KL Chinatown Festival 2024 - Where tradition meets modern magic

Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur just wrapped up the biggest cultural throwback-meets-modern-vibes bash of the year with the inaugural KL Chinatown Festival 2024, and it was chef’s kiss! Over 15,000 Malaysians and tourists swarmed the historic streets to soak in three glorious days of food, art, music, and a whole lot of “Malaysia, Truly Asia” vibes.

From November 29 to December 1, Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur became the epicenter of culture, creativity, and community with the inaugural KL Chinatown Festival 2024. Iconic landmarks like REXKL, Kwai Chai Hong, and Lorong Panggung transformed into buzzing creative hubs, with mural artists, indie music, and traditional performances bringing the area to life.

Picture this: ancient shophouses dripping in charm alongside mural artists live-painting, indie bands belting out bangers, and stilt walkers casually strutting past you while you slurp on authentic kuih. This wasn’t just a festival; it was a full-on love letter to the old and new KL.

Oh, and speaking of love letters, Unifi Mobile dropped some culture-meets-tech wizardry with a mural by the talented Jefr, blending Chinatown’s heritage with modern innovation. Visitors even got a chance to geek out with the artist himself!

Old-School Meets Instagram-Worthy at Kwai Chai Hong — The KariPop Market went full retro with pasar malam vibes, free F&B bites, and even a dose of Chinese opera. The stilt walkers and percussion performances? The cherry on top of this nostalgia-fest.

YWCA KL: Activism and Art, Hand-in-Hand — From a 2km solidarity walk against gender-based violence with YB Teresa Kok to a creative sketchcrawl celebrating KL’s heritage, YWCA proved that culture can spark important conversations.

Connor’s x Kenji Chai Collab: Art + Beer = Perfect Weekend — Whether it was the graffiti workshop with the legendary Kenji Chai or vibing to Connor’s Music Showcase, festival-goers had plenty of reasons to stay till late and toast to local talent.

Drumming, Dancing, and Drawing! — Drum Jam by Kandora! turned buckets into instruments, while the Line Dance Party Fundraiser at YWCA KL had participants two-stepping for a cause. Meanwhile, graffiti workshops and sketch mobs let creative spirits run wild.

Volunteer with Dapur Jalanan — Volunteers cooked and served hot meals at Jalan Panggung for the Dapur Jalanan initiative. 

It was definitely an eventful and lively weekend for those that attended and if you’re looking for more information about KL Chinatown Festival, check out their Instagram, Facebook and TikTok!