Staying Alive: Save The Future Of Rails And NINETEEN80 With This Fundraiser

NINETEEN80 and Rails need your help (Credit: A Phat Cat Collective)

The light at the end of the tunnel is still dim for everyone in the nightlife industry, with many entities forced to shut down. There are those who admirably continue to tread water, prolonging their streak of endurance even as the circumstances remain grim. Using yet another one of their nine lives is A Phat Cat Collective, who have just started an extensive fundraising campaign that is currently running for the next four weeks. The conceptual game-changers behind venues, NINETEEN80, Rails and the dormant Pinball Wizard, aim to hit a target of $50,000 to alleviate their unforgiving financial losses. And to attract benefactors, they have curated an impressively detailed programme of events and offers that, in their words, put “the ‘fun’ in fundraising”.

Rails opened its doors earlier this year as a F&B concept (Credit: A Phat Cat Collective)

What you can expect from their Staying Alive campaign is a series of activities that go beyond music; a lifestyle-conscious approach that is in line with the Phat Cats’ philosophy. You have live-stream parties featuring resident DJs and guest acts where you can make tips to support the cause. You have ticketed virtual events like ’80s-themed workouts, trivia nights and cocktail classes where you can learn how to concoct their famous bevvies. You even have bake sales along the entrances of NINETEEN80 and Rails, and a bundle of ongoing promos where you can purchase limited edition merch, alcohol and food deliveries, and Pay-it-forward vouchers that can be redeemed once the venues reopen.

Just some of the Rails cocktails that you can order in via delievery (Credit: A Phat Cat Collective)

“It’s been a tough ride for the F&B industry and even more so for nightlife operators as many of us had to rethink strategies just to pull through,” shares Joshua Pillai, co-founder of the collective. “With Staying Alive, we wanted to band together and stay alive in this game. We strongly believe that with the support and love from the public, we will be able to make it through and be able to showcase NINETEEN80 and Rails in their true glory.”

Aside from the fundraising objective, Staying Alive presents an idea that needs to be propagated throughout the city. Nightlife is not what the cynics might think it is. Nightlife is a sum of parts, one that constitutes a multifaceted lifestyle that’s far from niche or negative. Staying Alive shows that it can be about fitness, F&B, art and pop culture. And most significantly, nightlife is simply about building a community spirit. With their platform, A Phat Cat Collective wants to make that loud and clear.

(Credit: A Phat Cat Collective)

Starting from 28 July, Staying Alive runs for the next four weeks. Visit the campaign’s official website to find out more about the programme and how you can help support this cause. You can also listen to the 15-Min Flash Mix by DJ Aurora, one of the co-founders of A Phat Cat Collective.