Have you seen the signs for "Singapore Day"? I was all excited to attend--except apparently it's ONLY for Singaporeans! It's a cultural festival only for people of it's culture! NO SHARING ALLOWED!It's a juicy story and I'm sure other actual "news" outlets will get the full story. I'm just passin' it on...sounds like a massive misunderstanding, OR someone tried to pull the wool over the Alliance's eyes. Here's their response as of a few moments ago, though the point is moot, cause the event's gonna sell-out the Nethermeade no problem:
https://app.singaporeday.gov.sg/index.html
It was presented to Prospect Park as a day open for everyone...you just need to register. But when you register, if you AREN'T from Singapore...you get rejected! Prospect Park just realized this today, when it reminded everyone to "register" on FB, and people replied that they tried and got rejected.
Regarding the Singapore Day post below...
We are sorry for the confusion. The information we posted about registering online is incorrect. The event is open to the public when you register for the event at the event.
We are double checking the procedure for the day of the event and will let you know.
Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Personally I find the "closed" registration incredibly obnoxious, but hey, Singapore's a police state. I wonder if there will be a public flogging display? And don't DARE litter!
It's quite likely the event will reach capacity before you get in. If you're non-Singaporean and happen to swing by and try to attend, shoot me a note and let me know if you get in!
We are sorry for the confusion. The information we posted about registering online is incorrect. The event is open to the public when you register for the event at the event.
We are double checking the procedure for the day of the event and will let you know.
Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Personally I find the "closed" registration incredibly obnoxious, but hey, Singapore's a police state. I wonder if there will be a public flogging display? And don't DARE litter!
It's quite likely the event will reach capacity before you get in. If you're non-Singaporean and happen to swing by and try to attend, shoot me a note and let me know if you get in!
16 comments:
The park does allow private events, i.e. where you must pay and/or register in advance but does not allow those functions to discriminate.
Still they do allow pricey fundraisers that most people cannot afford to attend. I always found that somewhat lacking in egalitarianism.
The pricey fundraisers are just that - they raise funds needed by the Prospect Park Alliance (which gets only a minority of its funding from the city) to keep the park clean, safe, and open to everyone for free - without them this wouldn't be possible.
They also allow private (paid) events, such as weddings, at the boathouse and other park facilities. Obviously they are by invitation only, and supplement the income raised through fund raisers. Any private events held by private charities are not within the purview of the park in terms of the ticket prices.
if you've got your heart set on attending any of the PPA's fundraisers, without paying, why not contact them to see if you can volunteer at one? Volunteers are always needed in all areas of the park.
So what constitutes discrimination here? Mrs. Q and I got married at the Boathouse, but none of you were invited and would have been thrown out if you showed up, you blog readers you! Renting indoor spaces is an important fundraising mechanism for the Park, and generally they don't let those sorts of things interfere with normal operating hours. It ain't cheap, lemme tell you.
The Q contacted a fave Parkie, and clearly officials are not happy that you can't register if you don't have proof of Singaporean heritage or residency. With Singapore it's perhaps not so insulting, but imagine if it were Germans, MENSA members or New Jerseyans holding the event, barring access to Ausländers? Actually, a New Jersey Appreciation Day might not be a bad thing for the Jersey image...
I just hope the Singaporeans clean up after themselves better than some of the other groups that have held events in the park did. Although, if their local laws are any clue (No gum chewing or cigarette smoking outdoors! You can't even buy chewing gum in the country.), I shouldn't worry.
These are good points. I'm guessing that if it had been presented as a restricted "party type" event, the terms negotiated would have been different than if it is presented as an educational/cultural event.
And again...the restriction by race/nationality kind of brings up an "ewww" feeling.
Would you actually WANT to attend an event celebrating an oppressive authoritarian city/state? In any case, I hope they're paying a lot for the privilege of excluding (most of ) us.
Thank you for mentioning the repressiveness of Singapore's regime - really doesn't make me eager to go there either!
However, the PPA has now updated their FaceBook announcement to the following: Regarding the Singapore Day post below...
We are sorry for the confusion. The information we posted about registering online is incorrect. The event is open to the public when you register for the event at the event.
We are double checking the procedure for the day of the event and will let you know.
Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Apparently, according to some commenters, there are some real tempting food vendors signed up, so it might be worth it, and also fun just for spite!
Still laughing at the thought of a NJ Appreciation Day held in Brooklyn - of course, if it were held in NJ no-one would go!
And, of course, the result will inevitably that on the day of the even t they will be full and no-one else can register. But to my mind a more egregious usurpation of supposedly public park space is the (not so) Great Googa Mooga, a food an drink extravaganza taking over the Nethermead for an entire weekend in May. The free tickets were gone within minutes, and I don't know who is going to pay $250 a day for the VIP ones. So what does that mean for us poor folks? Give up the Park for that weekend, unless you want to head over to the other side (though don't try walking through the park to get there).
Really, it was all about the food for me!
http://www.saveur.com/article/Travels/Singapore-Street-Food
The free tickets to Googa Mooga are not all gone - only the early registration tickets are gone.
There will be more free tickets available before the event.
I'm going to try but....really? I find it highly doubtful. I've seen the gift bags, and they are NO JOKE.
This was todays update from PP:
"It is first-come, first-served without preference to pre-registration and capacity has been increased. You should be good to go."
????
When I pssed by yesterday (Saturday ) the event seemed pretty sparcely attended, although it was very loud. Maybe there aren't that many Singapore citizens around. I hope their government paid through the nose for the privilege of closing off such a large part of the park.
Singaporean Rules are many - a very unusual place to live
http://peterheppo.blogspot.com/2015/03/leaning.html
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