In Malaysia, the Federal Territory Day is celebrated annually on the 1st of February denoting a public holiday for all Kuala Lumpur residents.
| Date | Day | Holiday | States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Feb | Friday | Federal Territory Day | Kuala Lumpur, Labuan & Putrajaya |
The modern Malaysia took its form in 1963 marking this day as Malaysia Day. At this time, the former British colony of Singapore and the East Malaysian states of Sabah, as well as Sarawak, were made unified with the Federation of Malaya.
Before becoming the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur was formerly part of the state of Selangor. The Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur Agreement was signed on January 28th, 1974 whereby Kuala Lumpur (KL) became a federal territory four days later on the 1st of February and was regulated under the federal government. A second federal territory was created in 1984 when the administration of Sabah surrendered Labuan to the federal government. Situated towards the south of Kota Kinabalu, Labuan has a population of around 100,000 people. It is primarily known as an offshore financial centre offering many attractions thus making it among the many fantastic tourist destinations.
As Kuala Lumpur grew rapidly and became overcrowded, a new planned city of Putrajaya was created to become the centre of administration for Malaysia. The Malaysian government shifted its seat from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya in 1999 making Putrajaya a third federal territory in 2001. Lying 25 kilometres away from Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya was designed to affiliate the many government ministries as a way of attaining greater efficiency for an evolving administration. The pronouncement of moving out of Kuala Lumpur was considered in the effort to relieve traffic congestions as well as to allow the ministry to convert all government properties into commercial developments.
All three federal territories celebrate a happy and joyful Federal Territory Day on the 1st of February every year to mark the initial establishment of Kuala Lumpur as a federal territory.
Although the Federal Territory Day is only celebrated within three main states, there are plenty of things to see and do as well as places to stop by when visiting Malaysia during the occasion.
Commemorated with great enthusiasm, activities during the Federal Territory Day include multitude performances, parades, cultural exhibitions and various contests as well as games along with a display of fireworks. The abundant splendid shows and cultural exhibitions are also free to attend without any prior entrance fee.
Focused locations for exciting sights during Federal Territory Day include Dataran Merdeka and KLCC Petronas Twin Towers. Each year, a variety of celebrations and events will be held in unique locations to commemorate the occasion.
