The Singapore Sky Lantern Festival, which took place on Feb. 21 with no sky lanterns, ended up as such because its organiser "was unable to obtain the necessary licenses and clearance", said a spokesperson from Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) on Feb. 22.

"The event could only continue with music entertainment," said the SDC spokesperson.

The SDC spokesperson said the event was organised by a third party, Asian Couture & Boutique Pte Ltd, which rented the venue from SDC.

After a three-hour wait to enter the venue, attendees were told there would not be any release of sky lanterns.

They were instead offered lanterns along with pens, and candle LED lights. An organiser previously said this was "for attendees to still participate in the tradition of writing and to pen their wishes".

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) also issued a statement on the matter, saying it had informed the event organiser of fire safety guidelines on the use of sky lanterns.

This includes requirements for the sky lanterns to be tethered and for safety marshals to supervise the event. The safety marshals must also be equipped with fire extinguishers, said SCDF.

The SCDF spokesperson said SCDF had informed the organiser of these guidelines on Oct. 31, 2023, and had "reiterated the need to adhere to the above-mentioned guidelines on multiple occasions".

Unsatisfactory trial led to "small fire" on artificial turf

Two days before the event, on Feb. 19, 2024, the organiser conducted a trial which SCDF said was "unsatisfactory".

This is because one of the lighted lanterns caused "a small fire" on the artificial turf, SCDF's spokesperson said.

SCDF also conducted a site inspection on the day of the event and said it found fire safety guidelines had not been adhered to.

"They did not provide proper tethers for the sky lanterns, nor fire extinguishers, or safety marshals," said SCDF's spokesperson, adding that SCDF informed the organiser that they should not use sky lanterns for the event.

At the event, attendees also saw F&B vendors packing up and leaving after some were seen speaking to police officers.

The SDC spokesperson said:

"As the event organiser was unable to obtain the necessary licenses and clearance to meet safety requirements mandated by local authorities such as Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the event could only continue with music entertainment."

SCDF, event organiser informed SDC of "delay" to event

SDC said it was informed of a delay to the commencement of the event yesterday afternoon by both SCDF and the event organiser.

"We took immediate action to ensure that guests were informed of the situation," said SDC's spokesperson.

This was done through signages at "key locations" from Sentosa Express Beach Station to the site at Palawan Green, said SDC's spokesperson.

Apology for "any inconvenience"

"We understand the disappointment of all ticketholders to the Singapore Sky Lantern Festival that was scheduled to be held yesterday at Palawan Green," said the SDC spokesperson, who also apologised for "any inconvenience" caused to Sentosa guests.

SDC also directed ticketholders to contact the event organisers directly for refunds, providing the contact information of Steven Lau (94555212) and Shiermie Bautisa ([email protected] and 84248725).

Lau told Mothership earlier on Feb. 22 that the team was looking into the matter of refunds.

Lau said, "We are currently in discussions with our team and will provide an update within 2 weeks."

Related story

Top photo via Mothership reader and Marcus Tang on Facebook