GEORGE TOWN, Aug 16 — The Penang Street Food Festival is back for the second time, this time over the long Merdeka weekend on September 1 and 2.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the street food festival will be held as part of the Merdeka celebrations in Penang.

"This is also due to the overwhelming response to the street food festival in April that recorded 120,000 people on the first night,” he said in a press conference at his office today.

Lim said all local street food including some Thai food and locally made European fusion food will be available during the two-day festival along Beach Street.

This time, the festival will introduce more varieties of food including mee udang from Pulau Aman and Batu Ferringhi, beef koay teow, Jalil special ice kacang and the crowd favourite, ‘daging harimau menangis.

More than 100 hawker stalls will be featured during this festival and there will also be side attractions during the festival.

Famed illusionists Avery Chin and Sylvia Chin will be performing during the festival to try and break their Guinness Book of Records of changing 19 costumes in under one minute.

There will also be a fun fair with a carousel at the festival, which will be held along the length of Beach Street on both nights from 5pm to 11pm.