11 food festivals with a guide across 2 cities in Malaysia, in date order from today. Each opens the festival page with dates, what to eat and what to book around it. How these cities compare with the rest: the city food festival index.
18 Oct to 7 NovFree entryKuala LumpurSouth IndianBrickfields
Brickfields Deepavali Bazaar lines the Little India walkway in Kuala Lumpur for three weeks before the festival of lights, with murukku and vadai sold beside festive outfit and jewellery stalls.
TipIn 2025 the DBKL bazaar ran 29 September to 19 October across 140 stalls; lunchtime is quieter, and the street lights look best after dark.
23 Jan to 5 Feb 2027Free entryKuala LumpurChinese MalaysianPetaling Street
Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur hangs its lanterns before Chinese New Year and its stalls multiply, selling bak kwa, festive biscuits, cooking ingredients and flowers along Jalan Hang Lekir and Jalan Sultan.
TipTraders say the crowds build in the week before the holiday and festive flowers sell out days ahead, so shop early in the fortnight.
9 Feb to 9 Mar 2027Free entryKuala LumpurMalayKampung Baru
Kampung Baru Ramadan Bazaar fills the lanes of the old Malay village in Kuala Lumpur every afternoon of the fasting month with ayam percik, murtabak daging and tepung pelita for buka puasa.
TipThe 2026 guides list trading hours of about 16:00 to 19:30; arrive early for the widest choice before the buka puasa rush.
9 Feb to 9 Mar 2027Free entryKuala LumpurMalayTaman Tun Dr Ismail
TTDI Ramadan Bazaar sets up along Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, each Ramadan afternoon, mixing nasi kerabu, rendang and satay with Ramly burgers and takoyaki.
TipIt gets busiest in the last hour before buka puasa; come around 16:30 and use the MRT to TTDI rather than hunting for parking.
16 Feb to 9 Mar 2027Free entryKuala LumpurMalayMasjid India
Bazar Syawal on Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman is where Kuala Lumpur stocks up for Hari Raya: semperit and pineapple tarts in tins, lemang and ketupat with rendang, alongside baju Melayu stalls.
TipDBKL licensed its 2026 Syawal bazaars from 26 February to 20 March; traffic around Masjid India stays heavy into the night, so come by LRT.
Penang marks Mid-Autumn with mooncakes and lanterns, and the state's Penang Mid-Autumn Festival at the Esplanade in George Town brings lantern displays, costumed parades, performances and a food bazaar.
TipThe state lantern festival at the Esplanade falls on a weekend night near the festival, not always the day itself: in 2026 it was Saturday 19 September.
The Mid-Autumn Festival at Thean Hou Temple fills the hilltop courtyards of the Kuala Lumpur temple with glowing lanterns, mooncake tasting tables and lantern-making workshops for families.
TipThe temple usually extends its opening hours for Mid-Autumn, and families arrive early to walk the courtyards before the lanterns are lit.
30 Sep to 8 Oct 2027Free entryPenangVegetarian hawker food
For nine days each ninth lunar month, hundreds of Penang hawker stalls hang yellow flags and go vegetarian, from mock-meat nasi kandar to char kway teow.
TipLook for the yellow flags: they mark stalls serving the festival's vegetarian menus, many of which exist only these nine days.
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