Looks like Carlsberg’s finally stepping up their game with the Where’s The Party campaign, which had people racking up party cred on social media by checking in at clubs and posting photos of themselves living it up (like we needed another excuse to take drunk selfies). We tagged along to the secret pop-up party with 24 top scorers from Singapore, and it turned out to be in, of all places, Kuala Lumpur. Not to diss our neighbors, but wouldn’t Bali or Bangkok be more appropriate as Asia’s party central?
Anyway, it was quite an eye-opener: Carlsberg clearly pulled out the stops when it came to decking out a disused building over an hour away from the city center, transforming it into a pounding party zone. It was a bit like a warehouse gig, but with a few significant twists.
For a start, pretty much everyone there was young and wholesome—although we did spot one kid in sunnies who looked like he was off his face (um, not from lager)—and very happily took part in the G-rated games and booths promoting responsible drinking. And the message seemed to have gotten home, too, with very few people actually bingeing despite the free flow of Carlsberg. The music was not particularly inspiring (think EDM bangers), but hey, it got booties shaking, so. On the topic of dancefloor action, you’d think that the roomful of hormonal teenagers would be humping and groping like there’s no tomorrow, but interestingly enough, there was none of that there. Hmm. Having been used to the indecent antics in Singapore, the whole scene seemed almost surreal.
There were a couple of great features we’d love to see more of in Singapore, though. There was a foot massage “parlour”, where you could pick from automated massage chairs or the ministrations of actual masseurs(!). Who wouldn’t want a rubdown after killing those tootsies in skyscraper heels, right? There was plenty of free bottled water to go round too. Not to sound like a bore, but nobody needs to pay $5 for drinking water. Best of all, there was a huge fleet of taxis (that were already paid for!) waiting outside the venue to take the inebriated home before they barfed.
But we remain divided on the “bar snacks” provided. None of that bangers and mash or truffle fries nonsense here, nope—there were packets of nasi lemak, fried beehoon, and what looked like an Old Chang Kee grab bag. Everyone just sat around digging into their hawker fare like it was a totally normal thing to do while clubbing. We’d be lying if we said we didn’t regularly crave that stuff while drinking, but still, sambal breath is perhaps something best left outside of crowded party environments.
