While things didn’t turn out as bad as the horrid Fyre Festival that saw the complete meltdown of a crowd of Western millenials on an island in the Bahamas, Ultra Singapore 2019 very nearly reached that point. The woes of the event started years before anything was even set up (and not in the venue they promised), and there was a significant change in how the music festival was run.
What happened at Ultra Singapore 2019?
According to a report by the website bandwagon, the change of venue to an indoor location in Marina Bay Sands already made ticket-holders nervous, as the day drew near to the event and no production stag or any sort of site was being set up at the usual venue. Customarily, Ultra Singapore would be held at the open lot beside Marina Bay Sands Tower 1. The event was instead moved to Sands Expo and Convention Centre.
There were fears before the weekend that the whole thing would have been canceled all together. With tickets ranging from $188 to $289, people would have been very disappointed if the event did not
The same report by Bandwagon also mentioned that while the production value that was the usual draw for crowds as it boasted a world-class spectacle fell short of expectations–but that the music should make attendees content. This would be the case, if people did go purely for the music. But it has to be noted that Ultra Singapore has always been marketed as a music festival, and holding it indoors definitely detracted from what the event was supposed to be.
According to an old ticketing site that featured previous Ultra Singapore events, 2016 saw the event upgraded to full festival status.
Sets from Kayzo, Whipped Cream, Axwell, and even international act Skrillex still pushed through and wowed the crowds.
Netizens torn over consoling themselves Ultra Singapore still pushed through or getting mad at the fiasco
Here is one commenter who said that only the music matters, and that the attendees shouldn’t care if the festival was held indoors or outdoors. While there may be some value to the comment, the expectations were set and the mood of the festival was definitely ruined since it happened indoors.
This commenter, on the other hand, was just glad that the event even happened. The same person seems like they would love to go to another one next year, no matter what happens.
This comment said that Skrillex’s presene was the only saving grace of the whole event. They also threw shade at the LCD screen at the event, and that it wasn’t able to enhance the DJ’s sets.
Another person also says that Skrillex saved the day and that the venue was very bad. In the end, they only thanked Skrillex and not the event organizers.
Ultra Singapore legal troubles
Just a day before Ultra Singapore was supposed to happen, the company that handles the event, an application for the winding up of Ultra Singapore Pte Ltd was filed, according to The Straits Times.
The notice by bar consultancy ABV Bar Concepts was advertised in The Straits Times’ Classifieds section last week, with a hearing set at the High Court of Singapore on June 28.
Another report also mentioned that there were vendors unpaid from way back in 2016.
