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Little Penang Street Market is a monthly market which takes place on the last Sunday of each month, in Upper Penang Road.

Since the first market in July 2006, the Market has become established as a major venue for the showcasing of Penang’s culture and creativity.

It combines some 70 craft stalls with food, live performances in The Space, visual arts, children’s activities, hands-on demonstrations and book readings. All resulting in a wonderful ambience, unique in Penang.

Check out our various activities! Come and visit! Tell your friends, family, colleagues and neighbours! And become a sponsor!

Next market: 28 September 2008 click here for details

The Arts & Crafts Market

Promotes the best of Penang crafts and local products. Vendors are carefully screened, and products have to meet one or more of the following criteria.

- Related to heritage or tradition

- Hand-made in Malaysia

- 70% made from Malaysian materials

The Market also is committed to Vendor Development – Nurturing artisans and cultural entrepreneurs to develop their markets, through improved sourcing to production linkages, business know-how and branding. Mentoring relationships are set up by the Little Penang creative team.

The Space

Showcases Penang’s performing arts. Our programming provides a venue to highlight Penang’s diverse cultures and traditions, while also providing room for more contemporary entertainment. Performers are drawn from Penang’s many communities, covering all age groups and levels. Professional performers are found alongside the less experienced: the Market is committed to being a venue whereby newer talents are given the opportunity to learn and to flourish. The Market is also concerned to promote social harmony through inter-cultural participation and an appreciation of our cultural diversity, and The Space helps explain, perform and share the various aspects of Malaysian festivals and cultural traditions to our appreciative and mixed audience.

The Gallery

Displays the work of emerging Penang artists, bringing art to the people in an accessible and affordable way. Visual Arts is becoming an increasingly significant part of Penang’s arts industry, and the Market is committed to supporting its development. This initiative is sponsored by Community_Works.

Book Reading

Provides an opportunity for the Penang public to meet Penang and Malaysian authors, to listen to their work and discuss it together. Again, making the written word more directly accessible to Penang audiences is what drives this activity. It also gives an opportunity for newer writers to showcase their work and for their talents to be nurtured.

Children's Activities, including an Arts & Culture Programme

The Market has always provided activities for children, part of which is a conscious effort to promote fun activities which also serve as arts and culture education. Children from residential homes are also encouraged to come and participate in our Market: an initiative developed in partnership with Reading For Life.

Community Works Tent

Promotes community-based crafts. The Market prides itself on its community base, and this tent, sponsored by Community Works, engages a number of local charity organisations and empowers the marginalized (mainly by adopting single mothers and other marginalized women) through creative employment in the field of arts and crafts. This tent is very popular, and its success has been achieved in partnership with organisations such as Penang Prisons, St Nicholas’ Home for the Blind, and Asian Community Service.

The Exhibition Space

Community participation is also nurtures through our provision of an exhibition space. This can and has been used by local NGOS, schools and institutes of higher learning to present exhibitions, highlight their work and invite community comment and participation.

Eco-initiatives

The Market is committed to being eco-friendly. Products such as natural soaps, herbal plants, hand-woven animals and crafts made out of recycled materials, are specially promoted. We also strongly encourage packaging to be made of recyclable material, and provide recycling facilities on site.

The Little Penang Street Market is a non-profit market, run by a volunteer committee, under the auspices of the Penang Arts Council. Come and support us!