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."
Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin September 22, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin September 22, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
The many sides of library pioneer Hedwig Anuar and other authors
Those who know the National Library's former director Hedwig Anuar, 95, as a pioneer of Singapore's library system or women's rights activism will glimpse a different side of her in her newly published early writings.
Chef Jamie Oliver pulls children's book after indigenous criticism
British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver (right) has announced he will no longer sell his children's book, after coming under fire for what indigenous critics called \"erasure, trivialisation and stereotyping\".
Dua Lipa cancels Indonesia leg of tour over unsafe staging
British-Albanian singer Dua Lipa has cancelled the Indonesian leg of her Asian tour, citing unsafe staging.
Actress Sheila Sim undergoes hair transplant procedure to fix 'prominent bald spot'
Local actress-model Sheila Sim is feeling less stress over her tresses after undergoing a two-day hair transplant procedure.
Blackpink's Lisa keeps it short and sweet at Marquee
Below disco balls and flashing stage lights, Lisa from K-pop girl group Blackpink made a glittering appearance in the early hours of Nov 10 at Marquee Singapore nightclub in Marina Bay Sands.
Invisible Habitudes returns to Singapore stage with stronger cohesion
After almost six years, choreographer and The Human Expression (T.H.E) Dance Company's founding artistic director Kuik Swee Boon's Invisible Habitudes returned to the Singapore stage, with a mix of original cast members and new performers, but surprisingly with an even stronger sense of cohesion.
Tech Talks foster conversations around technology and storytelling
The Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) continues building out conversations around the intersection of technology and storytelling.
SSO's most exciting and memorable Beethoven concert yet
The idea of a concert comprising wholly works by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) is hardly new, yet a fully packed Victoria Concert Hall showed that the great German composer still has a special cachet among concertgoers.
Singapore is a city of 'future past,' says Paolo Giordano
The Italian author is among the 300 people who have been invited to speak or conduct workshops at the festival
BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
Comparing prices, researching products - parents can help their kids learn how to shop responsibly
