Bukit Bintang


Bukit Bintang is the shopping and entertainment district of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It encompasses Jalan Bukit Bintang and its immediate surrounding areas. The area has long been Kuala Lumpur's most prominent retail belt that is home to many landmark shopping centres, al-fresco cafés, bars, night markets, food street, mamak stalls as well as hawker-type eateries. This area is popular among tourists and locals, especially among the youths.
Since June 2021, the local municipal and authority, Kuala Lumpur City Hall, has created a scramble crossing at the junction of Bukit Bintang, located in front of the iconic McDonald's Bukit Bintang outlet, just below the KL Monorail Line. This was done to increase the walkability in the area.
File:Bukit Bintang 2021.jpg|thumb|Jalan Bukit Bintang from Pavilion KL in 2021

Location

Located within Kuala Lumpur's Golden Triangle, the Bukit Bintang district begins with Jalan Bukit Bintang, starting at Jalan Raja Chulan and ending at Jalan Pudu. The two other roads that border the Bukit Bintang district are Jalan Sultan Ismail , intersecting it and Jalan Imbi at the south. Jalan Walter Grenier, Jalan Bulan, Changkat Bukit Bintang and Jalan Alor are considered part of the entertainment district.
Bukit Bintang borders Pudu and Cheras to the south, Petaling Street to the west, Bukit Nanas to the north, Kuala Lumpur City Centre to the northeast as well as Tun Razak Exchange and Maluri district to the east.

History

The name Jalan Bukit Bintang was taken in conjunction with a hill about 50m high that was located near Kampung Dollah which was a Malay village that now no longer exists and is now replaced with Jalan Changkat Thambi Dollah and Jalan Barat. Jalan Bukit Bintang is a 3.4 km long road starting from the intersection of Jalan Raja Chulan and ending at Jalan Pudu. In the past, Bukit Bintang was a residential area.
In 1945, Jalan Bukit Bintang was the only street that had entertainment, shops and hawker food. Back then, the street featured a famous cabaret, cultural shows, Malay joget, Chinese opera shows, wayang, ballroom dances like rhumba, foxtrot and tango, and amusement fun fair elements like a merry-go-round and ferris wheel. Low Yow Chuan built the Capitol Hotel in 1948, which was later sold and is now called the Malaysia Hotel. In 1947, Hong Kong media mogul Shaw built the famous and popular Bukit Bintang Amusement Park. This entertainment centre was where Sungai Wang Plaza is located today.
Around the 1980s and 1990s, Bukit Bintang experienced problems with prostitution and illegal human trafficking. So the government took the initiative to enforce the areas of Bukit Bintang, Changkat Bukit Bintang, Changkat Thambi Dollah, Imbi and Jalan Alor to be raiding areas for prostitutes and now prostitution activities are reduced. In the late 1980s, Yeoh Tiong Lay proposed a rejuvenated retail cluster in Kuala Lumpur. He started retail developments through a conglomerate YTL Corporation and branded the area as Bintang Walk.

Bintang Walk

Bintang Walk refers to the more developed stretch along the main Bukit Bintang Road and Sultan Ismail Road roads, with the intersection of these two roads as its axis. This place has been transformed over the last five years to become one of the city's trendiest and busiest shopping clusters. Street furniture line the pavements here. Upscale cafes, restaurants and clubs continue to make their presence felt here. On weekends, thousands of locals and tourists throng Bintang Walk and its shopping centres. Many major nightlife events take place here, such as the New Year's countdown, Merdeka eve celebrations, street concerts and parties. The annual Malaysian F1 Grand Prix pit stop and Guinness St Patrick's Day celebrations are held here too.
There are two major annual fashion events held here annually. The STYLO Fashion week as well as the glitzy annual Malaysia International Fashion Week.

Shopping

Bukit Bintang is one of the city's shopping districts. Many of the city's major retail malls are located in this area, including Berjaya Times Square, Imbi Plaza, Fahrenheit 88, Low Yat Plaza, Starhill Gallery, Sungei Wang Plaza, Lot 10, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur and LaLaport Bukit Bintang City Centre.
Imbi is a commercial area located near Bukit Bintang and being a popular tourist spot, the district is especially crowded during public holidays and peak hours. The Berjaya Times Square shopping complex and hotel is located in Imbi. Imbi Road is the main road running through this area.

List of shopping malls

  • Berjaya Times Square - The 13th biggest shopping mall in the world boasting 12 levels of retail with a total of floor area. Although it was initially aimed at the upper-echelon of society, it is currently positioned as a middle-class shopping mall offering youth fashion targeted at the younger crowds. Berjaya Times Square Theme Park is the largest indoor theme park in Malaysia, located on the 5th and 7th floors of the building.
  • The Starhill - Refurbished in 2021, it houses some of the most luxurious brands alongside Suria KLCC. The first Eslite Bookstore and Eslite Spectrum in Southeast Asia as well as a Louis Vuitton flagship outlet flanks the exterior facade of this grand structure. Luxury fashion houses such as Christian Dior, Kenzo and Valentino and luxury watch boutiques such as Rolex, Bedat & Co, Hublot, Audemars Piguet and Jaeger-Le Coultre have an outlet here. JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur is connected to the mall through a "Time Tunnel" while a link bridge connects Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur.
  • Pavilion Kuala Lumpur - Built-in late 2007, it is targeted at the middle-upper segment of society. It offers a diverse tenant mix which makes it one of the more popular malls in Kuala Lumpur. Dadi Cinema and Parkson are the anchor tenants of this mammoth 7-storey retail podium. A plethora of luxury boutiques ranging from Hermes, Celine, Ermenegildo Zegna, Diane von Fürstenberg to Italian fashion doyens like Furla, Gucci, Miu Miu, Fendi and Prada are also located there. Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had opened his very own bakery, The Loaf, located strategically next to the main entrance until its closure in 2023.
  • Fahrenheit 88 - Renamed and refurbished in September 2010, the mall is the successor of the deteriorating KL Plaza. It consists of of lettable space spread over 5 levels of zoned shopping space. A designated zone for IT gadgets is similar to Low Yat Plaza, named Signature@IT. This mall caters largely to homegrown, middle-priced retailers despite being anchored by Japanese retailers Uniqlo.
  • Lot 10 - When it was opened in 1989, it was considered the Harrods-equivalent of Malaysia housing designer outlets like Aigner and Versace. Nowadays it is widely reckoned as a mid-range retail destination as most outlets have shifted due to competition and degradation. Widespread refurbishment to the mall was done at a cost of RM20 million. Existing anchor Isetan has undergone a facelift. The entrance is flanked by Jonetz by Don Don Donki, and H&M, popular Swedish multinational retail-clothing outlet.
  • Plaza Low Yat - The ultimate one-stop centre for electronic gadgets. The ratio between IT outlets and F&B outlets are 70:30.
  • Sungei Wang Plaza - Despite opening in 1977 and being the oldest mall in the area, it remains a popular destination for gamers and thrifty shoppers. The plaza features low-cost items, service businesses, Giant grocery store and was formerly anchored by Parkson.
  • LaLaport BBCC - It is the first LaLaport to open in Southeast Asia by Mitsui Fudosan Co. Ltd. The mall is named after the Bukit Bintang City Centre development where it was built. It consist of 1.4 million square feet across 6 levels of retail with anchor tenants namely Jaya Grocer supermarket, Metrojaya department store, Nitori furniture store, Nojima, Rollerwa skating rink, MR DIY, MR TOY and BookXcess. LaLaport BBCC was opened to the public on 20 January 2022 as a soft opening. The Malaysia Grand Bazaar is also located right next to the mall which forms part of the BBCC entertainment hub, and was dubbed as the first artisanal mall to open in Kuala Lumpur.
  • The Exchange TRX - A luxury mall within the Tun Razak Exchange financial district located along Jalan Tun Razak. The mall is anchored by Aurum Theatre of GSC Cinemas, Seibu department store and Mercato supermarket with other smaller anchor tenants including UNIQLO, LC Waikiki, H&M, Muji and MPH Bookstores. It also comes with a 10-acre park that sits on top of the mall, with a few open squares and F&B establishments. The Exchange TRX mall was opened on 29 November 2023 and has a direct connection to the Tun Razak Exchange MRT station beneath the complex.
  • 118 Mall - An upcoming 7-storey shopping mall with a glass dome roof featuring of more than 300 stores and 12 cinema halls. The mall is currently under construction at the base of Merdeka 118, the second-tallest building in the world.
  • Imbi Plaza - located right opposite of Berjaya Times Square.File:The Exchange TRX 20231216.jpg|thumb|The Exchange TRX from The Raintree Plaza in 2023. The Exchange 106 tower can also be seen in the background.

    Food

Bintang Walk

Restaurants dedicated to Arabian gastronomy have been sprouting along with the core of the Bintang Walk of late due to a recent general initiative to lure Arab tourists to this region. Popular Maghreb and Lebanese alongside Iranian delicacies are increasingly served by restaurants. However, plenty of trendy restaurants cater to international fare, especially in the BB park area.

"Hutong" on Lot 10

Hutong is referred to as Malaysia's first gourmet heritage village, a food court inspired by the Old China influences. The term Hutong is commonly associated with narrow alleys in Beijing's oldest neighbourhoods. Located on the lower ground floor of Lot 10, this newly revamped food court features 25 street food stalls selling locally renowned and established Chinese eateries scoured across Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. It is directly connected to Bintang Walk via an escalator.