Chinese New Year in Penang is loud, red and wonderfully busy — and for families with little ones, it can also be hot, crowded and hard to time around nap schedules. Inside UFOREA, the festival gets its own gentle, hands-on version: air-conditioned, fully supervised, and built entirely at toddler height.

One of the favourites each season is the Chinese calligraphy corner, where children pick up a brush — many for the very first time — and paint bold, wobbly festival characters under the eye of our team. It is messy in the best way, and the finished sheets go home as the kind of keepsake parents actually frame.

Around it, the day fills with festive games, lucky-red décor and plenty of dressing up. Many families drift into Makeover Castle for a quick costume change before the family photos, then let the older children run the shops and counters of Mini Town. With nine themed worlds and one all-day wristband, there is room for the whole extended family to spread out — cousins included.

If you are planning a reunion-week outing with young children, an indoor playground takes the pressure off: no sunburn, no queues in the heat, and a parents’ rest area for the grown-ups who have already done three house visits that morning. Come for the calligraphy, stay for the play.