30/04/2026

THURSDAY | APR 30, 2026

6

Chithirai Pournami festival to adopt green theme

Orchestra festival to be

held from May 28 to June 28

o Association calls to drop usage of plastics while urging devotees, guests to curb food wastage and littering

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur City Hall is set to host the Kuala Lumpur Orchestra Festival (KLOF) 2026, featuring 45 events including concerts, pocket performances, workshops, forums and a carnival. The festival will be held at various iconic locations around the capital from May 28 to June 28. City Hall executive director of socioeconomic development Ismadi Sakirin said the festival, now in its third year, has become an important platform for elevating Kuala Lumpur’s standing as an international city of arts, culture and creativity. “More than 2,000 participants will be involved in the festival. Orchestras from Thailand, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines and China will also be participating, alongside local ensembles such as the Kuala Lumpur Orchestra, Kuala Lumpur Youth Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and RTM Orchestra,” he said in a statement yesterday. He added that KLOF would feature a special collaboration with the Yogyakarta Royal Orchestra of Indonesia, to be presented online via YouTube, opening the artistic space to a wider audience. Ismadi said KLOF 2026 would also place strong emphasis on nurturing young talent through workshops, auditions and performing arts training programmes. He said the festival would further strengthen Kuala Lumpur’s position as a member of the Unesco Creative Cities Network, which recognises the role of arts and creativity in urban development. – Bernama

Ű BY ANDREW SAGAYAM newsdesk@thesundaily.com

IPOH: Devotees and visitors have been urged to avoid using plastics and not waste food offered at stalls during the Chithirai Pournami festival, which falls tomorrow. Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) consumer and environmental education officer N. V. Subbarow said large crowds are expected at Sri Thandayuthabani Temple in Teluk Intan. “We are expecting at least 100,000 devotees and public visitors from all over Malaysia, as well as neighbouring countries. “Organisations setting up thanneer panthals (refreshment stalls) offering free food and drinks, and devotees are urged to refrain from using single-use plastics, polystyrene containers and cups during the event. “Instead, they should use reusable plates and cups, or leaves. At festivals across the country, plastic plates, cups, spoons and forks dominate refreshment stalls,” he said in a statement yesterday. Stall operators and vendors often cited convenience as the reason for using such containers, cutlery and cups when serving large crowds. However, he said there were better ways to serve food without generating excessive waste that harms the

Subbarow said there were better ways to serve food without generating excessive waste that harms the environment, adding that plastics do not decompose. – PIC COURTESY OF CONSUMERS’ ASSOCIATION OF PENANG

refreshment stall operators to provide only one pack of food per person. “Let’s use this festival as a platform to care for the environment by freeing ourselves from single-use plastics and products. We must leave behind a cleaner and safer earth for our children,” he said. The Chithirai Pournami festival, which marks the full moon of the Tamil month of Chithirai , is regarded as a spiritually and culturally significant occasion for Tamils.

such as festivals, the more plastic waste will flow into the environment and end up as pollution. “The alternatives to single-use plastics are reusable items, washing utensils, leaves used as plates and food wraps, while bringing your own containers to pack food, bottles to refill drinks and cloth bags to carry your belongings,” he said. Subbarow also called for efforts to reduce food wastage, saying CAP urged those serving meals to reduce portion sizes and urged

environment, adding that plastics do not decompose, while so-called biodegradable and compostable plastics only break down under specific conditions. He also said plastic pollution has rapidly become one of the most pressing environmental threats to people and the planet, while the production and use of single-use plastics posed serious concerns to public health and the environment. “The more plastics that are used and discarded during major events