Before the massively popular Bangkok flea market Artbox returns for its second and final weekend, get yourself prepared if you’re thinking of heading down to Marina Bay Sands.
Many attendees from Artbox Singapore’s opening weekend complained about long queues and heavy human traffic, and it remains to be seen if the organisers’ decision to expand the walkways will help ease the crowd this weekend.
To brace ourselves for what’s ahead, Popspoken spoke to three locals who were among the opening crowd last week about their experiences and what they think should be improved. Take notes, Artbox Singapore.
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Clare Thng, 20, Undergraduate
“I quite liked some of the shops and wanted to explore more of the area but it was way too crowded. I think everyone went down during the opening weekend so it would have been nice if the crowd was more evenly spread out.
Perhaps Artbox Singapore could introduce an entrance fee. Judging from the size of the crowd, I’m sure there’ll be people willing to pay if it means smaller crowds and shorter queues.”
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Charmayne Lim, 20, Undergraduate
“It was super crowded when I visited on Friday [opening day] and I could barely see or buy anything. The banners put up by the stalls looked really good, especially food stalls showing their offerings, but I just couldn’t get anything because I couldn’t even tell where the queues were.
I left within 30 minutes because it was just so packed I could barely walk properly. We had to stop every few seconds because the crowd would just jam up.
It felt just like a more atas pasar malam with pricier and nicer things. It was honestly a bit disappointing because the Artbox in Bangkok is amazing!
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I feel that a much bigger space is required. The area that [Artbox Singapore] chose was admittedly quite big, but they only dedicated a section of it to the booth setups. I also think each stall should be given more space!
Oh and I think it would help if the event was held over a longer period of time – two weekends is too short a duration. The overall crowd might spread out if Artbox Singapore was held over a longer period.”
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Leong Chee Sheng, 23, Undergraduate
“[It was] quite a bad experience. The walkway was narrower than I thought, it was sweaty, stuffy and impossible to get close to the stalls at all. Someone actually fainted in the middle of the crowd and needed space to breathe.
But we can’t blame them [the organisers] because it’s the first year and I bet they didn’t really anticipate the crowd. I think Artbox Singapore can have wider walkways between the stalls in the future. I can’t comment on the tenants because I didn’t get to see them up close.”
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Header Image: ArtboxThailand
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