| English | Bintang Walk |
| Chinese | 武吉免登 |
| (Pinyin | Wǔjí miǎn dēng) |
| Malay | Bukit Bintang |
| Tamil | ஸ்டர் ஹில்ல் |
| Ruling party | |
| Places of Interest | |
Bukit Bintang (stylized as Bintang Walk or Starhill) is the name of 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, swanky bars, night markets, as well as hawker-type eateries. This area is popular among tourists and locals, especially among the youths. A part of Bintang Walk is designated as an "Arab Street".
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Nestled within Kuala Lumpur's Golden Triangle, the Bukit Bintang district begins with Jalan Bukit Bintang which starts at Jalan Raja Chulan and ends at Pudu Road. The two other roads that border the Bukit Bintang district are Jalan Sultan Ismail which intersects it and Imbi Road at the south. Jalan Walter Grenier, Jalan Bulan, Changkat Bukit Bintang and Jalan Alor are considered part of the entertainment district.
Jalan Tong Shin in Bukit Bintang was the focal point of the Malaysia's deadly May 13 race riots. Back in the late 1980's, corporate magnate Tan Sri Yeoh Tiong Lay proposed a rejuvenated retail cluster in Kuala Lumpur. He started retail developments in this area through conglomerate YTL Corporation and branded the area as Bintang Walk. The district has since undergone transformation to become one of the hippest destinations in the city. Though the decentralisation of malls in Kuala Lumpur of late has seen more sophisticated malls sprouting around the fringes of the city proper at an unprecedented rate.
Bintang Walk refers to the more developed stretch along the main Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Sultan Ismail roads, with the intersection of these two roads as its axis. This place has been transformed over the last 5 years to become one of the most trendy and busiest shopping clusters in the city. Street furniture lines the pavements here. Upscale cafes, restaurants and clubs continue to make their presence felt here. On weekends, thousands of locals as well as 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 annual glitzy Malaysia International Fashion Week (M-IFW).[1]
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, Bukit Bintang Plaza, Imbi Plaza, Fahrenheit 88 (refurbished, previously known as KL Plaza) Low Yat Plaza, Starhill Gallery, Sungei Wang Plaza, Lot 10 and Pavilion KL.
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. Jalan Imbi is the main road running through this area.
Chulan Square is located at the intersection of the upper-end of bustling Jalan Raja Chulan and Jalan Bukit Bintang. Outlets available:
Restaurants dedicated to Arabian gastronomy has been sprouting along the core of the Bintang Walk of late as a result of a recent general initiative to lure Arab tourists to this region. Popular Maghreb and Lebanese alongside Iranian delicacies are increasingly served by restaurants. However, there are still plenty of trendy and chic restaurants catering to international fare, especially in the BB park area.
Hutong (Chinese: 胡同) is referred to as Malaysia's first gourmet heritage village, a food court inspired by Old China influences. The term Hutong is commonly associated with narrow alleys in Beijing's oldest neighborhoods. 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.[3][4]
Previously an entertainment park owned by Low Yat and Sons Realty, BB Park has been extensively revamped to keep abreast with changing times. Its axis is located along the lower section of Bintang Walk, its concept revolves around social dining and cultural themes. It hosts themed-restaurants in a semi-open air setting which serves up mainly foreign foods including French and German cuisines. The park features Live entertainment in the form of Live bands and cultural shows, and are held during some weekdays alongside during weekends. Besides food joints, some of BB Park's tenants include local art galleries.[5]
Changkat Bukit Bintang is located perpendicular to Bintang Walk and Jalan Alor. This is the upmarket gastronomy district of Bukit Bintang. Fine dining joints line the street. It boasts pre-war, colonial buildings which have been refurbished into upmarket restaurants and pubs, serving up Western dining. Changkat Bukit Bintang is also home to one of Kuala Lumpur's hippest and happening party venues.
Jalan Alor is an entire street dedicated to cheap hawker food of mainly local Chinese cuisines. Located within walking proximity with Bintang Walk, it is popular with the locals for offering food served in a traditional open-air atmosphere, with chairs and tables dotting the curbs and road-sides. This is a place burgeoning with activity both during night and day. While some hawkers erect stalls along curbs, others operate food stalls from utilitarian restaurants. The food served in local hawker stalls are generally cleaner than their counterparts in Malaysia's less-developed neighbouring countries.
Cosmo's World Indoor theme park is located between level 5 and 7 of Berjaya Times Square. It is Malaysia's largest indoor theme park, measuring 133,000 square feet (12,400 m2). It features both children rides and thrill rides. The grueling Supersonic Odyssey is Asia-Pacific's longest multiple-inverted 800 metre long indoor roller coaster.[6]
The Bintang Walk district is famous for its foot/body massages and spas-related services. There are numerous shops along the district offering different types of massages inspired by Chinese traditions. These stores also offer exotic foot treatments. These incorporate reflexology, which stimulates acupressure points on the foot. Among the claimed benefits of foot massages are better blood circulation, cures to certain ailments and a balanced, detoxified body. In these shops, patrons sit on reclining long chairs and spend up to an hour or more getting their feet treated to a thorough massage. Charges are measured by the time span and types of the massages. The shops are usually open till the wee hours of the morning, which is when the bulk of the business comes.
SMART Tunnel Entrance is located here. Maju Expressway Entrance is located here.
Bintang Walk is accessible via Bukit Bintang Monorail station, which is located at the intersection of Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Bukit Bintang.
Under the upcoming My Rapid Transit, one station have been designated for Bintang Walk under the finalised Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line, namely Bukit Bintang Central. The previous proposal to have two stations- Bukit Bintang East and Bukit Bintang West -have been etched and consolidated into one. Operations will begin in January 2016.