste and often a salted egg yolk, cut into small wedges and shared with tea. They are sold, and given as gifts, in the weeks before.
Children carry lanterns after dark on the festival night. The lantern displays in George Town go up in the weeks before.
The 15th night of the 8th lunar month has a full moon. Families sit out to look at it, which is why the festival is about reunion.
The best-known story behind the night is Chang'e, who drank an elixir and floated up to live on the moon. In 2026 people in the Esplanade lantern parade dressed as figures from Chinese legend.
Armenian Park and the Esplanade are both in George Town's heritage zone. Stay within walking distance and the lanterns are an evening stroll.
Compare Penang hotelsThe Nine Emperor Gods Festival starts about two weeks after Mid-Autumn, on the 1st day of the 9th lunar month.
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On Wed 15 September 2027, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. In 2028 it is on Tue 3 October. Lantern displays and celebrations usually start a week or two before.
Yes. In Malaysia it is called the Mooncake Festival (Pesta Kuih Bulan in Malay), the Mid-Autumn Festival, or 中秋节 (Zhongqiu Jie) in Mandarin. It is sometimes called the Lantern Festival, but in Chinese tradition that name also belongs to Chap Goh Mei, the 15th night of Chinese New Year.
No. It is not on the federal or Penang state holiday list, so shops and offices are open. In 2027 the night is a Wednesday.
Armenian Park on Lebuh Armenian in George Town has hung Mid-Autumn lanterns in recent years (2019, 2023 and 2026 in reports by The Star). In 2026 the state celebration was on the Esplanade field. Details for the coming edition are announced a few weeks before.
Armenian Park is a public park with no entry fee, so the lanterns cost nothing to see. Check the coming edition's programme for any ticketed activities.
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