VISITORS to the 11th Penang Chingay Parade 2019 will be greeted with more surprises besides the usual flag pole balancing acts and colourful floats.
Eight Mickey Mouse mascots will be joining the 4.4km-parade from Jalan Bagan Luar to Jalan Raja Uda on Dec 22.
The Mickey Mouse mascots were chosen to be part of the parade to welcome the Year of the Mouse next year, as according to the Chinese Lunar calendar.
In conjunction with the Christmas celebration, choir performances will also be held during the event.
Persatuan Sukan & Kebudayaan Tiong Hua Kepala Batas chairman Lay Hock Peng said a mass lion dance performance featuring 33 colourful lions would also be entertaining the crowd.
“Visitors will have an unforgettable cultural experience through performances such as the Toll Bel dance, Silambattam (Indian traditional martial arts), Chinese musical instrument ‘Guzheng’, kompang and Baba Nyonya dance performance,” he told a press conference at Cititel Penang today.
The festival is jointly organised by the Penang government and the Persatuan Sukan & Kebudayaan Tiong Hua Kepala Batas.
Penang Tourism Development, Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said the festival never fails to attract visitors from various ethnic groups.
“The festival is also a unique tourism product,” Yeoh said, adding that the event would start at 7pm at Padang MPSP in Jalan Bagan Luar.
Story by Tanushalini Moroter