Penang is undoubtedly famous for its rich cultural heritage and well-preserved colonial era buildings. You can definitely find all of these wonderful sights and sounds in Georgetown, the capital city of Penang. If you happen to be in Georgetown Penang during the month of July, you are really in for an awesome treat since the bright and colourful Georgetown Festival happens throughout this month in Penang. You're guaranteed to be blown away by all the events during Georgetown Festival!
Georgetown Festival Penang started off in July 2008 to celebrate the inclusion of Georgetown in the UNESCO World Heritage listing. Ever since 2008 Georgetown Festival Penang has become an annual event for the residents of Georgetown as a symbol of their pride being a part of this wonderful Penang city. The festival highlights the arts and cultural heritage of this magnificent island state of Penang. During this month long festival you will see a lot of exciting events such as theatre, dance, music, art exhibitions, cultural performances, inspirational talks, food fairs and fashion shows. The list could go on and on. Maybe it's more accurate for you to ask what is not included in the Georgetown Festival Penang.
The most recent Georgetown Festival was held from 15th June until 15th July 2012. The festival this year showcased a blend of local performances and events with contemporary international-flavoured performances. It is unsurprising that the Georgetown Festival will help to put Penang on the international scene as the destination to go to for arts and culture.
The Georgetown Festival 2012 gala opening kicked off with a Silat performance on the 15th of June at the historical Fort Cornwallis. This spectacular performance showcased the unique grace of this ancient Malay martial arts. The Straits Quay witnessed a contemporary hip hop performance on the 17th of June where rappers and street artist showed off their talents and took part in a hip hop workshop. You can see the blend of the modern and ancient arts in the festival seamlessly integrating into a unified mosaic that testify to the diversity of the Georgetown and Penang contemporary culture.
If you are a Shakespeare fan, you would be delighted to know that the Penang Performing Arts Centre staged 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' play on the 10th until 15th of July where local performers presented their own unique spin of this famous Shakespearean play. One of the main highlight of the Georgetown Festival in 2012 was the Live Heritage show being performed right on the streets of Georgetown itself to mark the anniversary of Georgetown's inclusion in the 2008 UNESCO World Heritage listing. Apart from showcasing Penang's unique blend of cultures through theatre, music and dance, this year's Live Heritage show also included traditional and rare performance arts from other UNESCO-listed sites within the ASEAN region for the very first time. You can see that the festival had become more international in its scope.
It does make you wonder what excitement the next festival will bring. If you want to experience the colourful Georgetown Festival in Penang, you should make it a point to be there around the months of June and July. It will be an experience that you'll never forget as you begin to soak in the variety of both modern and traditional Penang culture being displayed in the festival. It is simply a magical moment not to be missed.
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