Relax - Heartlands' festive flair

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WHERE TO GO
A list of heartland festive fairs.

[Above: Shoppers looking at the Chinese New Year decorations on display at the Chinese New Year Trade Fair located at 1 Marina Parade Central.]

When it comes to festive fairs, the place to go is... the heartlands. And in particular, Bishan. It is giving the crowded Chinatown Chinese New Year Fair a run for its money with a huge bazaar at an open field beside the Bishan bus interchange.

With 600 stalls selling everything from goodies such as love letters and candies to other festive paraphernalia such as decorations and clothes, it offers even more variety than the 588-stall fair in Chinatown.

It is not the only place to go to as similar fairs in other neighbourhoods such as Hong Kah and Marine Parade have also spruced up their acts this year, offering shoppers a greater variety of festive must-buys and at cheaper prices - about 5 per cent lower - to boot.

Despite the increased competition, organisers of the annual Chinatown fair are unfazed. Its organising committee chairman David Ong, 48, believes that 'Chinatown remains the heartbeat of Chinese New Year celebrations in Singapore'.

He adds: 'It is not just about the variety of goods. In Chinatown, you can experience the festive atmosphere and learn about Chinese customs and heritage.'

A shopper selecting festive goodies from a stall operating at a Chinese New Year fair in Bishan.

His comments were echoed by a stallholder selling children's clothes and accessories in Temple Street. 'Even after shopping in heartland fairs, people will still come back to Chinatown to check out what we have,' says the stallholder, who declined to be named.

Bank executive Serene Ng, 29, agrees. 'I go to the fair at Marine Parade to buy clothes for my daughter but I will still visit Chinatown because the atmosphere is different.'

However, Bishan residents certainly are excited about the huge fair that has sprung up in their neighbourhood.

Senior account director Lena Kwek is looking forward to buying her favourite prawn rolls, chocolates, dried mushrooms, canned abalone and other gifts at the newly opened carnival. She says: 'I usually buy these at Takashimaya department store but they should be cheaper at the Bishan fair.'

The Spring Carnival and Chinese New Year fair at Serangoon North Avenue 1 has more stalls compared to 2009.

The 35-year-old, who is due to deliver her second child next month, adds: 'I used to go to a nursery in Thomson on the eve of Chinese New Year to buy flowers. But I will not go this year since I'm pregnant, so hopefully I can get those at Bishan as well.'

The bazaar, the biggest of its kind this year, is organised by Bishan East Grassroots Organisation and Ronnie Oh International, a two-month-old company.

The firm's chief executive, Mr Ronnie Oh, says he got the green light to put up and run the carnival on Dec 21. He wants to offer Singaporeans a different outdoor shopping experience.

'The pasar malam (night market) scene here is getting stale with stalls selling the same stuff,' says the 50-year-old, who runs Sin Hiap Mui, a logistics company which has handled projects such as the outdoor set-up for the Army Half Marathon in 2005. 'I hope to repackage it (the scene) into something more exciting and inject some vibrancy into Singapore's night life.'

He is pumping in $1.2 million to transform the 200,000 sq ft Bishan site into a bustling carnival, which includes an outdoor stage area for nightly performances and that can seat close to 8,500 shoppers.

He is also hoping to introduce a slice of Dongbei culture to Singapore: He has invited 100 chefs, tea artists and other merchants from the north-eastern Chinese city to share their cuisine and native products.

On why he chose Bishan, he says: 'The location is centralised, parking is readily available and there is a pool of customers in Bishan and nearby areas such as Ang Mo Kio and Toa Payoh.'

Although this is the first time he is organising such a fair, he is confident of doing well and is targeting 200,000 visitors nightly in the two weeks leading to Chinese New Year.

Those living in the other parts of Singapore are not left out either as other festive fairs are already opened for business, such as 'Little Chinatown' at Hong Kah Point.

The Chinese New Year Fair at Marina Parade is into its 10th year.

Spread over seven blocks of flats in Jurong West Street 52, there are more than 80 stalls selling festive items including clothes, dried goods and potted plants.

'There were only about 70 stalls last year, but we wanted something bigger this time,' says Mr Lee Khang Teng, 63, chairman of the Hong Kah Shop Proprietors' Association which organises the yearly affair that started 'more than 10 years ago'.

The fair also goes on for longer this year - from Jan 13 to Feb 13 - compared to just 16 days last year. He says: 'With a longer period to sell their goods, the stallholders can buy their stuff cheaper when they order in bigger quantities. These savings will then be passed on to the shoppers.'

With the Singapore economy on the mend after the recession, he is predicting a '10 to 15 per cent improvement in business for stallholders' and expects visitor numbers to top last year's one-million mark.

Stallholders like Mr Willy Tan are equally optimistic. The 59-year-old, who runs a stall selling curtains, says he is expecting to make 'between $3,000 and $4,000 every night in the last two weeks of the fair'.

Over at the Spring Carnival 2010@Seran- goon North Village, there are 30 stalls, up from 14 last year, including one that sells porcelain vases, a new offering this year.

Organising chairman Edmond Tan, 51, is certain that business will be an improvement from last year, saying: 'People are not stingy when it comes to shopping for a big occasion like the Chinese New Year.'

Businessmen at the 15-stall Chinese New Year Trade Fair at Marine Parade Central are in a similarly buoyant mood.

MrChua Ser Keng, 63, chairman of the Marine Parade Merchants' Association which is running the fair, says: 'The stallholders see bigger fairs in areas such as Bishan and Chinatown and are hopeful that demand for Chinese New Year goods has returned this year after the recession.'

wenjian@sph.com.sg

For more The Straits Times stories, click here.

Heartlands' festive flair

By Lin Wenjian, The Sunday Times | Wed, Feb 3 2010

Fairs in the neighbourhoods are giving the Chinatown one a run for its money.

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