Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru is running Colourful Deepavali from 28 September to 28 October 2026, a month-long Festival of Lights programme inside the mall rather than a single-day street event. Shoppers can expect kolam-making, themed booths, workshops, stage performances, and a CSR programme, with the mall asking families to plan a visit around the season.
The dates sit across the Deepavali period, so the mall is treating the festival as a full shopping-month campaign, not a one-off weekend. That matters in Johor Bahru, where malls are a default outing for local families and for Singapore visitors who come over for dinner, groceries, and seasonal displays. Colourful Deepavali is the seasonal overlay on that regular trip: extra colour on the concourse, extra reasons to stay longer, and a few activities that are worth timing rather than wandering past.
The source announcement is short. It names the run dates, the mall, the festival theme, and a list of activities. It does not publish a daily timetable, contest rules, workshop fees, or a floor map. Those details, when they appear, usually sit at the mall’s information counters, on the Paradigm Mall JB social channels, or on printed posters near the atrium. Treat the list below as confirmed from the mall’s own post. Treat anything else as something to check on the day.
What is on during Colourful Deepavali
The mall has listed four named strands, plus an open “and more” that it has not specified.
Kolam making contest. Kolam (also called rangoli in some communities) is the floor pattern of rice flour, coloured powder, or flower petals traditionally drawn at thresholds during Deepavali. A mall contest typically means a timed or judged session in a public atrium, with entries from shoppers, school groups, or invited artists. Paradigm has not published entry dates, age categories, or prizes in the source post. If you want to take part rather than watch, ask at the concourse information desk closer to 28 September, or watch the mall’s Facebook and Instagram for a registration form.
Deepavali promotion booths. These are seasonal retail or F&B pop-ups: festive snacks, clothing, gifts, home décor, and mall-wide discounts. Booths in Johor malls usually cluster on a designated concourse rather than inside every shop. Expect extra foot traffic around those bays on weekends. The source does not name participating brands or discount percentages.
Workshops and performances. This is the live layer: craft or cookery workshops, plus stage or concourse performances. Deepavali mall programmes in Malaysia often include classical or folk dance, music, and family craft sessions. Again, Paradigm has not listed session times in the announcement. Workshops that need materials usually require sign-up and sometimes a small fee; performances are more often free to watch from the atrium seating.
Deepavali CSR programme. Corporate social responsibility during festival months in Malaysian malls often means food hampers, school visits, or a public collection drive. The source names the programme and does not describe the beneficiary, the collection point, or how the public can join. If you want to donate or volunteer, that is a question for mall management, not something to assume from the teaser post.
The mall’s own line is: “May the warmth and brightness of this Colourful Deepavali lights shine on you all year.” It then tells shoppers to tag family and friends and start planning the next Paradigm Mall shopping trip. In other words, this is a visit-the-mall campaign with a festival skin, not a ticketed concert.
How to use the month if you live in JB or are crossing from Singapore
A month-long mall festival is easy to miss if you treat it as a single date. Split it.
If you only have one weekend, go on a Saturday or Sunday in early or mid October, when booths and performances are more likely to be running and the kolam display, if it is a contest, is more likely to be on the floor. Weekday lunchtimes are quieter for photos and for walking the concourse with children. Deepavali itself in 2026 falls during this window; public-holiday crowds at JB malls are heavier, parking fills earlier, and food courts queue longer. If your goal is the display rather than a full shop, a weekday after office hours is usually calmer.
Singapore visitors already using the Causeway or RTS Link for a JB mall day can fold this into an existing Paradigm trip. The festival does not require a separate ticket. You walk in as a shopper. Allow extra time if you want to watch a performance rather than only photograph the décor. Do not assume every activity runs every day of the 28 September to 28 October span; malls often concentrate live programmes on weekends and public holidays.
Families with young children should treat kolam-making and workshops as the parts worth confirming in advance. A contest on the floor is public and easy to watch. A workshop with limited seats is not. Promotion booths are drop-in. The CSR programme may or may not have a public face.
What the announcement does not tell you
There is no published daily schedule in the source. There is no list of performing groups. There is no contest registration link, no workshop price, and no named CSR partner. There is no statement that parking is free, discounted, or unchanged. There is no claim of a fireworks show despite the firework emoji in the social post; treat that as decoration, not a pyrotechnic event. Outdoor fireworks are not a given at a suburban mall programme.
Paradigm Mall JB is a large regional mall in Skudai, Johor Bahru. It is a regular grocery, fashion, and F&B destination, which is why a month-long overlay works: people were already going. Colourful Deepavali is extra programming on top of that, not a replacement for the usual shops.
If you need exact session times, wait for the mall’s follow-up posts or pick up a flyer on site after 28 September. The facts that are locked in from the announcement are the name of the campaign, the mall, the date range, and the four activity types named above.
Practical Details
Event: Colourful Deepavali at Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru
Dates: 28 September 2026 to 28 October 2026
Times: Follow regular mall operating hours unless a specific workshop or contest lists a session time. Confirm live-show slots on the mall channels closer to each weekend.
Prices: Mall entry is free. Workshop or contest fees, if any, have not been published. Retail booth prices vary by vendor.
Address: Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru, Jalan Skudai, 81200 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Nearest transit: No MRT station on site. Access is by car, bus, or taxi/Grab along Jalan Skudai. From central Johor Bahru, allow traffic time on the Skudai highway, especially on weekend evenings and during the Deepavali holiday period. Singapore visitors typically arrive via the Causeway or Second Link, then Grab or drive to Skudai.
Official information: See the mall’s Colourful Deepavali announcement on Paradigm Mall JB for the source post and later timetable updates.
