Police confirms investigation into cancelled Sky Lantern Festival at Sentosa

The aftermath of the Singapore Sky Lantern Festival has escalated to a police investigation following widespread complaints and dissatisfaction among attendees.

The festival, which took place at Sentosa’s Palawan Green on February 21, promised an enchanting evening of sky lanterns floating against the night sky. However, the event fell significantly short of expectations, prompting a series of complaints against the organisers, Asian Couture and Boutique, and leading to an official police probe, according to media reports.

Attendees were initially excited by the prospect of a visually stunning lantern light-up, for which they paid S$50 per ticket, excluding booking fees. However, their excitement turned to disappointment when, due to “unforeseen circumstances,” the organisers replaced real candles with LED lights and scrapped the lantern release altogether.

Safety concerns have further complicated the event’s fallout, with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) highlighting the organisers’ failure to adhere to fire safety guidelines, including inadequate extinguisher supplies and improper tethering for the sky lanterns. The SCDF’s directives were issued after a trial run led to a minor fire, emphasizing the risks involved in the planned lantern release.

This significant deviation from the advertised experience led to an immediate outcry from the 2,500 participants.

Ms Shiermie Bautista, one of the event organisers, earlier stated on 27 February that ticket sales are final and non-refundable.

In a Facebook post, Bautista clarified, “Tickets are valid for entry at the time of the rescheduled event around the 1st week of April.” For those unable to attend the new date, she suggested reselling tickets on TicketSwap and expressed gratitude for understanding. The Facebook post has since been removed.

In response to the unfolding situation, the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) has received 32 complaints from attendees, expressing their frustration and demanding refunds.

Melvin Yong, the president of CASE, shared insights into the nature of these grievances: “Consumers generally expressed dissatisfaction that the segment involving the release of sky lanterns, which was marketed as the event’s highlight, was canceled without any prior notification.”

Yong was earlier quoted as saying, “Consumers affected by this cancellation are now seeking refunds from the event organizer. As these complaints are still being resolved, CASE is not in a position to provide further details at this time.”

He was also quoted as saying that consumers should be entitled to a full refund given the circumstances surrounding the event.

CASE will engage with the retailer on behalf of its members (S$27.25 annual fee) and offer advice to non-members. It remains unclear whether the 32 complaints originated from disgruntled consumers who are members or from the general pool of the 2,500 participants.

The event organisers have attempted to address the backlash by offering a form for attendees to request refunds, potentially amounting to only 25 per cent of the ticket price, excluding fees charged by Eventbrite.

The form also proposed alternatives, such as free attendance to a future event or additional sky lanterns for no extra charge.

However, the organisers’ response has yet to quell the dissatisfaction among attendees or clarify the extent to which refund requests will be honoured.