SINGAPORE — Despite being touted as an event where attendees could light up their sky lanterns with burning candles and release them into the night sky, attendees at a Sentosa festival had to contend with light-emitting diode (LED) candles and tying them to barricades instead.

On Wednesday (Feb 21) evening, the event, which was held at Sentosa’s Palawan Green, was scheduled to run from 3pm  to 12 midnight, with the lantern release segment scheduled to take place at 7.30pm.

But organisers suddenly cancelled the segment on account of “unforeseen circumstances”.

Attendees took to social media to express their frustrations and call for explanations from the organiser, as well as for refunds. Tickets to the event cost S$53.47 per person, according to the event page advertised on Sentosa’s website.

Responding to TODAY’s queries, a spokesperson from event organiser Asian Couture and Boutique on Thursday apologised for the cancellation of the lantern release segment, adding that the company wanted to “prioritise the safety of attendees”, which was why the segment was cancelled.

“We apologise for any disappointment this may cause for those who were looking forward to the sky lantern release. However, we want to prioritise the safety of our attendees and we are unable to release the sky lanterns with (fire at) the event,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said that attendees were provided with lanterns, pens and LED candles so that they could “still participate in the tradition of writing… their wishes and (tying) their lanterns around the barricade to release their wishes”.

As for attendees seeking a refund, the spokesperson said that discussions are still underway and will provide more information within the next two weeks.

TODAY understands that the company is still “planning to” reschedule the event, but the event organiser did not provide further details. 

DISAPPOINTMENT OVER LANTERNS, LACK OF MUSIC, FOOD

Disappointed attendees took to social media to post clips of their experiences, with some claiming that they were informed that event organisers had not obtained permit approvals from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

Several also called the event a farce and likened it to the Singapore version of the Fyre Festival. 

The Fyre Festival was a 2017 luxury music festival that was supposed to be held on a private island in the Bahamas that failed to deliver as advertised. Revellers had turned up to the event only to find problems related to food, accommodation and a lack of musical acts, among other things.

In a video posted by user “sheryllim80” on TikTok, throngs of attendees could be seen at the event venue, with only a small placard placed on the grass lawn to notify attendees of the cancellation of the lantern release.

The notice read: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, please note that the Singapore Sky Lantern Festival has been delayed.”

Attendees also claimed that event organisers informed them that those who opted to go ahead with using LED candles to light up the lanterns would not be offered refunds.

In another TikTok video, a man who appeared to be a staff member could be seen making an announcement saying that “due to unforeseen circumstances, we are unable to release the sky lanterns with fire”.

“Nevertheless, we are giving away a lantern, a bag and an LED light for you to pen your wishes,” the staff member said, adding that attendees could choose to tie their lanterns around the barricade or take them home. 

Some attendees said they were told that they could request for a refund via third-party ticketing website Eventbrite.

While the event was promoted to have “good food and music”, several attendees who TODAY spoke to said that this was not the case and “barely” any food stalls were seen at the venue.

Eventgoer Sheryl Lim, 25, told TODAY that instead of food stalls, fortune-telling services were set up at the venue, with the whole place “looking very dead and messy”.

“It was very chaotic. We thought a lot of media (outlets) were promoting the event, which was why I signed up for it. But it was very bad planning and announcements were only made by word-of-mouth,” she said.

Another attendee, Janine Tan, 25, said that there was no crowd control at the venue even though there were a lot of attendees and tourists present.

“There was not a lot of follow-up after we bought our tickets. Even at the venue, there were no consistent announcements about the event,” she said, adding that staff members only made an official announcement about the event cancellation at about 7.30pm.

Both attendees also said that few people chose to light up their lanterns or tie their lanterns around the barricades.

TODAY has reached out to the SCDF, Sentosa Development Corporation and Eventbrite for comment.

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