In December 2022, buskers in Singapore will not be permitted to perform at eight sites on Orchard Road between 7pm and 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays during the forthcoming holiday season.
Outside ION Orchard, Wisma Atria, Ngee Ann City, The Heeren, 313@Somerset, Knightsbridge, and Mandarin Gallery are these popular locations.
Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are among the eight days affected, but not Christmas Day.
The National Arts Council (NAC) issued an email to buskers on November 14 advising them of the limits, which came as a surprise. One busker got the email.
Even while buskers will still be permitted to perform on Orchard Road from Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., as well as at all other busking areas in Singapore, the prohibited hours correspond to the Christmas season's busking peak.
Eliminating these areas and times in Orchard will certainly have a devastating effect on the revenue of buskers.
The Straits Times claimed that one street performer said he was able to make up to S$10,000 in the month of December alone due to increased spending by consumers during the holiday season.
It is implied that any prohibition will reduce earnings.
Another street performer told CNA that December profits might be 40 to 50 percent more than other months.
The busker also described the prohibition as a "very lopsided judgment."
In a follow-up statement issued on November 19, the Singapore police explained that the ban on busking on Orchard Road during the end-of-year holidays was due to the need for crowd control measures, citing the crush that killed more than 150 people in Itaewon, South Korea, as a reminder that public safety cannot be taken for granted.
With the relaxation of Covid-19 safe management measures and the resumption of travel, the police predict unusually big crowds.
The police also shared photos of crowds encircling a busker on a street outside of Ngee Ann City in 2019 and stated that before to the outbreak, buskers and ice cream vendors "limited the passable area on the pavements and further obstructed the flow of people."
The police have also proposed to NAC that busking activities be restricted at some locations during peak crowds, with both organizations engaging impacted parties.
In December of this year, the Great Christmas Village event will return, including numerous merchants, pop-up booths, and display pieces along the walkway from Orchard Ion to Mandarin Gallery.
Given the lack of space, according to the police, the adoption of preemptive crowd control measures is "crucial."
The police said that this is especially true in the case of eventualities, such as occurrences that may cause public panic, whether intentionally or not, stampedes, mob crush, or when evacuations may be necessary.
Following a fatal Halloween crush on October 29 in Itaewon, the nightclub area of Seoul, more than 150 revelers perished.
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