GEORGE TOWN, July 30 (Bernama) -- The Penang government is expected to decide within the next three weeks on the temporary venue for Pesta Pulau Pinang while construction of the Mutiara Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) project is underway in Sungai Nibong.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said a final decision would be made after the completion of discussions between the state government and the Penang Regional Development Authority (PERDA) on a proposal to relocate the annual fair to Kubang Menerong in Seberang Perai Utara.
“The state government is evaluating several options before a final decision is made and discussions are still ongoing. Officers from the State Finance Office have been mandated to negotiate with PERDA as several options are being considered.
“The new site (for Pesta Pulau Pinang) is a temporary solution during the construction of the Mutiara Line LRT depot and station at the existing site in Sungai Nibong,” he told reporters after officiating the Stakeholder Engagement Symposium on the Draft Sungai Nibong (Pesta Site) Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Master Plan here today.
Also present was state Infrastructure, Transport and Digital Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari.
Chow said the state government was considering three main options, with the first one being to suspend Pesta Pulau Pinang throughout the construction period.
The second option is to continue holding Pesta Pulau Pinang on the unaffected portion of the Sungai Nibong site, although this is considered unsuitable as the fairgrounds would be located near the construction area.
“The third option is to hold it at another location. We received the proposal from PERDA and we view it as a more suitable short-term solution. A decision needs to be made soon to give organisers sufficient time to prepare should it be held at a new location.
“So, we must decide perhaps within the next one to three weeks,” he said.
Chow had previously announced that the 59th edition of Pesta Pulau Pinang, held from December 2025 to January 2026 at the Sungai Nibong site, would be the last before it is suspended for six years to make way for the construction of the Mutiara Line LRT and the TOD project by MRT Corp.
Following that, PERDA proposed that the state government relocate the fair to its land during the six-year hiatus, saying the alternative site offers greater space and better accessibility while benefiting local entrepreneurs.
-- BERNAMA