Loosened nightlife rules for Boat Quay, Clarke Quay to be formalised after year-long pilot

Asked if the authorities had statistics on how the pilot has translated into more visitors and business activity in the district, Tan said Singapore’s overall tourism figures showed that the city-state has been drawing in a greater number of high-quality tourists.

“The more MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) events, the more concerts, the more tourism offerings we have, places like Boat Quay, Clarke Quay, Circular Road, and others will really benefit from the downstream impact,” he said.

Businesses said formalisation of the pilot rules signals an openness by the authorities to new concepts for the historic precinct.

President of the Singapore Nightlife Business Association Danny Loong said this was a good step, and the association will continue to engage the authorities on ways to drive footfall for businesses and events in the waterfront zone.

For instance, it is making “certain proposals” to government agencies to address consumers’ concerns about the high cost of transport home in the wee hours, he said without elaborating.

Michelle Koh, who is executive director of place manager Singapore River One (SRO), said the certainty provided by the latest announcement will give both operators and landlords the wiggle room to experiment with new business models.

Law-and-order concerns over the licensing changes have been allayed, with five additional police officers deployed between 7pm and 3am around Circular Road and Boat Quay. The bill for the additional manpower comes up to $20,000 a month, and is fully borne by SRO.

Koh said the car-free zone for Circular Road will return in late October for Halloween, marking the first time the street will be pedestrianised since the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Everybody’s looking forward to this weekly road closure, and once every quarter we will also bring some form of programming onto the street, be it a Halloween party or an after-work mingle session,” she said. “It’s all about making Circular Road social again.”

CQ @ Clarke Quay centre manager Nicholas Lee also welcomed the cementing of the revitalisation initiatives, noting that Clarke Quay’s vibrant night scene remains a defining part of the precinct’s identity.

At the same time, the CapitaLand-managed property has evolved into a lifestyle destination that offers diverse dining, wellness, entertainment and waterfront experiences throughout the day, he added.

“This enables us to cater to a broad range of visitors while reinforcing Clarke Quay’s position as one of Singapore’s leading lifestyle destinations.”