A large part of the city has come alive with rage at the cancelation of Halloween Horrors, Carnival of Fear at The Night Safari. The event was canned just two weeks before its launch, by the new chief executive of Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), Isabella Loh. Ms Loh did not give a detailed explanation as to why the event would no longer take place, but she did declare one of the reasons being that the event was not suitable for families.
Halloween in Singapore
Halloween originated in Rome, and has much to do with the passing of seasons and paying respect to the dead, similar to Singapore’s Hungry Ghost Festival. The version of Halloween that we celebrate is the American representation of this – a concept that is driven at children having fun. While Singaporean adults love the themed nature of the festival and a chance to dress up, it is children that mostly celebrate Halloween in the west. Was the Halloween event at The Night Safari too scary or potentially dangerous for children? Many parents like Irene Chan-Whitlam felt her child would “get frightened”. She claimed the event did not give the right impression about what Halloween is really about.
Bring Halloween Horrors Back?
While the event might have been too scary for toddlers, some parents like Phyl Yang, felt otherwise. “What’s the big deal? It’s targeted at teens and young adults”, she said. While there is clearly a divided opinion on whether or not this event should have been allowed to run, chances are the event will not reopen, as the props have been removed. It is sad that whilst toddlers have Halloween parties to attend, and go trick or treating, and adult’s head out to Halloween themed events at clubs, this might have been one of the events parents could have taken their teens to. It is also terrible that the work of 17 Polytechnic students went to waste, and there is no real estimate on how their projects will now be graded.
While the event was not entirely friendly to the zoo, unless there were chances the animals could have come to harm, Halloween Horrors could definitely have been a time for teens to bond with their parents. If you do have a teen and had bought tickets, don’t worry. Check out our article on some not-so-spooky stuff you can do here,with the refund from the Halloween Horrors ticket (if you have purchased it).
Source: The Straits Times (September 19th 2011) – Staff split over decision to cancel event.
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