Johor Bahru Night Markets: Day-by-Day Guide (2026)

Featured image: Yu Chu Chin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Which Johor Bahru night market is on tonight?

A pasar malam is a weekly neighbourhood market held on one fixed evening in a residential taman. Dozens of them rotate across Johor Bahru, and the same taman name can recur on different days. Listings differ on a few of them, so check the market's social page on the same day. Informal markets can also shift for rain, public holidays or Ramadan. The table below lists only markets with a consistent day. Taman Pelangi is left out because listings disagree between Monday and Tuesday.

Pasar Karat: the central, late-night option

Pasar Karat, also called Bazar JB, spreads across several streets around Jalan Segget in Bandar Johor Bahru. It is typically listed as open Tuesday to Sunday from 6 PM to 2 AM. Stalls tend to get going around 8:30 to 9 PM, so arriving at 6 PM mostly means watching vendors set up. Reports from Singapore visitors put it about 10 minutes by car from the checkpoint. Locals rate it higher for shopping and thrifting than for food. Treat it as a browsing and snacking market, not a full dinner stop. Skip any pirated DVDs on offer, since they are illegal goods.

KSL City Monday night market: the easiest big one

KSL City Monday market wraps the streets around KSL City Mall in Taman Abad. Listings give hours of 5 PM to 10 PM, with the crush between roughly 6:30 and 8:30 PM. Arrive near 5:30 PM for shorter queues at lok lok and fried carrot cake stalls. Street names for the market conflict between listings, with Jalan Seladang and Jalan Selatan 1 both appearing, so navigate to the mall itself. KSL City Mall lists its own hours as 10 AM to 10 PM daily at 33, Jalan Seladang, Taman Abad. Reports put the market 4 to 5 km from JB Sentral. A ride-hail trip typically takes 10 to 15 minutes depending on traffic. Mall parking works for drivers, though Monday evenings fill up.

TUTA on Saturday: largest, hardest to reach

Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, known as TUTA, is described as the biggest pasar malam in Johor Bahru. Its Saturday market sits around Jalan Perkasa in Taman Ungku Tun Aminah. Reviewers report heavy traffic and limited parking. That suits visitors who book a ride-hail and plan to be dropped nearby. It is a poor fit if you are on foot from the checkpoint. Expect a mix of produce, snacks and Taiwanese-style dishes. Go if you want scale and do not mind a long walk from wherever your driver stops.

Local-flavour markets worth the detour

Suburban markets reward visitors with a car or a ride-hail account and a specific craving. Each entry below gives a decision criterion rather than a full description.

• Taman Tampoi Utama (Tuesday): pick it for Kelantanese nasi kerabu and laksam. Laksam is a flat-noodle dish in fish gravy and differs from the dish in our Johor laksa guide.
• Johor Jaya (Tuesday): pick it for kuih and roast duck, since the listing says it opens at 4 PM. Skip it if you can only arrive late, as kuih sells out quickly.
• Kampung Melayu Majidee (Monday): pick it for putu piring and groceries. Some stalls close early, so go at dusk.
• Permas (Sunday): pick it for fresh seafood, with roughly 50 to 60 stalls. Go early. For cooked seafood afterwards, see our Johor Bahru seafood guide.
• Puteri Wangsa (Friday): pick it for volume, with over 100 stalls and mostly Muslim vendors. It is far from the centre, so book a return ride.
• Taman Universiti (Friday): pick it for clothing and mixed Chinese, Malay and Indian food. The listing gives 2 PM to 9 PM.
• Saleng (Thursday): this is a Kulai-area market, not central Johor Bahru. Choose it only if you are already travelling that way.

How to choose Johor Bahru night markets by traveler type

Match the market to your evening, not the other way round. A day-tripper with a late checkpoint crossing has the fewest good options on a Wednesday or Thursday. Pasar Karat then becomes the practical fallback because it keeps running to 2 AM.

Getting there and back from JB Sentral and the CIQ

JB Sentral sits in central Johor Bahru with direct access to the CIQ, shopping malls and the Singapore checkpoint. KTM Intercity services also depart from it. From there, use ride-hail for KSL City or Pasar Karat. A Causeway Link F100 bus serves KSL City, so confirm the route with the operator. Bukit Chagar station connects to JB Sentral by a covered link bridge. Its infrastructure is nearing completion, with full operational readiness targeted by January 2027. Do not plan a 2026 evening around it. For a late return, leave the market well before you want to cross. See current queue conditions at the checkpoint. Official Johor tourism information is the starting point for event notices.

Budget and cash: what to bring

Prices and hours checked November 2026. Bring ringgit in small notes such as RM5, RM10 and RM20, since many small stalls prefer cash. Some vendors accept QR payments, but do not count on it. An April 2025 spend log showed RM3 for a mi siput snack, RM5 for a yoghurt milkshake and RM13 for five grilled sausages. Treat those as dated examples. The same log covered a fair few stalls on about RM50. Snacking is cheap, so the real cost is the ride. For a sit-down meal instead, see our Johor Bahru restaurant picks.

Mistakes to avoid

Most disappointments come from timing and assumptions. Arriving at Pasar Karat at 6 PM leaves you with half-built stalls. Assuming every market runs daily sends you to an empty street. Pasar Karat is the only one here with a Tuesday-to-Sunday run. Stale map listings can also show a closed market as open, as one Century Garden listing near KSL does. Skip counterfeit goods. Eat from busy stalls with fresh turnover, and carry water in the heat. Try noodle dishes such as mee rebus where the queue is longest. For more dishes to chase after dark, browse our Johor Bahru food guide.