Music festival at Sentosa incurs attendees' wrath due to long ads & evacuation that caused many to miss performances

Chaos and confusion struck the Yuewen Music Festival at Sentosa after a lightning alert was issued midway through the performances on Dec. 28, 2024, leading to attendees needing to be evacuated.

Moreover, the music festival carried on with the performances even though a large portion of the crowd was made to leave the venue, leading to many missing out on key acts at the festival.

Some attendees allege that they were also unable to find proper shelter outside the concert venue despite the evacuation.

Concertgoers were also apparently confused about how to get back into the venue, with many alleging poor crowd control and unclear instructions from the event organisers.

The Yuewen Music Festival is being held at Siloso Beach from Dec. 28 to Dec. 31, 2024.

The festival features artists from around the world, including South Korea, China, the Netherlands, Japan, Thailand, and more.

There are one, two, and three-day tickets available, in both standard and premium categories.

A three-day standard ticket costs S$581, while a three-day premium ticket costs S$1,014.

The first day of the concert, on Dec. 28, featured a line-up of eight artists and began at about 3:30pm.

Lightning warning

According to a Mothership reader who was at the concert, whom we shall call C, a lightning warning was issued at about 5:45pm when South Korean girl group Kiss of Life was about to take the stage.

Crowds began to pour out of the concert venue to seek shelter and wait for further updates.

The Yuewen Music Festival Instagram page also posted an Instagram story to notify users of the lightning alert:

Attendees were urged to evacuate to nearby shelter areas. VIP deck attendees were told they could stay, while premium ticket holders were told to go to Trapizza, an Italian restaurant.

General ticket holders were asked to go to the Sapphire Pavilion to take shelter:

According to TikTok user @portias, however, when she went to the Sapphire Pavilion shelter, she was told to get out of the pavilion and find shelter on her own.

One attendee, surnamed Tan, told Mothership that some were forced out of the shelters:

"During the lightning alert, [the festival committee] instructed people to seek shelter because of the "extreme weather conditions". They advised them to go to certain pavilions nearby but forced them out because they needed to queue up outside to re-enter."

According to TikTok user @russellkotorin, many attendees were left stranded outside the venue without access to proper shelter, despite the lightning alert.

Not all attendees were evacuated

Tan also shared that not all of the general ticket attendees were evacuated from the venue.

By their estimate, around 20 per cent of the attendees did not leave the venue upon the lightning warning.

Some of the attendees who stayed in the concert venue apparently took the spots of those who evacuated. Tan explained:

"What's worse is the time we spent queuing under the sweltering hot sun just to get a good spot. I was a cooperative member of public and evacuated.

I was met with unfairness when uncooperative members of public were able to take my spot and without any repercussions or reinforcements."

Performances began before attendees re-entered venue

Although the rain stopped eventually, the confusion mounted as the attendees began to queue up to re-enter the concert venue.

The Yuewen Music Festival Instagram page put out a second Instagram story an hour after the lightning alert was sent out, calling for attendees to get back into the venue:

However, the scene was chaotic, C explained, as people did not know what to do and where to queue up to get back into the venue.

There were apparently little to no signs or guidance for those re-entering as well.

Further adding to the woes of the attendees, Kiss of Life and South Korean girl group ITZY, the next two artists on the line-up, began their performances even though most of the attendees had yet to re-enter the venue.

A video uploaded by TikTok user @sjyunlvrr shows a crowd chanting "Let us in!" as the performances resumed inside the concert venue.

C explained that he heard both Kiss of Life and ITZY's performances while waiting in the queue outside to get back into the venue.

C only managed to re-enter at about 7pm, when ITZY was saying goodbye and leaving the stage. He therefore missed about an hour and thirty minutes of performances.

Complaints and demands for refunds

Many concertgoers have since taken to the Yuewen Music Festival's official Instagram page to call for refunds.

Many felt that it was unfair that they missed parts of the concert they had paid for:

Others were disgruntled at the overall event organisation, calling it the "worst" music festival they have been to:

Advertisements allegedly cut into performances

Some took to the comments to also complain about advertisements being played between the music acts for over 30 minutes.

Attendees felt that the advertisements cut into the time available for the performances:

Yuewen Music Festival's statement

The organisers of the festival put out a statement on Instagram on Dec. 29, 2024, regarding the lightning alert protocol for the concerts.

The statement noted that outdoor performances must be paused or cancelled upon a lightning alert as per regulations and that authorities will issue updates every 45 minutes on whether the performance can resume.

The statement also clarified the measures in place for attendees to seek shelter in the event of a lightning warning and noted that extra tents had been set out at the entrance.

"In case of a lightning weather alert, all attendees must seek shelter indoors for safety. VIP attendees will remain in the tent; attendees in Premium Zone should move to the pizza restaurant for shelter; attendees in Standard Zone should proceed to the main entrance for safety.

Additionally, we have set up six extra tents at the main entrance for your extra shelter. However, due to space limitations, some attendees may need to seek shelter outside the main entrance."

To facilitate faster entry and swifter security checks, the statement also urged attendees to avoid bringing prohibited items such as umbrellas and water bottles.

Attendees with wristbands, and those without bags, are also permitted to use the fast-track security lanes for quicker access to the venue.

The statement also noted that the transition times between performances may vary between five to 30 minutes depending on set-up times.

Hence, the statement urged attendees to refer to the performance schedule and plan their activities during the transition times.

"We understand that this music festival is more than just a concert—it is a shared celebration as we ring in the new year together. We are committed to continuously optimising the event experience to ensure a memorable and enjoyable time for all," the statement wrote.

Mothership has reached out to the Yuewen Music Festival for comment.

Top photo courtesy of Mothership readers.