SINGAPORE: I’m nursing a yuzu mojito brimming with a brilliance of mint leaves, a crown of crushed ice, a lime slice peeking through. I’m in the Katong-Joo Chiat uniform of T-shirt, shorts and slides, lounging in a cosy bar on the second floor of a heritage shophouse.
Hall & Oates and Annie Lennox hum in the background. I chat easily with my drinking partner; no need to shout to be heard. The cocktail is by award-winning mixologist Tom Hogan, the spiced tortilla chips are from Papi's Tacos next door and the walk from my place took five minutes. When my cheeky 2pm Sunday reverie winds down, I amble home, read a book, relax.
More than a quarter of a century ago, we’d hit the clubs - Zouk, mostly - at midnight, elbow our way through the crowd and shout our orders for jugs of vodka Ribena over the pounding music. Then, four or even five of us would chug it through straws, though my throat somehow always remained parched and my skin sticky with sweat.
A few hours later, my voice shredded, my body aching, I’d drag my bleary eyes home.
It seems I’m not alone in leaving the all-night clubbing of yesteryear behind.
Nights out have become more expensive than ever. Between alcoholic drinks and late-night rides home, the costs can add up fast.
Post-pandemic, many people have discovered the low-key joy of hosting house parties or hanging out in their neighbourhoods. Gen Z too seem to prefer spending on experiences and travel rather than partying hard.
Of course, there are those who embrace the glorious absurdity of stumbling out of a club at 4am, ears ringing. But the data isn’t encouraging: According to official data previously cited in CNA, the operating revenue for pubs, nightclubs, discotheques, dance clubs and karaoke lounges has plunged nearly 60 per cent between 2015 and 2022.
Former hotspots like Chinatown’s Ann Siang Road-Club Street-Keong Saik triumvirate and the riverside no longer buzz and thrum like before. Several popular haunts have closed, and industry players expect more closures this year.
In a bid to revitalise the scene, the authorities recently relaxed rules to allow venues along the Boat Quay, Upper Circular Road and Clarke Quay areas to extend liquor trading hours from 3am to 4am on Fridays and Saturdays. The year-long trial started on Aug 18, but so far, crowds have remained largely muted.
In tandem, a 16-year moratorium on new nightlife venues in some areas has also been lifted.
Undoubtedly, a thriving nightlife culture complements other tourism pulls such as dining, heritage, and retail, as well as business travel. It’s a smart move by the government, coming a year after Clarke Quay’s S$62 million revamp into both a day-and-night destination.
I’d think that most businesses would embrace shaking up the status quo, especially since these locales typically welcome late crowds of tourists and post-work locals. They’d also want to provide guests with a great - and safe - night out.
This adds new energy to Singapore’s reputation as a dynamic cosmopolitan destination, a place where visitors can pick up iconic Mambo Jambo mass dance moves while locals experience international ways of mingling.
Such exposure is how we’ve discovered our affinity for the niche, experiential and experimental, and how once very foreign concepts like Oktoberfest and Japanese cocktail bars are now mainstays on our social calendar.
Increasingly, however, a new kind of nightlife - and day clubbing - is gaining ground. DJs like Fred Again and Illenium, less about hype and more about emotional connections with fans, recently spun sold-out sets here.
Under-the-radar avant-garde parties featuring dark alternative music (think deep house, psychedelic trance) and performance art thrive through word of mouth.
Event collectives like Culture SG and Ice Cream Sundays are disrupting traditional clubbing culture with themed events in unusual places such as coffee shops, Haw Par Villa and Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Some of these events kick off in the afternoon and wrap up by 10pm.
Bars like Hogan’s Dutch Door and his natural wine cave Wine Mouth in Joo Chiat, as well as Juice in Katong pour thoughtfully curated wines in casually artful settings that feel like a friend’s apartment. The latter has hosted pop-ups with popular culinary outliers like Pizza Keenway and is also a de facto gallery for emerging Southeast Asian artists.
Recently closed independent cinema The Projector regularly put on cult favourite drag parties and themed music soirees.
Attendees to all of the above are a wide-ranging slice of contemporary Singapore: locals, expats, and tourists across all ages, from all walks of life, a gathering of diversity united in purposeful celebrations.
This is the dawning of Singapore nightlife 2.0, our lightbulb moment powered by creativity and clean, nurturing fun.
Strobe lights, disco balls, premium bottle service and top-notch audio-visual special effects will always have their place at entertainment zones like Marina Bay Sands and Orchard Road.
But to keep partygoers engaged and coming back, we must invest not only in legacy spots like Clarke Quay and Boat Quay, but in the trailblazing independents redefining what clubbing and nightlife mean.
These are the places that let us be ourselves, and that’s what makes them become home, truly.
Desiree Koh is a freelance writer based in Singapore.
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Hall & Oates and Annie Lennox hum in the background. I chat easily with my drinking partner; no need to shout to be heard. The cocktail is by award-winning mixologist Tom Hogan, the spiced tortilla chips are from Papi's Tacos next door and the walk from my place took five minutes. When my cheeky 2pm Sunday reverie winds down, I amble home, read a book, relax.
More than a quarter of a century ago, we’d hit the clubs - Zouk, mostly - at midnight, elbow our way through the crowd and shout our orders for jugs of vodka Ribena over the pounding music. Then, four or even five of us would chug it through straws, though my throat somehow always remained parched and my skin sticky with sweat.
A few hours later, my voice shredded, my body aching, I’d drag my bleary eyes home.
QUIETER NIGHTS
It seems I’m not alone in leaving the all-night clubbing of yesteryear behind.
Nights out have become more expensive than ever. Between alcoholic drinks and late-night rides home, the costs can add up fast.
Post-pandemic, many people have discovered the low-key joy of hosting house parties or hanging out in their neighbourhoods. Gen Z too seem to prefer spending on experiences and travel rather than partying hard.
Of course, there are those who embrace the glorious absurdity of stumbling out of a club at 4am, ears ringing. But the data isn’t encouraging: According to official data previously cited in CNA, the operating revenue for pubs, nightclubs, discotheques, dance clubs and karaoke lounges has plunged nearly 60 per cent between 2015 and 2022.
Former hotspots like Chinatown’s Ann Siang Road-Club Street-Keong Saik triumvirate and the riverside no longer buzz and thrum like before. Several popular haunts have closed, and industry players expect more closures this year.
In a bid to revitalise the scene, the authorities recently relaxed rules to allow venues along the Boat Quay, Upper Circular Road and Clarke Quay areas to extend liquor trading hours from 3am to 4am on Fridays and Saturdays. The year-long trial started on Aug 18, but so far, crowds have remained largely muted.
In tandem, a 16-year moratorium on new nightlife venues in some areas has also been lifted.
NIGHTLIFE 2.0 KICKS OFF IN THE AFTERNOON
Undoubtedly, a thriving nightlife culture complements other tourism pulls such as dining, heritage, and retail, as well as business travel. It’s a smart move by the government, coming a year after Clarke Quay’s S$62 million revamp into both a day-and-night destination.
I’d think that most businesses would embrace shaking up the status quo, especially since these locales typically welcome late crowds of tourists and post-work locals. They’d also want to provide guests with a great - and safe - night out.
This adds new energy to Singapore’s reputation as a dynamic cosmopolitan destination, a place where visitors can pick up iconic Mambo Jambo mass dance moves while locals experience international ways of mingling.
Such exposure is how we’ve discovered our affinity for the niche, experiential and experimental, and how once very foreign concepts like Oktoberfest and Japanese cocktail bars are now mainstays on our social calendar.
Increasingly, however, a new kind of nightlife - and day clubbing - is gaining ground. DJs like Fred Again and Illenium, less about hype and more about emotional connections with fans, recently spun sold-out sets here.
Under-the-radar avant-garde parties featuring dark alternative music (think deep house, psychedelic trance) and performance art thrive through word of mouth.
Event collectives like Culture SG and Ice Cream Sundays are disrupting traditional clubbing culture with themed events in unusual places such as coffee shops, Haw Par Villa and Tanjong Pagar Distripark. Some of these events kick off in the afternoon and wrap up by 10pm.
Bars like Hogan’s Dutch Door and his natural wine cave Wine Mouth in Joo Chiat, as well as Juice in Katong pour thoughtfully curated wines in casually artful settings that feel like a friend’s apartment. The latter has hosted pop-ups with popular culinary outliers like Pizza Keenway and is also a de facto gallery for emerging Southeast Asian artists.
Recently closed independent cinema The Projector regularly put on cult favourite drag parties and themed music soirees.
Attendees to all of the above are a wide-ranging slice of contemporary Singapore: locals, expats, and tourists across all ages, from all walks of life, a gathering of diversity united in purposeful celebrations.
This is the dawning of Singapore nightlife 2.0, our lightbulb moment powered by creativity and clean, nurturing fun.
Strobe lights, disco balls, premium bottle service and top-notch audio-visual special effects will always have their place at entertainment zones like Marina Bay Sands and Orchard Road.
But to keep partygoers engaged and coming back, we must invest not only in legacy spots like Clarke Quay and Boat Quay, but in the trailblazing independents redefining what clubbing and nightlife mean.
These are the places that let us be ourselves, and that’s what makes them become home, truly.
Desiree Koh is a freelance writer based in Singapore.
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