This 66-Hour Ramadan Bazaar Caused A Massive Traffic Jam Around MITEC
The event was packed even at three in the morning.
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The final stretch of the holy fasting month is the storm before the calm in Kuala Lumpur, when everyone is scrambling to do their shopping for the Hari Raya celebrations, expected on 31 March.
During this final week of Ramadan, expect traffic in the city to be badly congested as Malaysians head out to do their last minute shopping before they balik kampung.
Vehicular gridlock on roads surrounding MITEC
Last night (23 March) social media was buzzing with users posting photos of a massive, dreadful traffic jam on roads heading towards the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) at Jalan Dutamas, near the Publika shopping mall.
The cause for this bumper-to-bumper crawl was the Absolut Bazaar X Festival Gaya Raya event, a 66-hour non-stop bazaar taking place in the trade and exhibition centre. This round-the-clock bazaar opened on 21 March at 12pm and remained open until 6am on 24 March.
Social media users shared pictures of the madness
Kuala Lumpur residents who saw the crazy congestion took to social media to share their views of the situation, and believe us, it did not look like something you want to be caught in.
One Facebook user, Ahza Adhwa, posted a photo of the hectic traffic and expressed how he could not relate to the hype surrounding the Absolut Bazaar event.
“People are willing to park three kilometers from MITEC and walk for 45 minutes just to shop? Lazy me just can’t. Energy consuming. Body drain. Just writing about it makes me tired,” he said in the post caption.
Meanwhile, another user on Threads shared a post on 22 March informing that there was heavy traffic around MITEC at 12.52am.
It’s as though the road was congested for four days straight!
She also advised others to think twice about going, or time their visit well enough to avoid being stuck in traffic.
View on Threads
The event was attended by celebrities and packed even at 3.30am
A video posted on TikTok by the event’s organiser showed a live update of the scene at MITEC, with throngs of people still walking around and shopping at half past three in the morning.
@absolutevent Makin PAGI makin RAMAI di MITEC?? 🤯🤯🤯 #absolutbazaargayaraya ♬ original sound – Absolut Bazaar
TikTok user Jeremy Lucas shared this short video compilation of the situation just outside MITEC as well as inside at around two to three in the morning of 23 March.
@jayjayremy yang penting influencer and artis semua cantikkk gilaaa #absolutbazaarxgayaraya #ramadan #mitec ♬ original sound – Jeremy Lucas
There were also a few familiar faces spotted at the event, including celebrity chef Khairul Aming, actress Amelia Henderson, national songstress Dato’ Sri Siti Nurhaliza, veteran singer Ziana Zain, and even former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Absolut Bazaar had 300 participating vendors who offered a wide range of products from food to clothing and cosmetics to Raya treats.
Would you have sat in that traffic jam for hours just to shop for Raya and meet some of your favourite local celebrities?
Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Threads.
