Source : @GobindSinghDeo
KUALA LUMPUR, November 1, 2026 – Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo has urged local traders to embrace artificial intelligence (AI), as the 24th Deepavali Carnival (DC26) at Bukit Jalil sets its sights on drawing more than 500,000 visitors while serving as a showcase for AI adoption among entrepreneurs.
Speaking at a press conference after officiating the carnival at the National Sports Complex in Bukit Jalil on Sunday night, Gobind said he hoped the annual event would keep growing in the years ahead, in step with the new technologies emerging around the world. Also present at the opening were India’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, Shri Somnath Ghosh, and Sentosa state assemblyman Dr Gunarajah R George, Bernama reported.
“Technology has developed, and I think the market today needs AI technology to be used by all traders so they can reach a higher level,” he said, according to a Bernama report that Gobind shared on X on Monday morning, tagged with the hashtags #AINation and #Deepavali.
A platform for AI adoption
The minister’s remarks frame this year’s carnival not only as a festive marketplace but as a key platform for promoting the use of AI among local entrepreneurs, many of them small traders selling Deepavali essentials, clothing and food. Gobind heads the Digital Ministry, which was formed in December 2023 and also oversees the National AI Office (NAIO), set up in December 2024 to coordinate Malaysia’s AI policy.
Organisers expect a record crowd
Jaggarao Simancha, founder and chief executive officer of organiser Agenda Suria Communication Sdn Bhd (ASC), said this year’s edition proved the carnival remained firmly established as one of the biggest tourism attractions in the ASEAN region. “Last year, we recorded about 360,000 visitors. Seeing the extraordinary response in just the first two days, which has already reached about 80,000 people, we are optimistic that this year’s visitor target can be achieved,” he said.
Reaching the 500,000 mark would mean around 140,000 more visitors than last year’s turnout of about 360,000, an increase of close to 40 per cent. With about 80,000 people through the gates in the first two days, the organisers would need an average of roughly 60,000 visitors a day over the remaining seven days to hit the target.
Nine days, 450 booths, free entry
The nine-day carnival runs from October 30 to November 7 and features more than 450 exhibition booths offering Deepavali essentials and a wide variety of food. Admission is free, and the carnival is open to the public every day from noon until 10pm. It ends the day before Deepavali, which falls on Sunday, November 8, this year; because the festival falls on a Sunday, Monday, November 9, is a replacement public holiday in most states, according to the official 2026 public holiday list.
The carnival comes as Gobind marks the festive season in his own constituency as well. On Sunday afternoon, the Damansara Member of Parliament said his parliamentary office and retailer 99 Speedmart had prepared 800 Deepavali food bags for recipients in Petaling, Gombak, Sungai Buloh and Sepang, as the programme returned for a fourth consecutive year.
Source: Gobind Singh Deo on X, with additional reporting from Bernama and Astro Awani.
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