Here’s What You Need To Know About The Resumption Of Indoor Live Performances

We’ve waited far too long for concerts to return (Credit: Alvin Ho)

A hurrah for the local music scene, it seems like the government is finally confident enough to bust open the lid that’s kept live performances down these past few months. With the number of COVID-19 cases in Singapore remaining low in recent weeks, the city will now see several arts and culture establishments reopen with stringent measures in place, and this extends to live music performances as well. This was announced on a recent government advisory.

Partying and club culture, however, is sadly still on the back burner, with lingering scepticism on its resumption due to the government’s hard stance on it, taking into account the nature of the activity and risk of infection. There have been talks of proposed ‘pilot schemes’ to help high-risk activities like nightlife reopen, but details of this are still non-existent.

Pasir Panjang Power Station is one of the designated venues that’s allowed to resume live performances (Credit: 24OWLS)

In the meantime, live gigs are getting their light at the end of the tunnel with the aforementioned announcement. From 1 November 2020, designated venues will be allowed to have indoor performances with two zones of 50 audience members each. Within these zones, audiences must be in no more than five people per group, with no physical interaction or mixing between groups. Seating arrangements with one metre between these groups are to be adopted. In addition to masks and SafeEntry using the TraceTogether App or Token, audiences are also not allowed to sing or dance during these performances, and must be positioned at least three metres away from the performers. Yes, some of these rules are a bummer, but it’s a small price to pay if we want things to fully return to normal.

Aliwal Arts Centre gets the green light as well (Credit: Aliwal Arts Centre FB page)

As for the designated venues and organisations allowed to host indoor live performances, this includes the National Arts Council (which includes spaces like Aliwal Arts Centre, Goodman Arts Centre and Victoria Concert Hall), National Heritage Board, People’s Association, Ministry of Education and Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

Under STB, the list of performance venues opens up even more. These include Resorts World Singapore, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Expo, Suntec Convention Centre, Changi Exhibition Centre, Pasir Panjang Power Station, Capitol Theatre, the F1 Pit Building, selected indoor venues in Sentosa, indoor performance spaces on Royal Caribbean International and Dream Cruises, and several tourist attractions yet to be revealed. SportsHub under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth is also one of the designated venues.  

Marina Bay Sands also get a tick of approval (Credit: Marina Bay Sands website)

Time will tell how event promoters will make use of these new measures, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction. Perhaps, we’ll start seeing a rejuvenated wave of concerts in the coming weeks. Watch this space for the buzz.

You can read the full advisory on resumption of indoor live performances here.