March 24 (Reuters) - Karolina Muchova needed all of her experience to hold off rising Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 7-5 7-6(5) on Tuesday, booking a place in her first Miami Open semi-final in a match she admitted could have gone either way.
Visitors playing a giant-sized board game of Trishaw Frenzy at NTF 2026. — Photos: ANDREA FILMER/The StarInside a shophouse in Jalan Pasar Lama , Nibong Tebal , an elderly couple peered from their doorway, watching passers-by chat and laugh along the street.
Nearby, buildings told a different story – one boarded up and overgrown, another reduced to an empty lot. Yet a few doors away, a poster carried signs of hope, the Nibong Tebal Festival , held in early February, just a week after the inaugural Kepala Batas Festival .Batik instructor Sarimah says it is nice to meet new people and share traditional crafts with the younger generation. The festivals also share a goal of widening participation and strengthening the local arts scene in their own distinct way. Taking place at opposite ends of the mainland – KBF in upper reaches of north Seberang Perai and NTF at its southern tip – the festivals lit up the outskirts over two consecutive weekends.Weekend fun up northHeld within a compact square at the Pasar Awam Kepala Batas, the event showcased arts and game booths alongside a row of food stalls stretched to one side, set against the picturesque backdrop of nearby padi fields. The padi fields, known for their striking shades of green, inspired an art contest for primary pupils during the festival.“I’ve been to this market before, sometimes for lunch or for the air ketagih teh ais drink,” said civil servant Noor Idawati Ahmad, referring to the drink sold at a stall that has gained traction on social media for its distinctly “powerful” tea blend.They were also seen enjoying themselves at the batu seremban booth. “We’re here to eat, colour and play. Parking is always easy, so this place is popular for people nearby,” she said.While the RM3 food row was in demand among those looking for a quick bite, the Lorong Nostalgia attracted curious visitors, both young and old. From traditional glass soda bottles and aluminium cans to old photos, letters and stamps, the setup was a feast for the eyes as older visitors reminisced and pointed out interesting trivia to the younger ones.“I’ve never done batik, not even in school!” said technician Nur Arina Mohd Soberi, 36, who found out about the event on social media. The mother of two tried her hand at both drawing batik patterns with hot, liquid wax and colouring the artwork with dye.The Terang projection at Lorong Boo Aun – a mapping show proves to be a captivating sight for many at NTF 2026.“Here, batik is done the traditional way so it’s nice that he gets to try it,” she said. Sarimah Ahmad, 48, who was manning the batik stall, said traditional techniques were often unfamiliar to the general public. “I liked to draw from young. So, later in life, I took a handicraft course under one of the government ministries and went into teaching batik and art. “A lot of our visitors have never done batik before. Batik is very different from painting as it uses cloth and dye instead of paper and watercolours. “At events like these, it’s nice to meet new people and share these traditional crafts with the younger generation,” she said.While KBF was neatly contained within an open lot beside the public market, the NTF on the southern side of the mainland unfolded as a sprawling, maze-like festival. Spanning no fewer than four roads around the Nibong Tebal old market, the event occupied an entire corner of town with Sungai Kerian for a backdrop. Visitors were drawn in by the sights and aromas of food stalls set up along Jalan Pengkalan Rawa, before being led deeper into the festival through booths lining Jalan Pasar Lama. Among the highlights were the Genius Corner by Tech Dome Penang, offering interactive games and virtual reality experiences, an Art Experience Corner, alongside khat and Chinese calligraphy workshop booths.The Nibong Tebal Festival 2026 occupied over four lanes in the old town area. “I think he must have seen something special because he stopped at the booth himself,” his mother Chia Ci Lee said. “He really likes drawing, as well as arts and crafts. He looked interested, so we’re happy he tried it.” Further down at the intersection of Jalan Pengkalan Rawa and Jalan Kampung Pengkalan, the Asian Board Games zone urged visitors to put down their phones for a good, old-fashion round of cards. There were games centred around nasi lemak, where players raced to collect the dish’s necessary five ingredients and Kopi King, where contenders “served” customers popular kopitiam drinks like teh tarik and Milo dinosaur. Luma, a creative studio, specialising in media production and board game creation was responsible for the game ideas. Luma head Goh Choon Ean said of the 11 games curated for NTF, five were Malaysian-made, while the rest were ideas from four other Asian countries. She added that the team had also set up a booth at last year’s Butterworth Fringe Festival , an annual event held since 2015.BFF is regarded as a sister festival to the George Town Festival , which takes place annually on Penang island to commemorate George Town’s inscription as a Unesco World Heritage Site.“I think NTF is very homey and down to earth. BFF is held along a main street and may feel grander, but it is more intimate,” she added. “We hope the community around here gets to experience some things that they are not very used to and also things they are more familiar with.”Visiting Japanese artiste Gaku, who combined juggling and drumming with a touch of fire, drew crowds at both venues attracted to his great showmanship and comical demeanour. Flames were also something the Koispinnfire group was familiar with, putting up daring fire shows at both festivals. At KBF, local cultural groups took centre stage with performances by Dikir Barat Suara Mutiara, Pusaka Hanafi , Kumpulan Kesenian Adikarma USM and Persatuan Sukan dan Kebudayaan Tiong Hua Kepala Batas. Down south at NTF, the Kantan Drum Circle invited visitors to grab a bucket and drum along to their unique sounds, Budi Virtus got many swaying with lively joget while Penang Dhol Blasters showcased Punjabi beats to the crowd’s delight.A light show by the Filamen studio entitled Terang was also projected onto a neighbouring warehouse building in Lorong Boo Aun. Meanwhile, parents and children were drawn to the carrom and five stones game platforms set up at both KBF and NTF. Following the success of holding back-to-back festivals, Seberang Perai mayor Datuk Baderul Amin Abdul Hamid said the city council was looking at other areas on the mainland where festival-led town activation could be done. “There is an intention to expand the satellite festival concept to other areas on the mainland, with Bukit Mertajam identified by Seberang Perai City Council as the next location under consideration. “The idea is to use similar place-based, community-friendly festivals to activate town centres, increase footfall and support local businesses,” he said. Baderul Amin said the goal was to play to each area’s strengths when planning the individual festivals. “BFF is an arts-driven, curator-led event while both KBF and NTF are broader, people-focused town festivals designed to activate public spaces and boost local economic activity. “KBF targets families, residents and general visitors with accessible, tourism-friendly programming such as community performances, markets and light entertainment.“NTF on the other hand, focuses more on local communities and culture-curious visitors through heritage-based activities, cultural performances, food and creative workshops,” he said.With BFF and NTF on the city council’s annual calendar, the introduction of KBF this year was aimed at creating a new platform to celebrate the locality while boosting tourism in Kepala Batas and surrounding areas, he said. “Held for the first time this year, KBF is positioned more clearly as a tourism and destination-promotion festival aimed at increasing the visibility of Kepala Batas and attracting visitors to the area,” Baderul Amin said, adding that future editions of the festival were being considered. Jack Wong, who heads TLM Event Sdn Bhd that manages GTF and BFF as well as its satellite festivals, said it was exciting to see events lighting up different areas of Penang’s mainland.“On the island, GTF has spread out from George Town to areas like Penang Hill, Paya Terubong and Setia SPICE in Bayan Lepas. “Over on the mainland, there are fewer of such events, especially as far out as Nibong Tebal and Kepala Batas,” he said. He added that BFF, which was usually held in the fourth quarter, would likely be brought forward to the middle of this year.“The weather is not looking good from October onwards, so we are bringing BFF forward, but the dates have yet to be finalised,” said Wong.
Jalan Pasar Lama Elderly Couple Shophouse Penang Mainland Nibong Tebal Festival Kepala Batas Festival Traditional Crafts Community Performances Cultural Workshops
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