George Town, Penang, April 19, 2024] – Since its inception in 2010, George Town Festival (GTF) is driven by a mission to promote Penang’s arts, culture and heritage, to showcase the city’s charm as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The festival sees over 100,000 festival goers annually, receiving attention from international media outlets over the years and generating more than 7.7 million ringgit in PR value, becoming an important driver for the development of Penang’s creative economy. An anticipated event on the global arts calendar, GTF has attracted arts performers, enthusiasts, sponsors and supporters eager to elevate Penang’s arts scene on the world stage.
Taking place over 10 days from 19th-28th July 2024, the 15th iteration of George Town Festival is organised by Kerson Media Global Sdn Bhd, who will steer the festival in a fresh new direction. “GTF 2024 is powered by the theme ‘Here & Now’, inviting everyone on a journey of reflection and reimagination. The present is a convergence of past and future, not merely a moment in time. As we traverse the historic streets, we are simultaneously enveloped with the present’s soundscapes. With this theme, we hope to draw out a fuller sense of George Town’s identity and strengthen the connection between the festival, the city and the community,” says Artistic Director Ling Tang.
“Besides hosting arts events in conventional venues, the festival will also have immersive site-specific programmes that utilise George Town’s unique landscape. The festival will transform unconventional spaces and urban fringes into venues for performances, art installations and a creative market,” highlights Festival Director Chin Teo. The GTF 2024 team seeks to unlock the possibilities George Town’s architectural charm holds, to reveal more of the city’s rich culture and vibrant colours to the world.
he festival’s open call for proposals, which opened for applications in November 2023, attracted 364 applications from 56 countries. The festival’s Artist-in-Residence open call drew 87 applications from 29 countries, encompassing a diverse range of disciplines, including photography, theatre, digital art, literary translation and instrument building.
To reflect the festival’s theme of redefining and self-discovery, GTF 2024 launches its key visual, designed by multidisciplinary design studio Putticoop. Putticoop is built upon cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural collaboration, between a Kuala Lumpur-based architect and artist and a Hong Kong-based illustrator and brand designer. Utilising iconic and nostalgic shapes such as Penang Bridge and Komtar, a series of five posters offers a striking and refreshing experience that reflects George Town’s colourful diversity and the festival’s new direction. “This new brand identity aims to appeal to both the local and global community, transforming GTF into a genuinely festive occasion,” says Putticoop founder Lian Kian Lek.
In addition to the key visual, the festival launches its first teaser video, produced by ImageFarm. The teaser features five local artists across creative disciplines: Aida Redza (Dance), Ling Goh (Teochew Opera), Kumaran Rajangam (Tabla Playing), Trina Teoh (Text-Based Art) and Lee Chee Cheng (Signboard Carving). The festival team announces key community engagement programmes that involve collaboration with local arts groups and the transformation of local environments. This includes site-specific performances Yamsenglah! and Journal of Her House, The Kingdom of Childhood at Armenian Park, Journal Creative Market and the Artist-in-Residence Programme. A Community Outreach Programme will also bring the arts to the doorsteps of local communities like Taman Sri Janggus in Machang Bubuk and Bukit Tambun. This outreach initiative is made possible through the support of Penang2030 and the following local leaders: Minister of Human Resources and Member of Parliament for Bukit Mertajam, YB Steven Sim; Assemblyman for Machang Bubuk, YB Lee Khai Loon; and Assemblyman for Bukit Tambun, YB Goh Choon Aik.
The 10-day festival will officially unveil its full programme lineup and open ticket sales in May. The GTF team encourages the public to stay tuned for more exciting announcements on the festival’s website (www.georgetownfestival.com) and social media channels.
