Take the microphone at the Jonker Walk cultural stage
Aunties line-dancing until eleven
An open-air municipal stage at the western end of Jalan Hang Jebat, running a karaoke competition on the three nights the weekend market is on, with plastic tables and food stalls around it.
Why it's unique
At the far end of Jonker Street, past the food stalls, an open-air stage runs a karaoke competition until about 11pm every night of the weekend market. It is dominated by elderly Melakans and visitors from neighbouring states singing Mandarin, Malay and English standards, with rows of aunties line-dancing in front of it.
Karaoke is universal, so the claim is about the ritual rather than the venue: a municipally-staged nightly oldies contest that is the actual social centre of a UNESCO heritage street is not a thing another Malaysian city has. You can put your name down and sing, which is the difference between watching this and doing it.
Before you go
The market runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings only, from about 6pm. On any other night Jonker Street is a normal quiet road and the stage is dark, which catches out a lot of midweek visitors.
Sit at the plastic tables at the end with food from the stalls and a drink; nobody minds, and that is where locals watch from. You can put your name down to sing. It is free, and it runs until about 11pm.