https://sg.news.yahoo.com/nightspot-operators-raring-patrons-lukewarm-090000202.html
Sun, 24 August 2025 at 5:00 pm SGT·6-min read
Patrons walking outside a pub in Clarke Quay on Aug 23.
SINGAPORE - A fortnight after the authorities announced that businesses at Boat Quay and Clarke Quay will be able to extend liquor sale hours, some nightlife businesses have begun doing so, encouraging revellers to stay out till later.
But an appreciable uptick in business may yet take time to materialise, as patrons interviewed said they were lukewarm about the longer operating hours.
On Aug 22, the first Friday night since the easing of liquor licensing rules took effect, The Straits Times observed that nightlife enclave Clarke Quay was packed in the hours leading up to midnight.
Patrons spilt out of bustling live music venues onto walkways, and there was a palpable buzz in the air.
As part of a year-long trial announced on Aug 7, restaurant-bars, pubs, bars and nightclubs in the area can apply to extend their operating hours till 4am on Thursdays and Fridays.
The pilot to revitalise the historic district also lifts a 16-year moratorium on new applications for bars, pubs and nightclubs in the area, and will soon see Circular Road resume being a car-free zone on weekend evenings.
As at Aug 18, when applications opened, the police said they have received and approved six applications for longer liquor trading hours.
CapitaLand, which owns and manages Clarke Quay, said that more than 10 of its tenants, including Zouk, Octapas, Kopi & Spells, Cuba Libre, Gabbar Bistro & Bar, Warehouse and Senor Taco, have already applied to extend their liquor licence trading hours, with more tenants looking to do so.
Kopi & Spells and Octapas, which have live music and DJs every night of the week, are ready to welcome more late-night guests.
Their owner, Mr Sunny Nolasco Luces, said he has applied for the licence extension for all days possible at a cost of a few hundred dollars, adding that it “won’t break the bank”.
“That one hour makes a difference… it can be a few thousand dollars, especially on the weekend, and I can even hire more staff with it,” said Mr Luces, outside the Balinese-themed Kopi & Spells, which is also part of the Octapas Group.
Being able to stay open longer is something their customers have asked for in the past few years, so the announcement has been a plus, he said.
Mr Halifi Mahmud, executive director at Eclectique Concepts, which runs Cuba Libre and Gabbar, also welcomed the longer liquor trading hours.
“It will help as we have been struggling… a lot of restaurants in the area have closed down,” he said.
Patrons, however, said the extra hour of operations is unlikely to change their plans, and told ST that late-night surge pricing and exorbitant fares on ride-hailing apps dissuaded them from staying out later.
At both Boat Quay and Clarke Quay, crowds started thinning significantly after midnight.
Patrons who remained largely settled at venues indoors instead of al fresco, and those milling about were mostly tourists, or a young spillover crowd from Zouk, which saw snaking lines throughout the night.
Patrons interviewed by ST said they were lukewarm about the longer operating hours.
At Boat Quay, three-quarters of a stretch of food and beverage venues facing the Singapore River were shut or deathly quiet after 1am, with only venues like Club Bagawan and Star Bagawan, Skinny’s Lounge and Mogambo seeing a steady crowd till around 3am.
“I prefer to stay home and save money,” said Mr Leo Tan, 25, an information technology engineer who was with a group of friends on the way to Level Up, a live music and arcade bar in Clarke Quay, at around midnight.
While he goes to the Quays around once a month, the self-professed introvert usually leaves early because of the high prices.
“I drink at home because it’s more chill, I can play my own music, it’s less noisy, and I don’t have to share dirty toilets with other patrons,” said Mr Tan.
Real estate agent Lee Jun Henn, 24, will not being staying out later either.
“I don’t think many people will want to stay till 4am,” said Mr Lee, who was on his way to Capital – a club within Zouk – at around 12.30am. He was planning to stay only till 2am or 3am.
Mr Lee cited megaclub Marquee in Marina Bay Sands which opens till 6am, but where the crowd typically dies down after 3am or 4am.
“If Marquee has been doing it for so long and it is not sustainable, what makes Clarke Quay (different)?” he asked.
Restaurant-bars, pubs, bars and nightclubs in the area can apply to extend their operating hours till 4am on Thursdays and Fridays.
Some said that consumer habits have changed.
Ms Gen Goh, 33, who works in advertising, recalled that partying till 4am or later – even on weekdays for Ladies’ Nights – was the norm in her youth, and there was usually even supper after.
“The younger generation don’t have it in them, probably because they’ve grown up in the digital age and missed their best days of clubbing because of the (Covid-19) pandemic,” she said.
“They don’t feel like they even need to experience it... maybe it will come to them over time, but not immediately.”
The pilot to revitalise the historic district also lifts a 16-year moratorium on new applications for bars, pubs and nightclubs in the area.
To make journeys home more affordable, CapitaLand told ST it is stepping in to offer discounts on Grab rides for patrons heading home after midnight.
From Aug 29 to Sept 20, visitors can get $8 off Grab rides leaving from Clarke Quay between 2am and 5am on Fridays and Saturdays. Details will be made available on Clarke Quay’s website.
Despite most of the crowd dropping off after midnight, and leaving around 2.30am, Mr Halifi believes that the pilot will significantly boost takings.
“The regulars know that we will open till late, but we need to build the crowd, and educate people because they’re not used to it yet,” he said.
Others, such as 1-Group’s associate director for marketing Audrey Ng, see the extended hours and the authorities’ openness to new nightlife concepts giving a fillip to longer-term business viability.
The group runs The Riverhouse, a two-storey Chinese-style mansion with a restaurant, bar and nightclub.
It has applied to extend its licence and open on more days of the week, which Ms Ng hopes will make the venue even more attractive for corporate events.
“We really hope this brings life back to the area,” she said.
Nightspot operators raring to go, but patrons lukewarm on new 4am extension
Anjali Raguraman,Koh Ming LunSun, 24 August 2025 at 5:00 pm SGT·6-min read
Patrons walking outside a pub in Clarke Quay on Aug 23.
SINGAPORE - A fortnight after the authorities announced that businesses at Boat Quay and Clarke Quay will be able to extend liquor sale hours, some nightlife businesses have begun doing so, encouraging revellers to stay out till later.
But an appreciable uptick in business may yet take time to materialise, as patrons interviewed said they were lukewarm about the longer operating hours.
On Aug 22, the first Friday night since the easing of liquor licensing rules took effect, The Straits Times observed that nightlife enclave Clarke Quay was packed in the hours leading up to midnight.
Patrons spilt out of bustling live music venues onto walkways, and there was a palpable buzz in the air.
As part of a year-long trial announced on Aug 7, restaurant-bars, pubs, bars and nightclubs in the area can apply to extend their operating hours till 4am on Thursdays and Fridays.
The pilot to revitalise the historic district also lifts a 16-year moratorium on new applications for bars, pubs and nightclubs in the area, and will soon see Circular Road resume being a car-free zone on weekend evenings.
As at Aug 18, when applications opened, the police said they have received and approved six applications for longer liquor trading hours.
CapitaLand, which owns and manages Clarke Quay, said that more than 10 of its tenants, including Zouk, Octapas, Kopi & Spells, Cuba Libre, Gabbar Bistro & Bar, Warehouse and Senor Taco, have already applied to extend their liquor licence trading hours, with more tenants looking to do so.
Kopi & Spells and Octapas, which have live music and DJs every night of the week, are ready to welcome more late-night guests.
Their owner, Mr Sunny Nolasco Luces, said he has applied for the licence extension for all days possible at a cost of a few hundred dollars, adding that it “won’t break the bank”.
“That one hour makes a difference… it can be a few thousand dollars, especially on the weekend, and I can even hire more staff with it,” said Mr Luces, outside the Balinese-themed Kopi & Spells, which is also part of the Octapas Group.
Being able to stay open longer is something their customers have asked for in the past few years, so the announcement has been a plus, he said.
Mr Halifi Mahmud, executive director at Eclectique Concepts, which runs Cuba Libre and Gabbar, also welcomed the longer liquor trading hours.
“It will help as we have been struggling… a lot of restaurants in the area have closed down,” he said.
Patrons, however, said the extra hour of operations is unlikely to change their plans, and told ST that late-night surge pricing and exorbitant fares on ride-hailing apps dissuaded them from staying out later.
At both Boat Quay and Clarke Quay, crowds started thinning significantly after midnight.
Patrons who remained largely settled at venues indoors instead of al fresco, and those milling about were mostly tourists, or a young spillover crowd from Zouk, which saw snaking lines throughout the night.
Patrons interviewed by ST said they were lukewarm about the longer operating hours.
At Boat Quay, three-quarters of a stretch of food and beverage venues facing the Singapore River were shut or deathly quiet after 1am, with only venues like Club Bagawan and Star Bagawan, Skinny’s Lounge and Mogambo seeing a steady crowd till around 3am.
“I prefer to stay home and save money,” said Mr Leo Tan, 25, an information technology engineer who was with a group of friends on the way to Level Up, a live music and arcade bar in Clarke Quay, at around midnight.
While he goes to the Quays around once a month, the self-professed introvert usually leaves early because of the high prices.
“I drink at home because it’s more chill, I can play my own music, it’s less noisy, and I don’t have to share dirty toilets with other patrons,” said Mr Tan.
Real estate agent Lee Jun Henn, 24, will not being staying out later either.
“I don’t think many people will want to stay till 4am,” said Mr Lee, who was on his way to Capital – a club within Zouk – at around 12.30am. He was planning to stay only till 2am or 3am.
Mr Lee cited megaclub Marquee in Marina Bay Sands which opens till 6am, but where the crowd typically dies down after 3am or 4am.
“If Marquee has been doing it for so long and it is not sustainable, what makes Clarke Quay (different)?” he asked.
Restaurant-bars, pubs, bars and nightclubs in the area can apply to extend their operating hours till 4am on Thursdays and Fridays.
Some said that consumer habits have changed.
Ms Gen Goh, 33, who works in advertising, recalled that partying till 4am or later – even on weekdays for Ladies’ Nights – was the norm in her youth, and there was usually even supper after.
“The younger generation don’t have it in them, probably because they’ve grown up in the digital age and missed their best days of clubbing because of the (Covid-19) pandemic,” she said.
“They don’t feel like they even need to experience it... maybe it will come to them over time, but not immediately.”
The pilot to revitalise the historic district also lifts a 16-year moratorium on new applications for bars, pubs and nightclubs in the area.
To make journeys home more affordable, CapitaLand told ST it is stepping in to offer discounts on Grab rides for patrons heading home after midnight.
From Aug 29 to Sept 20, visitors can get $8 off Grab rides leaving from Clarke Quay between 2am and 5am on Fridays and Saturdays. Details will be made available on Clarke Quay’s website.
Despite most of the crowd dropping off after midnight, and leaving around 2.30am, Mr Halifi believes that the pilot will significantly boost takings.
“The regulars know that we will open till late, but we need to build the crowd, and educate people because they’re not used to it yet,” he said.
Others, such as 1-Group’s associate director for marketing Audrey Ng, see the extended hours and the authorities’ openness to new nightlife concepts giving a fillip to longer-term business viability.
The group runs The Riverhouse, a two-storey Chinese-style mansion with a restaurant, bar and nightclub.
It has applied to extend its licence and open on more days of the week, which Ms Ng hopes will make the venue even more attractive for corporate events.
“We really hope this brings life back to the area,” she said.
