KUALA LUMPUR – Ipoh’s heritage streets, cafés, galleries and public spaces will take on a new dimension as the city prepares to host its inaugural Ipoh Festival 2026, a four-week celebration of arts, culture and community.
Running from Nov 27 to Dec 19 under the theme ‘Turning the City into a Stage’, the festival will feature a series of performances, exhibitions, traditional craft showcases and community-led activities at venues across the city, Bernama reported.
Rather than being confined to a central location, the programme is designed to encourage visitors to explore Ipoh’s different neighbourhoods, with a particular focus on breathing new life into the city’s Old Town.
Among the main attractions are musical theatre performances at selected cafés, outdoor film screenings at Ipoh Padang, traditional craft demonstrations at Tin Alley and exhibitions showcasing the work of local artists.
The Artisan Rhythm Market at Jalan Bandar Timah will bring together local artisans and businesses, while the Wayang & Makan di Padang programme, organised in collaboration with Greenery Market, will offer an open-air cinema experience.
The festival will also feature the Food and Arts Crawl by Ipoh Mali Theatre Society, combining musical theatre performances with visits to selected establishments, alongside a separate music crawl organised by Indiescape.
A Festival Information Centre will be set up at 22 Hale Street Heritage Gallery, providing visitors with a starting point to discover Ipoh’s history, culinary offerings and cultural heritage.
The visual arts programme will include Rootbound: Origin and Boundless Expression, presented by Senitra Studio Gallery, and Yellow, a contemporary exhibition drawing inspiration from Ipoh and Perak, presented by The Ipoh Fine Arts Class and Perak Contemporary Artists.
Other activities lined up include workshops, music and dance performances, documentary screenings and cultural showcases featuring local organisations and creative groups.
Spread across four weekends, the festival will also feature performances by several local music and cultural organisations, including the Perak Society of Performing Arts, Perak Wind Orchestra and Choir, Kinta Valley Wind Orchestra and Kumpulan Selendang Perak.
Organisers said the festival was conceived as a collaborative platform bringing together local artists, cultural organisations and businesses to showcase their work and contributions.
Beyond celebrating the city’s artistic talent, the initiative aims to reinforce Ipoh’s identity by bridging its historical heritage with its evolving contemporary creative scene, while encouraging younger generations to reconnect with the stories behind familiar places.
The inaugural edition is intended as the foundation for a signature annual event, taking inspiration from established city festivals such as the George Town Festival in Penang and Urbanscapes in Kuala Lumpur.
Organisers also hope the event will generate greater foot traffic for participating businesses and encourage residents and tourists alike to spend more time discovering what the city has to offer.
Ipoh Festival 2026 is supported by the Ipoh City Council and Tourism Perak, with sponsorship from 22 Hale Street Heritage Gallery and Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad.
Admission to festival programmes is free, although a small number of activities will require advance registration.
For programme details and the latest updates, the public can follow @ipohfestival on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. – November 15, 2026