Ahh… remember the good ol’ days when your parents would bring you to the funfair at the open field at Jurong East (before JEM and West Gate opened), Woodlands or Tampines, and then grab dinner from food vendors at the accompanying pasar malam? We don’t see much of those anymore, but if you find your inner child pining for them, the wait is over.
Come Dec 8 all way through to Apr 1, 2018, the massive Prudential Marina Bay Carnival will span across 25,000 sqm (or the size of approximately three and a half football fields) at The Promontory and Bayfront Event Space. With more than 40 rides and games—most of which are from the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy—there’s something for everyone; even the non-thrill seekers. To get an idea of exactly how big it’s going to be, think of The Great European Carnival in Hong Kong, or Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, or Moomba Festival in Melbourne.
The full list of rides is still in the works, but a total of 67 shipping containers from around the world have already arrived in Singapore, carrying more than 40 rides and games in them. They’ve already started testing out the Star Flyer, a 35-meter rotating tower that will give you a sensation of flying paired with beautiful 360-degree views of Marina Bay. Other exciting rides we’re looking forward to are the classic Cyclone Coaster, Booster Maxx (the tallest ride at the fairground, standing at 55 meters and spinning both clockwise and counter-clockwise at speeds up to 100km/h) and Das Fun Schiff (a.k.a. the pirate ship).
You can also flaunt your psychomotor skills at more than 30 carnival game stalls like Ping Pong Rolldown and Lobster Pot, and take home cute plushies for yourself or a special someone (there’s 1.2 million licensed toys to win).
And what’s a carnival without performances or food? In between rides and games, local DJs, ventriloquism acts, caroling groups and musicians like TheLionCityBoy and Jasmine Sokko will take the stage on select nights. Fuelling up won’t be a problem either, as there’ll be a weekly curation of Western and local treats, as well as Michelin-starred offerings, such as curly fries, juicy sausages, churros, popcorn, cendol soft serve and more. For a taste of things to come, Hyde & Co. and BaoMakers are already on the bill to bring you grub like chili crab linguine and salted egg yolk chicken baos.
We may have Universal Studios Singapore (USS), which will take you back $72 for a one-day ticket. But entry to this huge-ass carnival is free, and you’ll only have to pay for the rides (about $4-10) you want to go on. Besides, it’ll be a completely different vibe as compared to USS.
It’ll run daily from 4-11pm when it opens to public on Dec 8. Not impressed? Take a look at the teaser below.
