Many of Malaysia's most famous sons and daughters - among them film star P. Ramlee, shoe designer Jimmy Choo, women's current world squash champion Nicol David and Boon Siew Honda founder Loh Boon Siew - hail from Penang.
Home to Southeast Asia's oldest Anglican church of St George's and the ornate, elaborate Khoo Kongsi clan house, this small state off Malaysia's northwest coast is a veritable living archive. Indeed, its capital, George Town, is recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
'What I love most about Penang is its palpable sense of history. The place is in a state of constant renewal, yet it substantially retains the fabric of an age-old village,' says Joe Sidek, 53, George Town Festival director, and one of the island's most devoted sons. 'There is still a story to uncover around every corner.'
Penang's 500-year history is as much a tale of cosmopolitanism as it is a trading centre. When in Bangkok six years ago, Sidek watched a Czech film, The Fifth Horseman is Fear, set in Prague during the Nazi occupation. 'The camera panned across the doctor's room and I spotted a W. Daniell print of Penang Hill.'
When he got back home, Sidek visited the Penang Museum and found on its wall a similar print. 'I discovered that the Czechs had a business community here and they sold ornate wooden chairs and glass chandeliers to Chinese merchants.'
It's discoveries such as these that makes Sidek relish his role as head of the festival - the third instalment of which runs from June 15 until July 15. The sub-theme this year is 'Don't Lose It', which was introduced to help appreciate, preserve and re-discover the island's heritage.
To experience the true Penang, Sidek recommends visitors take a George Town walk. He suggests Armenian Street for its artisan atmosphere. Alongside 88 Armenian Street art galleries, Yap Kongsi Temple, Penang Islamic Museum and Dr Sun Yat Sen's Penang Base, street life along this narrow thoroughfare goes on unabated.