BUTTERWORTH: The Butterworth Fringe Festival (BFF), which is an art festival centered on creativity, culture and community, attracted about 30,000 visitors to Padang Permuda Merdeka at Bagan Luar here.
“This event serves as an avenue for local and international performances and celebrates everything extraordinary about the arts,” Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) senior Datuk Azhar Arshad said.
“We also hope to make Butterworth a hub for creative and innovative cultural events. The BFF platform serves as a unifying space for the community to embrace heritage, art and culture, transcending ethnic and religious backgrounds.
“The BFF also aligns with the Butterworth Baharu Regeneration Programme, which was launched in 2015 and focuses on revitalizing Seberang Perai through arts, culture and heritage activities to make it a livable and vibrant city.
“This initiative is also an enabler of the Local Economic Development (LED), particularly benefiting the residents of Seberang Perai while also contributing to Penang’s overall development.”
This year marked the event’s 7th edition, which was organized by the Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP), endorsed by the Penang state government, supported by Penang Global Tourism and managed by TLM Event.
This year’s BFF presented international cultural acts through The Street Art Festival concept. The program on Dec 16 and 17 involved local and international performances with free admission for all.
Among the activities was the Busker Stage where performers such as Alessandra Azzaro from Italy performed the hula hoops to dance hits from the 90s, Moises Ugidos Cedeno from Spain performed his street show in classic Arabic style, Cube Yi from Taiwan entertained the crowd with his juggling performance, and Yoltic Atzin Lopex from Mexico who used his body to communicate emotions and tell stories.
“Yoltic and I are part of the TravieCircus Duo, and we are very glad to have the opportunity to perform the Hoop BoomBoom and Nopalito Clown for our audience here at BFF,” said Azzaro. “We feel very glad to be part of one of the most recognized art festivals in Malaysia and the world.
“As a circus artist journeying through many different urban spaces and environments, I engage in dialogue with many people. Through my performance, I hope to convey the potential of the human body and spirit, and by doing so, inspire people to embody the ability to overcome personal boundaries during challenging times. Taiwan is as multicultural as Malaysia and I look forward to meeting many more friends here,” said Yi.
