Jonker Street is Malacca Heritage City’s Chinatown. A UNESCO Heritage site and main tourist district of Melaka. The name is unofficial and is derived from the popular Jonker Street Night Market.
While ‘Jonker Street’ originally referred to the eponymous Jonker Street* only, it has come to refer collectively to the area covering two additional streets: Harmony/Temple Street* and Heeren Street*, both of which share a similar vibe with the main street.
Jonker Street Night Market
The Night Market is possibly Malacca City’s most prominent tourist attraction and brings travelers, especially from Singapore and the capital Kuala Lumpur, to Malacca on multiple occasions to partake in it.
It’s held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 6pm (1800) to 11pm (2300). On these days, vehicle traffic is prevented from entering Jonker Walk at around 5pm (1700), after which to enter the hotel an alternative route has to be taken.
Up for purchase is food, all sorts of knick-knacks and simple products. In recent times, busker performances have been a frequent sight as well. The pop-up stalls set up primarily along Jonker Street and Harmony Street. Regular stores on both streets also extend working hours to be part of the night market.
In addition to these, the Jonker Cultural Stage also features a karaoke competition every night till 11pm (2300). The competition is joined by elderly folk from Melaka and neighbouring states eager to share their talents with the world. JBH is located right in front of the Stage and, while some guests have expressed enjoyment at hearing the singing in their rooms, early/light sleeping guests may ask for rooms at the back of the hotel to ensure more peaceful nights on night market dates.
* Jonker Street is known officially as Lorong Hang Jebat, Harmony/Temple Street as Jalan Tokong and Heeren Street as Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock. This is important for the referencing of addresses.