In news that some Singaporeans might have missed: It appears that the annual highly-anticipated and super crowded Hari Raya bazaar in Geylang Serai is getting transformed into something else from 2018.

According to Channel News Asia on July 30, 2017, the annual Hari Raya bazaar will be held at the upcoming Wisma Geylang Serai from next year.

Temporary night market in permanent building?

The Wisma Geylang Serai is a new civic centre that is being built. It will house a community club and other social and community-related facilities.

Construction started in 2015 and is expected to be completed in the next several months.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli said one of the signature events that the People’s Association Malay Activity Executive Committees Council (MESRA) will organise is the annual bazaar at the new civic centre.

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So no more pasar malam tents?

If the entire Hari Raya bazaar gets transplanted to the new Wisma Geylang Serai, it will be a markedly different experience.

This is so as the bazaar will be housed under a permanent building structure.

Currently, the Hari Raya bazaar is pasar malam-style and held under makeshift tentage erected for a month before they are removed.

The recently-concluded night market had 1,000 stalls.

It was impressive partly because of its massive size. The bazaar spanned the areas around Geylang Serai market, Joo Chiat Complex and along Haig Road, and ran from May 25 to June 24.

Our Tampines Hub organised a bazaar

For a sampling of how different the vibe can be by removing the haphazard pasar malam tents in Geylang Serai, look no further than the Hari Raya bazaar held at the new sprawling Our Tampines Hub just this year.

The Tampines bazaar featured 120 stalls, but the atmosphere was different at the highly-sanitised integrated facility compared to previous years when the night market was held at the open field right beside the Tampines MRT station.

The crowd size was also witnessed to have been smaller at the new venue.

Our Tampines Hub bazaar

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Top photo via youthdotsg