A food festival in Setapak, KL has brought joy to the food enthusiasts but not to the nearby residents.
In its Instagram posts, the food festival received much criticism, including those regarding the traffic congestion and limited parking spaces that the residents nearby had to endure. The food festival in Sama Square commenced on January 9 and is scheduled to continue until January 12, 2025.

While the festival is opening the doors for food enthusiasts to try a plethora of food and meet celebrities, nearby residents continued to call out its management for setting up the event near the residential area, causing traffic congestion and limited parking space as the visitors have taken up the parking spots.
A viral TikTok video by @azreljamaluddin shows the massive traffic in the area.

Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi is well aware of the situation. In a statement, Nik said he has received many complaints from the public regarding the traffic that the food festival is causing, and he assured the public that he has worked with relevant authorities about the matter.
“Stop the festival!”
In a statement shared by Nik on his Instagram this morning (January 11), he said that DBKL has instructed the food festival’s management to cease operations immediately. Nik also revealed that the management did not obtain a valid license to run the food festival in the area.
In his statement, Nik also reminded the management to abide by all rules and consider the welfare of the residents in the area before setting up an event.
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