PENANG COFFEE FESTIVAL 2019 CLOSING CEREMONY

SPEECH BY YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW

CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG

PENANG COFFEE FESTIVAL 2019 CLOSING CEREMONY

13 Oct 2019

Good evening everyone and welcome to Cheah Kongsi. We are in the heart of the iconic and vital stretch of Penang’s heritage zone and it is indeed an appropriate venue for the closing ceremony of Penang Coffee Festival 2019.

Penang has all the necessary ingredients to become a society that is progressive, creative, sustainable, prosperous and empowered. But for us to realise this vision, we must allow arts and culture to be the tool to educate and contribute towards realising Penang2030.

It is, therefore, vital for the state government as well as stakeholders to strategically immerse ourselves in the diversification of recreation, sports, arts and cultural facilities as well as to foster an ecosystem that nurtures creative industries and niche business services.

The inaugural Penang Coffee Festival which is held from 20 September to 13 October 2019, is precisely such a vital step. Spreading across different distinctive venues in Penang, this fantastic and remarkable coffee adventure aims to celebrate the diversity of a slew of traditional and exotic coffee all around the island and the mainland, in addition to bolstering and encouraging the development of the coffee industry in Penang.

It is little wonder that The Pearl of the Orient has transformed into an alluring coffee paradise that will engage, enlighten and entertain, brimming with a smorgasbord of coffee choices that are bound to spoil the crowd.

And this evening, we are celebrating the conclusion of the one-month-long Festival with The Coffee & Musical Party.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The Penang state government has always been a firm believer in nurturing and supporting tourism, the arts, culture, and heritage. The Penang state government will continue to develop Penang Coffee Festival into an international platform for local coffee makers to showcase their works, allowing their masterpieces to be witnessed and tasted by an international crowd and gain global fame.

I also hope that this year’s Penang Coffee Festival has added colours and excitement to brighten up Penang, making it a happening city.

I want to take this opportunity to thank PETACH office, volunteers and all the participants for making Penang Coffee Festival 2019 a great success. 

As I declare the closing of Penang Coffee Festival 2019, I look forward with extreme excitement to what will be in store for next year’s Festival and in the years to come.

Enjoy the evening and see you again at the Penang Coffee Festival next year.