Catch that concert or theatre play, but do your sums wisely

It's on ourselves to make sure we have enough money left for lunch the next day

- Sue-Ann Tan

Watching Taylor Swift live in concert at more than $1,200 a pop made headlines earlier this year. Some people spent much more because they travelled around the world to catch the global star live on her Eras Tour.

Soon after that, people were forking out hundreds of dollars to catch Broadway musical Hamilton when it finally made its way to Singapore.

Live performances are having their day as Singapore plays host to many large-scale, popular concerts and theatre shows in 2024 and beyond.

This has been a bit of a banner year for such performances, as Swift as well as Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars drew thousands to their concerts. On the sports front, Singapore is hosting the Formula One night race again this weekend.

Meanwhile, at the theatre, high-profile musicals like Miss Saigon and Dear Evan Hansen have also been capturing the crowds.

I have watched nearly 30 plays and musicals in Singapore and abroad this year, many more than I would have in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, but it seems that I am in good company. Visa country manager for Singapore and Brunei Adeline Kim notes that Singapore residents have spent more on live entertainment in the past year, and the growth has mainly been captured by productions including concerts and theatre.

Domestic spending in this segment has grown almost 30 per cent over the same period in 2023, and over 80 per cent when compared with the pre-pandemic days in 2019.

This is a significant rise even as part of it is due to the uptick in average expenditure per transaction, from US$168 (S$217) to US$195.

Ms Kim said: "As Singapore residents increase their travel abroad, they are looking to spend more on live entertainment abroad as well."