George Town Heritage Day in 2024

When is George Town Heritage Day?

Georgetown Heritage Day is a regional public holiday in the Malaysian State of Penang on July 7th each year. 

This holiday commemorates the anniversary on recognition of George Town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on this day in 2008.

History of George Town Heritage Day?

Founded by Francis Light of the British East India Company in 1786, George Town was the first British settlement in Southeast Asia. The town was named after the British King, George III.

On July 7th 2008, UNESCO inscribed Malacca and George Town as cultural sites on the World Heritage List, with UNESCO explaining:

"Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century. The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia."

Source: UNESCO World Heritage Convention