Penang · Malaysia
August
Hungry Ghost Festival and George Town arts overlap — atmospheric and culturally rich.
Strong option
#5 of 12 months
There are better months for Penang — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
32.3°C
Low
24.8°C
Rain
115mm
Sun
7.6hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How August scores in Penang
Weather
Very good
Value
Good
Crowds
Above average
Events
Very good
Atmosphere
Excellent
What you gain in August
- ↑The Hungry Ghost Festival peaks in August: the streets of George Town fill with smoking incense, paper offerings, and the distinctive sound of Getai performances. The Teochew clan associations along Chulia Street and the Hokkien communities around the Khoo Kongsi are particularly involved — this is living culture, not performance for tourists.
- ↑The George Town Festival continues into August: the range of artistic programming in the second month often includes the most acclaimed international productions of the programme.
- ↑Penang International Food Festival preparations begin: August sees the island's food community at its most inventive, with pop-up collaborations and special menus appearing across the city.
What you sacrifice
- ↓The monsoon reasserts: 115mm across the month means afternoon rain remains a near-daily occurrence. Batu Ferringhi beach is inconsistent.
- ↓August school holidays for both Malaysian and Singapore families make Gurney Drive and popular hawker centres very busy on weekend evenings — queues at the most famous stalls extend significantly.
How August compares to February (best month)
| Factor | August | February ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 7 | 9 |
| Value | 6 | 7 |
| Crowds | 5 | 6 |
August in other destinations
Lisbon (26.5°C)Barcelona (28.6°C)Tokyo (32.1°C)Bali (29.9°C)Santorini (26°C)Paris (24.3°C)New York (27.7°C)Marrakech (35.8°C)Amsterdam (21.4°C)Maldives (30.3°C)Rome (30.4°C)Bangkok (31.5°C)Istanbul (28°C)Vienna (25.9°C)Seoul (29°C)Dubrovnik (28.5°C)Rio de Janeiro (25.9°C)Kyoto (33.7°C)Phuket (31.3°C)Cape Town (17.2°C)Prague (26°C)Amalfi Coast (31°C)Mexico City (23°C)Medellín (29°C)Fiji (26°C)London (24°C)Sydney (18°C)Iceland (14°C)Tulum (33°C)Dubai (42°C)Singapore (32°C)Hoi An (33°C)Chiang Mai (31°C)Miami (33.3°C)Florence (31.8°C)Queenstown (9°C)Madrid (35.2°C)Porto (27°C)Edinburgh (19°C)Copenhagen (22°C)Budapest (28°C)Kraków (24°C)Tbilisi (31°C)Palawan (30°C)Hanoi (32°C)Osaka (34°C)Goa (30°C)Cusco (20°C)Buenos Aires (15°C)Mykonos (30°C)Zanzibar (26°C)Sri Lanka (30°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (32°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (33°C)Seville (36°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (31°C)Havana (32°C)Split (30°C)Taipei (34°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (32°C)Ho Chi Minh City (32°C)Hawaii (31°C)Cappadocia (32°C)Dominican Republic (32°C)Jamaica (33°C)Tanzania (23°C)Seychelles (26°C)Nepal (27°C)Jordan (36°C)Azores (27°C)Bora Bora (26°C)Los Angeles (28.5°C)Cairo (38.2°C)Kenya (24°C)Jaipur (32.8°C)Las Vegas (40.1°C)San Francisco (18°C)Madeira (28°C)Vancouver (23.3°C)Muscat (38.5°C)Lima (17.2°C)Cinque Terre (29°C)Kotor (32°C)Tel Aviv (32°C)Santiago (15°C)Bogotá (19°C)Bruges (22.4°C)Lombok (30.4°C)Cape Verde (29.5°C)Fez (37.2°C)Kerala (29°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (31°C)Oslo (23°C)Auckland (14°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Penang, not across destinations. Methodology →