Spokesperson's speech

Hello everyone. I am Angelita Teo, the Festival Director for Singapore Night Festival 2021. 

Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Health has been tightening restrictions to combat the spread of the coronavirus in Singapore. In the months leading up to August last year, we faced the brunt of the pandemic and had to take strong and careful precautions to keep everyone safe.

Because the safety and well-being of our artists, partners and festival-goers have always been our top priority, we made the difficult but responsible decision to cancel the Singapore Night Festival last year, hoping to host the festival this year, to see you all again.

Unfortunately, it has become increasingly clear that the development of COVID-19 in Singapore has not been slowing this year, with restrictions tightening again in response to a new coronavirus strain. The heightened measures – such as caps on participant numbers, social gathering sizes and social distancing measures – have made holding mass-scale events such as the Singapore Night Festival unfeasible.

We anticipate that these measures by the Ministry of Health will continue for some time to come, which is why the National Heritage Board deeply regrets to announce that we have no choice but to cancel Singapore Night Festival 2021. All of our planned programmes, including activities and exhibitions, will sadly be postponed. They will resume as soon as containment of the coronavirus in Singapore is successful.

I understand that, for many of you, this is disappointing news. For festival-goers, the annual Singapore Night Festival has been your go-to place to admire, appreciate and support Singapore’s diverse arts scene, while enjoying the many thrilling activities and performances that have been specially curated for your entertainment. For artists and partners at home and abroad, this has been the ideal venue to showcase your work, right in the heart of Singapore’s vibrant nightlife.

We would love nothing more than to host the Singapore Night Festival again and give you the joyous festivities and ethereal experiences that you deserve and long for, but with heightened measures and tighter restrictions in place, this is simply not possible at this time. I cannot tell you how sorry I am for that.

Every year, the Singapore Night Festival provides a unique opportunity for many creative and talented artists to transform the Bras Basah.Bugis district into a colourful, enriching and memorable sight for thousands of Singaporeans joining the festivities from all walks of life. The festival, however, has always been more than just an entertainment venue; it has always stood to celebrate and uplift the work of Singapore’s many artists.

Two years ago in 2019, the Singapore Night Festival screened locally-produced films about Singaporean life, giving a platform for local filmmakers to showcase their work in a setting that connected deeply with their audiences. The festival also presented performances by talented and skilled local artists, showing the world that Singaporeans, too, could put up brilliant shows.

Our corporate partners also put together eye-catching shows and exhibitions for our many festival-goers. We invited the Light Society to fill a room with curtains and dim lights to create “Whispers”, a life-sized immersive experience for our visitors. Together, we transformed the arts from what is traditionally regarded as a niche, into something that can be enjoyed and produced by anyone and everyone, which has since made the Singapore Night Festival a key part of Singapore’s cultural calendar.

The festival would not be possible without your support; artist, partner or even if you’re just a visitor. I cannot express how thankful I am to you all for your continued support of our festival.  

Moving forward, I will continue to update you regularly as we continue to strike the perfect balance between doing our very best for you and working in line with government guidelines. Over the past few months, I have been profoundly heartened by the tireless spirit of my team, as they continued to plan an enjoyable festival for you, despite the pandemic.