Gelanggang Seni (Cultural Centre)

Gelanggang Seni is an open-air cultural centre in central Kota Bharu, Kelantan, located near Padang Merdeka on Jalan Mahmood. Operated to preserve and showcase Kelantanese Malay heritage, it hosts free nightly performances of traditional arts. The venue is known for its simple stage and audience seating where visitors can experience authentic local culture in an accessible, central town setting and is managed as a key cultural attraction for tourists.

Visitors can expect an open-air stage with covered audience seating in central Kota Bharu. On performance evenings, they can watch free demonstrations of Kelantanese traditional arts such as silat, wayang kulit (shadow puppetry), dikir barat, rebana ubi drumming, gasing (top spinning) and wau (kite) displays. The setting is informal and community-focused, allowing close viewing of performers in traditional attire. Outside performance times the venue is a simple open compound near Padang Merdeka.