> Quick view: The Waterfront Shoppes (TWS), the 1.6 million sq ft seafront mall at The Light City, Gelugor, soft-opened on Thursday 29 October 2026. The mall itself gives up to 5 hours of free parking until 30 November and a lucky draw for every RM200 spent until 3 January 2027. On top of that, 15 tenants listed opening offers on the mall's website. The best value lands on the 31 October-1 November weekend, when Decathlon's free backpack, Onya's RM1 kopi, Ondo's free pastries, Xventure's RM1 second ticket and a free Halloween fest all overlap.
*Image: The Waterfront Shoppes (artist's impression of the Light Promenade)*
What opened
TWS is the retail part of The Light City, the IJM and Perennial development on reclaimed land beside the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway, next to the Penang Waterfront Convention Centre. The mall has about 300 retail spaces over four levels, arranged in themed zones: the open-air Light Promenade on the sea, Union Square, Campbell Court (beauty and lifestyle, where the Concierge Counter sits), Victoria Square (fashion) and Rodeo Drive (athleisure and social spaces).
It is a soft opening, so not every shop is trading yet. Parkson, Decathlon, Watsons and Skechers anchor the early line-up, with Xventure's indoor adventure park and D Project's ELEMEN light exhibition as the big attractions.
Address and hours: No. 1A, Persiaran Chin Fung Kee, 11700 Gelugor, Penang. The mall is open 10am-10pm, Monday to Sunday. There are about 2,500 covered parking bays over four levels (LG, LM, B1 and B2) with EV charging bays, and e-hailing riders use the dedicated bay at the North Entrance. Search "The Waterfront Shoppes, Penang" in Waze, Google Maps or Grab.
Everything below comes from the mall's own Opening Offers and Happenings pages and the tenants' posters published there.
The two mall-wide offers
1. Up to 5 hours free parking (29 October-30 November). Enter the car park with a bank card or a Touch 'n Go card. Before you leave, go to the Concierge Counter, Ground Floor, Campbell Court, scan the QR code and register your vehicle. Exit with the same card you entered with. The cap is 5 hours per entry, so a full-day visit still pays for the extra hours.
2. Opening Rewards lucky draw (29 October 2026-3 January 2027). Spend RM200 or more in up to two same-day receipts at TWS tenants and you get one serial-number card. Prizes include a Proton e.MAS 7 Premium, a Maldives travel voucher for two, return flights for two from Penang to Shanghai, COSAS luggage sets, smart watches, earphones and Caring Pharmacy vouchers. You can enter as many times as you qualify.
Tenant opening offers, by date
Running now, ends 1 November - Onya Modern Asian: local kopi, teh or cham for RM1, first 1,000 cups, 29 Oct-1 Nov. - Xventure: buy one regular admission and get the second ticket for RM1, 29 Oct-1 Nov, first 100 pairs, walk-in only and same-day entry. Our Xventure Penang guide has the full price list. - Xiang Xiang Hunan Cuisine: unlimited snacks and ice cream for walk-in diners; a free signature dessert for the first 50 tables daily; a free Xiang Xiang tote bag when the table spends RM200 (one per table). - Dragon Noodle: 15% off storewide until 1 November. The poster prints the start as "29 September", which looks like a slip for 29 October since the mall opened that day. - Ningji Lemon Tea: 20% off its top 5 drinks for the soft opening. The poster gives no end date, so ask at the counter. - Parkson: the first 300 new Parkson Card members from 29 Oct-1 Nov get a sign-up gift. (The free RM10 voucher for the first 300 shoppers was for 29 October only.)
Hey Yogurt (kiosk LG-050): buy 1 free 1, Thursday to Saturday, 29-31 October, 10am-10pm, while stocks last.
Decathlon grand opening, Sat 31 Oct-Sun 1 Nov - Free backpack with a minimum purchase of RM118 (120 pieces a day). - Free cooler bag with a minimum purchase of RM168 (90 pieces a day). - Both with a minimum purchase of RM280. - Free shopping bag for the first 500 customers each day.
Ondo, Sun 1 November: 1,000 free Butter Milk Pastry from 12pm at its 25th store, while stocks last.
Longer-running offers - Loud Speaker karaoke (Lot 1F-003): 2 hours of singing from RM1++ per person, Monday to Thursday before 5pm, 29 Oct-11 Dec. - Travel For All (Lot 1F-048): a free Kenvelo 22" trolley case (normal price RM1,119) with any purchase of selected Kenvelo luggage, and a Flyasia 20" trolley case for RM99 (normal price RM399), while stocks last. - LAC (Lot LG-034): a free LAC FullCal 30's with a minimum RM499 purchase, plus a RM20 voucher with any purchase, usable 1 December 2026-31 January 2027 (one per member). - ParaThai (Lot LG-020): free membership sign-up with 5% cash back and a RM20 welcome voucher for your next visit. - Beutea (Lot LG-051): buy 1 free 1 on its opening day, Friday 6 November.
The mall's Opening Offers page also carries a 16th card for U Mobile (Lot 1F-052), but it is the telco's nationwide Ultra Family plan (4 mobile lines for RM128 a month), not a TWS-only discount.
Free events worth timing your visit around
- Halloween fest, 30 Oct-1 Nov: free entry, with a haunted house, costume competition, free Halloween make-up, a pop-up market and live music.
- Movie Under the Stars, 30 Oct-1 Nov: free open-air screenings at Rodeo Drive (*Finding Nemo*, *Dolphin Tale* and *The Meg*).
- CRYBABY: Cry Me An Ocean by POP MART, 29 Oct-1 Nov: a giant inflatable CRYBABY on the Light Promenade. Post a photo of yourself with it on your public Instagram feed, tag @thewaterfrontshoppes and @popmartmy, and like, comment (tagging 3 friends) and share the mall's campaign post. One winner a day gets a CRYBABY blind box (14 winners in all; the contest runs to 11 November, one entry per person per day).
- ELEMEN by D Project (29 Oct 2026-14 Feb 2027, 10am-10pm): this one is paid. It is a walk-through light and digital art show across five themed zones. Tickets are RM48 standard, RM38 per person for groups of two or more, RM28 for extra children aged 1-12, seniors and OKU, and free for one child aged 7 or under per paying adult.
Worked examples
- A sports-gear run on Saturday: running shoes and a yoga mat that total RM290 at Decathlon get you both the backpack and the cooler bag. The same receipt is over RM200, so take it to the Concierge Counter the same day for one lucky draw entry, and register your car while you are there.
- Two smaller receipts: RM140 at Decathlon (backpack) plus RM65 for dinner at Xiang Xiang, on the same day, adds up to RM205. That is one lucky draw entry. A third receipt does not count, because the rule is a maximum of two receipts.
- A cheap couple's evening on Friday 30 October: two RM1 kopi at Onya (RM2), ELEMEN at the two-person rate (RM76 instead of RM96), then the free outdoor movie. With 5 hours of free parking, the night costs under RM80.
- Karaoke on a weekday afternoon: at RM1++ per person for 2 hours, four friends pay a few ringgit before service charge and tax. Check which rooms and time slots the RM1++ price covers when you book, since the poster says only "from".
Who should go, and who should wait
Go this weekend if you live on the island or in Seberang Perai and were going to buy sports gear, luggage or supplements anyway: the Decathlon and Travel For All gifts are real items, not vouchers. Families get the most out of 31 October-1 November, with free Halloween activities and movies on top of the deals.
Wait if you hate crowds or want the full tenant mix. A new mall's first weekend in Penang will be packed, the freebies are capped daily, and many units are still being fitted out. The parking offer runs to 30 November and the lucky draw to January, so a quieter weekday visit in mid-November still gets you the two mall-wide perks.
Fine print that trips people up
- Free parking is not automatic. Without registering at the Concierge Counter, you pay normal rates. It only works if you enter by bank card or Touch 'n Go card.
- Lucky draw receipts expire the same day. Physical receipts must be shown at the redemption counter on the day of purchase; e-receipts go through the mall's e-form, also on the same day. Photocopies and screenshots are rejected.
- Not every purchase counts. Roadshows (property, cars, festive fairs), bill payments, top-ups, gift cards, money changers and bank transactions are excluded. The draw is open to Malaysian citizens aged 17 and above.
- Keep the serial-number card and original receipts until winners are announced. Lost cards are not replaced, and winners have 30 days to claim.
- Decathlon's thresholds are "minimum purchase", with daily quantities. Go early on Saturday if you want the cooler bag, since only 90 are given out each day.
- Xiang Xiang's 10% new-member voucher is claimed 29-31 October but cannot be used during that period, so it is for a return visit.
