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CNA Lifestyle

No ZoukOut this year: The annual dance fest at Sentosa goes on hiatus

Organisers say the festival is “taking a break” this year, amid falling numbers of concert-goers at past editions.

No ZoukOut this year: The annual dance fest at Sentosa goes on hiatus

The crowd at ZoukOut 2017. (Photo: Zouk Singapore)

There won’t be a ZoukOut this year for dance music lovers to look forward to, said organisers. 

In a report by the Straits Times, Zouk Group confirmed that the annual dance festival will be “taking a break” this year and “will not have a 2019 edition in Singapore”. The first ZoukOut was held 18 years ago.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) released a joint statement on ZoukOut's time out, saying: "We are aware that ZoukOut will not be going ahead in 2019. However, Singapore’s entertainment and nightlife scene remains vibrant, with a strong line-up that will continue to appeal to both locals and visitors."

They cited previous acts that came to town, such as Ed Sheeran and John Mayer, as well as upcoming shows, including the Neon Lights Festival and the highly anticipated concert by Irish rockers, U2, both taking place in November.

READ: Zouk Group reveals Five Guys to open first Singapore outlet at Plaza Singapura

ZoukOut, which is usually held in December at Sentosa’s Siloso beach, had returned to a one-day format in 2018 after previous two-day festivals for five years before that. Numbers had been falling steadily since its peak attendance of 50,000 concertgoers in 2014. Last year’s edition saw just 20,000 attendees, with headliners like DVLM and Galantis.

The CEO of Zouk Group, Andrew Li, said that while they will do what they can to bring the event back in the future, “we do not have concrete plans to share at the moment".

“In the meantime, we will continue to bring in more exciting acts in the coming months, and channel our resources towards providing our guests with the best possible experiences at our outlets," Li continued.

The festival's hiatus comes amidst rising competition in the music festival sphere in the region. This December, a brand-new homegrown dance music festival is set to take place also at Siloso Beach. The two-day dusk-till-dawn Legacy festival will kick off with headliners Tiesto and Don Diablo on Dec 6 and 7.

The event is being organised by DJ Andrew T, AC Music Entertainment (one of the partners behind Skechers Sundown Festival) and Aurora Media.

READ: 20-year-old arrested over scams involving ZoukOut, concert tickets

When asked if ZoukOut would be moved to one of Zouk’s other properties, such as Zouk Genting or Zouk’s cruise ship, Li said: “We are open to exploring all possibilities at the moment. If the opportunity presents itself, we may bring ZoukOut back in a different format."

Source: CNA/sr

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