Festive bazaars and night markets have been around for many years, with food stalls offering novelty stuff long they became more widely available here, such as the Turkish Doner kebab and the tea leaf egg. However, the humble pasar malam has come under much flak recently, especially in the case of the Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar, where rentals came up to S$25,000 excluding miscellaneous costs, for some stalls, over a 36-day period. It is important to note that the event organisers have clarified that this is not the normal rate, and most of the 800 stalls are rented out at between S$1,000 and S$6,000 for the same duration.
What came to light through a bit of research, is that the cost of organising the said bazaar is in the region of S$5 million, of which around half constitutes the tender sum that will be paid to People's Association (PA) for the rights to organise the event.
The tender sum for a Heartlands pasar malam of 110 stalls in Sembawang came up to over S$100,000 for a 22-day event. As the tender price forms a significant part of the cost of operating a pasar malam, operators and vendors are concerned that escalating costs and online retail trends may make the pasar malam irrelevant in the years to come. The high costs of operating a pasar malam stall also means that the pasar malam, which is 'Night Market' in bahasa melayu, has to operate throughout the day to generate more sales and to cover the costs.
As somebody who grew up appreciating the pasar malam for its novelty, it would be a shame to see the pasar malam go the way of the dinosaurs. My own experience with recent heartlands pasar malam has been disappointing, with repetitive food stall offerings and similar food items being able to be purchased at the nearby shopping mall for half the price, and with a more generous portion. A larger scale pasar malam may feature rides for children, but once again, the fares for each ride are also expensive and not as thrilling when compared against theme park rides at Universal Studios Singapore and Adventure Cove. If the pasar malam is unable to reinvent itself to compete with a shopping mall (with already high market rental), then I fear that the days of the pasar malam may truly be numbered.
References
'The Big Read: The million-dollar pasar malam industry and Singaporeans' love affair with it'
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/pasar-malam-industry-love-affair-million-dollar-big-read-3436986?cid=FBcna