The Penang Street Food Festival is back for a second year, with two days dedicated to Penang’s favourite cuisine. This year’s food extravaganza will bring together around 120 hawkers, with something to appeal to everyone’s taste buds, all crammed within a few temporarily pedestrianised streets in the heritage district of George Town. It will run from 5pm until 11pm on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd September, over the Merdeka holiday weekend.
Once again, Beach Street, the old financial district within the 
heritage zone of George Town, will be closed to traffic. The adjoining streets (Bishop and Church/Gereja) will be lined with hawker stalls and crammed with tables for diners to sit and enjoy the food and the ambiance. Buskers will be on hand to entertain the anticipated crowds, and there will be a “pop-up” garden and BBQ corner, to create extra space for people to relax and enjoy their food in comfort. A firework display will take place towards the end of the second night.
Hawkers from all over Penang Island and Mainland will bring their renowned dishes to the festival. No need to travel to Balik Pulau to try the famous laksa as it will be here, as will nasi kandar pokok ketapang and rojak from the Mainland, and sagor char and dangai warisan ibunda from elsewhere on Penang Island. All the other classic Penang dishes will be represented, including char koay teow, Hokkien mee, mee Sotong, roti canai, and satay, as well as local modern favourites such as durian ice-cream and coconut milkshakes.
More information and updates can be found at the organiser’s website www.piff.com.my or on their facebook page.
Most of the photographs accompanying this article were taken in April 2017 by Melanie Long.