The Yuewen Music Festival, held at Siloso Beach, Sentosa, on December 28, was met with fierce criticism after the opening day of the three-day event. Attendees expressed their frustrations on social media platforms, including Reddit, Xiaohongshu, Instagram, and TikTok, labeling the festival a “disaster.”
Organized by the Chinese entertainment company Yuewen Group, the festival features a variety of Asian artists, including Taiwanese Mandopop stars Maggie Chiang and Lala Hsu, K-pop groups Kiss Of Life, Itzy, and the Irene & Seulgi sub-unit of Red Velvet, as well as Thai idols Billkin and PP Krit.
Trouble began midway through Chiang’s set when a lightning warning was issued, prompting an evacuation of the event area. The performance was abruptly cut short, and many attendees took to social media to express their discontent. While some understood the safety concerns, others criticized the festival’s apparent lack of a contingency plan for bad weather. One TikTok user accused Yuewen of having “no wet weather plan.”
Yuewen’s official Instagram account suggested that standard-pass holders could take shelter at the Sapphire Pavilion on Siloso Beach. However, several attendees reported being directed to the road, where no cover was provided, leaving them exposed to the elements.
A Reddit user on the Singapore Raw forum slammed the event organizers for placing attendees at risk, calling it the “worst event” they had ever attended. Many standard-pass ticket holders were also frustrated by having to queue and undergo bag checks again when re-entering the event after the lightning warning was lifted. Long lines formed outside the entrance, causing several fans of K-pop girl group Kiss Of Life to miss their performance as they were stuck in the re-entry queue.
In response to the backlash, Yuewen Group issued a statement explaining that outdoor performances, with the exception of the show on December 31, were required to end by 10:30 p.m., which led to some acts starting their sets while attendees were still waiting to re-enter. The group also announced that six additional tents had been added to the main entrance for shelter during evacuations, and free ponchos were distributed to attendees on December 29 in anticipation of rain.
Yuewen assured festivalgoers that it would continue to work with local authorities and artist teams to address any further weather-related issues and ensure that upcoming performances proceed as planned. The festival is set to feature more acts in the following days, including K-pop icons Daesung and Taeyang from BigBang, and Japanese pop star Mika Nakashima.
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