Singapore gay venues: contemporary
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[edit] Introduction
The documentation and chronicling of gay venues in Singapore form an important aspect of the human geography of a significant sector of the population. It was extremely difficult to find or record such information in the past as the social activities conducted in these areas were sometimes at loggerheads with official policy and even considered illegal. It is a testament to the gradual loosening of the socio-legal and political reins by the Government in the past years spurred by the development of the Internet and economic necessity that such information has become widely available.
[edit] Non-commercial/non-sexual venues
Presently located at #04-02/04, Yangtze Building, 100A Eu Tong Sen Road. The unit housing the church lies at the end of a corrider branching out from the vestibule of Yangtze Cinema itself and should not to be confused with the same unit number at Pearls Centre which sells Chinese religious artifacts.
A Singaporean Christian church which welcomes all people regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or economic status. It conducts Sunday services at 10:30 am.
Set up by activists to inculcate pride in being gay and in staying HIV negative, it was formerly located at 22a Rowell Road, above the AFA headquarters, in the Serangoon or Little India area. It is now located at Bianco, one floor above Mox Bar & Cafe, 21 Tanjong Pagar Road, #04-01, Singapore 088444. It operates an extensive library of location and international gay literature as well as non-fiction books whose catalogue can be searched online on its website, it also has an archive of Singapore gay history and culture. Open once a week on Saturdays from 4 to 8pm. For more information, please email contact@pelangipridecentre.org
[edit] Arts venues
The following list consists of exhibition and performance venues where many works dealing with LGBT themes or by LGBT arts practitioners have been held. However, they are not exclusively used for such purposes.
45 Armenian Street, tel: 6337- 7535, fax: 6337-2729, box office: 6337-7800.
Founded in 1990 by the late Kuo Pao Kun, it is Singapore's first independent contemporary arts centre, centrally located in the civic district. Its sub-sections include a black box theatre, a gallery, a dance studio, the Blue Room and two multi-function classrooms. It was the venue for the nascent PLU Sunday meetings in the early 90s. The historic PLU 2 pre-registration discussion was also held in the Blue Room in 2003.
- The building at 21 Tanjong Pagar Road
A growing arts, entertainment and lifestyle block managed by Guan Seng Kee Pte Ltd, just next to Ya Kun Kaya Toast. The lift serving the upper floors has a modern interior but is rickety and painfully slow. The building houses the following establishments:
- 1) Space 21
An unrenovated 1950-sq ft art space and multi-function hall situated on level 3, the second home of Utterly Art (see below).
- 2) MOX Bar & Café [4] on level 4.
It is a versatile venue which can be transformed into a bar-cum-function space equipped with lights, sound and platforms to hold events like product launches, birthday bashes and cabaret shows. Tel: 6323-9438, fax: 6227-9647.
The topmost floor is a vault-like loft under the same management as MOX Bar & Café. It has a seating capacity of up to 150 people and is suitable for exhibitions, fashion shows and performances. It was the former location of the Sunday services of the Free Community Church [5](from 2002 to 2004) and Toy Factory Theatre Ensemble [6](from 2004 to 2005). Currently, it houses the all-white decor-themed Bianco and contains a small bar, in addition to unique, squarish bed-like seats and a DJ console. Dr. Russell Heng's talk When Queens Ruled! A History of Gay Venues in Singapore was held here on 16 Aug 05 as part of IndigNation, Singapore's first gay pride month. It is the current home of Pelangi Pride Centre.
208 South Bridge Road, Level 2 (above Xposé), Singapore 058757. Tel: 6226 2605, fax: 6226-2645, e-mail: utterlyart@pacific.net.sg. It is open from Mondays to Saturdays from 11:30am to 8pm, and on Sundays from 12 noon to 5:30pm. It is closed on public holidays, but open on Christmas and New Year's Eve till 5:30pm.
It provides exhibition space and management services to a diverse and vibrant range of local and Asian artists, and internationally-renowned photographers. The most active gallery on the Singapore art scene, it is a leading showcase of works by established painters like Martin Loh and Chng Seok Tin, as well as popular young artists like Trina Poon.
It was the venue for the very first event of IndigNation, Singapore's historic, inaugural, government-approved gay pride month celebration in August 2005. This was an exhibition of paintings by artist Martin Loh entitled Cerita Budak-Budak, meaning 'children's stories' in Peranakan Malay. The event was followed up with Contra/Diction - A Night with Gay Poets held on 4 Aug 05, Singapore's first public gay poetry reading session which was attended by over 70 people, with standing room only. The popular Oogachaga-Looking Glass gay and lesbian relationship seminars were also conducted here.
[edit] Bars, pubs and karaoke joints
(For drag queen performance bars such as the Boom Boom Room and Gold Dust, see the article Transgender people in Singapore).
Most of Singapore's gay bars are located in the Tanjong Pagar constituency, through the heart of which runs Tanjong Pagar Road. This has earned it the nickname of Singapore's Castro Street after its legendary namesake in San Francisco. Gay establishments are found sporadically along Tanjong Pagar Road and adjoining thoroughfares such as Tras Street, Neil Road, Duxton Hill, Ann Siang Road, as well as nearby districts such as Chinatown.
This grand daddy of all gay karaoke joints, along with the now-defunct Babylon, was originally located along Tanjong Pagar Road. It provided divas with an outlet to show off their vocal skills for almost 10 years before drawing its shutters on 24 July 2004. It was later resurrected at 3 Duxton Hill, a stone's throw away from its former location. Tel: 6220-6966.
Ample parking space is available just outside or at the Craig Place building along Craig Road which houses a multi-storey carpark.
A pub-cum-disco originally located in Tanjong Pagar on the left half of where Happy today stands, it was one of the most popular with the trendy young crowd for 7 years since 1997 and attained quasi-icon status.
It closed in August 2004, only to be reincarnated at 65/67 Neil Road (opposite Tantric Bar and near where Rairua sauna used to be). Tel: 6225-6256.
13A Trenggannu Street (at the corner with Temple Street), Chinatown, tel: 6227-1712.
A cozy, nicely decorated, gay-owned bar, with a balcony for flirting with passers-by. Fridays and Saturdays are particularly jam-packed. The staff are very hospitable and drinks are reasonably priced. It is located close to multiple clubs and gay saunas, opening daily from 7pm until the wee hours.
70 Amoy Street. Gay-owned and staffed, the bar offers room to enjoy cocktails, meet people and indulge in chit-chat.
The decor is modern and warm with natural wood flooring and fixtures. Friendly, professional and attractive staff make one very welcome. It is a nice addition to the local club scene and is close to other clubs and discos. It closed in September 2005.
- Oso café restaurant
145 Telok Ayer Street, opposite Thian Hock Keng Temple, tel: 6323-4642, fax: 6836-0266.
A gay-owned and managed bar serving fusion cuisine, beer, wine, and cocktails. A cosy place for friends to gather, sing karaoke, and spend quality time together. Frequented especially by Chinese-educated bears, it spins good music and has a soothing ambience.
78 Neil Road (across from Taboo), tel: 6423-9232. It is a gay-owned and managed bar, the first to drape a rainbow flag above its main entrance. It has an open courtyard and a great atmosphere with a world music ambience. Weekends groove to the deepest "deep house". It opens daily from 8pm to 3am. The crowd is gay but gay-friendly straights are also welcome.
208 South Bridge Road, #01-01 (in the same building as Utterly Art), tel: 9842-7849. A gay-owned, second home for anyone seeking Prince Charming or looking for a nice cozy place to dine with their dates.
It serves authentic Thai food prepared by Chef Deang, with 20 years' cooking experience, who cooks home-style dishes with a passion. Karaoke starts after 8:30 pm abetted by a great sound system to accompany one's crooning. It especially welcomes bears, chubs and their admirers. Regulars, who tend to be Chinese-educated, chat on EFNET IRC, channel #GAYCHUB@SG.
The management allowed the organisers of IndigNation[8], Singapore's inaugural gay pride month in August 2005, free use of its premises to conduct the historic, first-ever public talk on homosexuality to be held in an indoor venue since Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's 2004 liberalisation of the rules governing these events. The lecture was entitled "Same sex love in classical Chinese literature" and was delivered to a capacity audience by Dr. Tan Chong Kee on 2 Aug 05 [9].
57 Neil Rd (next to Taboo), tel: 6227-6772. A new kid on the karaoke scene, gay-owned and managed. It offers a very wide choice of songs from the region, even Thai and Japanese. It has friendly staff and a very talented young boss. To ensure that the air stays cool and fresh, the pub is fitted out with ionizers and air fresheners. The simple, modern decor gives the place a cosy and warm ambiance. Drinks are reasonably priced with frequent special promotions for customers. It opens daily from 6pm to 3am.
[edit] Lesbian bars
44A Tras Street, tel: 6220 5271. It is one of the few girls' hangouts with a pool table. Week nights are strictly for ladies with Saturday being the only night when male companions are welcome.
It is located on the second floor, accessible from the staircase beside Legend bar. To drive away the Monday blues, it is free pool all night long. Opening hours are from 9pm onwards on weekdays and Saturdays. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays.
95 Club Street, tel: 6325-9595.
Situated in a busy night life area in downtown Singapore, this lesbian-owned and managed bar offers a relaxed, cool, modern style, with excellent music and a friendly welcome. Saturdays are theme nights. It is open daily from 7 pm till late. Happy hours are from 7-9 pm.
30 Mosque Street, tel: 6221 1239.
A pub for womyn to showcase their vocal prowess, belting out the latest Chinese hits.
47 Neil Road.
A karaoke bar run by lesbian owners, it is patronised by a mixed gay and lesbian crowd. It holds soup nights and pool tournaments.
[edit] Discos
Opened in August 2004, taking over when Taboo vacated, at 1 Tanjong Pagar Road but incorporating double the space with the takeover of the next-door unit which gives it a sizeable dance floor.
Celebrities and wannabes sip "happysexuals" (their signature vanilla, vodka and lime cocktail). DJ Marvin Kam is in the house. Long queues on weekends. The management of Play, under Ben Ong, took over from Happy in early 2007 and has been injecting fresh concepts to cater to the younger partygoing segment.
56-58 Tras Street, very near the Tanjong Pagar MRT station, tel: 6323-3010. Former karaoke pub which was converted into a disco after the karaoke craze died down. Less posturing and more wild dancing than at Happy. Despite drawing the young crowds, it closed down in mid-2007.
- Cocconuts at Cocco Latte- located at 76 Robertson Quay #01-09, along the perimeter of the Gallery Hotel at Mohd Sultan Road, tel: 6735-0402.
2-storey club with an intimate lounge area on the first floor and DJ on the second. Despite unique features like kitschy decor, striptease poles, flashing neon signs, drink specials and date-matching via number tags, the atmosphere is rather sedate. Open Tuesdays to Sundays. Sunday nights is Cocconuts, a boyz party from 7pm-3 am. It closed down towards the end of 2006 but has been reincarnated under the same management at the Home Club at Riverwalk Galleria.
- Club Momo- 5 Magazine Road, Central Mall, tel: 6535-3030. Nearby Clarke Quay MRT station. A huge new dance club launched by the former operators of Venom and Chinablack. Features include drag shows, snooker tables, Sunday gay nights and valet parking.
- Chinablack- the present reincarnation of Studebaker's/Venom occupying the sprawling 2-storey penthouse on level 12 of Pacific Plaza at 9 Scotts Road, tel: 6734-7677. It has 3 bars, a dance floor, an Oriental theme including teak panelling, Indo-Chinese lamps and Chinese calligraphy wall hangings. Features techno beats and gay anthems, ideal for bare-torsoed exhibitionists itching to strut their stuff on platforms.
- Onyx- at One Fullerton (opposite Fullerton Hotel), Collyer Quay. Nearby Raffles Place MRT station. Formerly known as Centro, the venue's theme remains the same: shirtless worshippers slaving to the beat and soaking up the sweat, muscle and sexual energy. Sunday is their ONS (One Night Stand) gay party night and women are discouraged from entering by charging them higher entry fees.
69 Circular Road, #01-01, tel: 9191-4846.
Singapore's first gay after-hours club spinning progressive and tribal house. RAV decks itself out in a vibrant coat of red and a kaleidoscope of enticing lighting. There is a cozy semi-enclosed chill lounge off to the left of the dance floor. Saturdays and Sundays, 3am to 6 am.
- Located at 17 Jiak Kim Street, tel: 6738-2988, Zouk was built inside 3 warehouses along the Singapore River that date back to 1919. Still one of Asia's trendiest clubs, the interior design was influenced by a mish-mash of styles from Moorish North Africa and Gaudi's Park Guell to Aboriginal art and Turkish baths, with a mix of minimalist furniture, mirrored walls, high-tech lighting and plasma screens thrown in.
- The complex is divided into 4 distinct areas. The flagship Zouk club which is globally renowned with a mainly house and techno policy is a favourite with many gays. It is accompanied by Phuture which covers big beat, drum & bass, down tempo, nu jazz and anything experimental. Meanwhile Velvet Underground aims to achieve an intimate club experience. This is a place for slightly older clubbers with cosy alcoves and comfortable lounge areas as well as a well-stocked champagne cocktail bar. Another section is the Wine Bar, a pre-club bar and chill-out zone with an outdoor seating area and a café offering hot dogs and sushi.
- Zouk club is very organised about who is spinning on which dates. The best time to meet gay folks is when guest DJs are in attendance, so the schedule on their website should be checked. However, because of the upscale, mixed crowd, discretion is warranted. Packed on Fridays and Saturdays. Wednesday is the Retro day, although not really that gay. When big-name international DJs perform, one should arrive between 7-9pm to get cheaper tickets as prices rise after 9 pm.
- St. James Power Station - only gay in its "Fabulous" section on Sunday nights, it is currently the place to see and be seen on weekends.
[edit] Saunas
45 Ann Siang Road #02-02 just behind Maxwell Food Center and a 5-min walk from the Tanjong Pagar MRT station, tel: 6222-2252.
The third sauna established by entrepreneur Max Lim in 2003, its competitive advantages are its budget entry fees, 24-hour opening times and a 'barracks' containing individual rooms for those desiring to stay for prolonged periods. It pioneered the concept of theme nights, which later spread to all saunas. This introduced variety and catered to subsegments of the gay crowd such as chubs, foam party lovers, minority races, foreigners and sun worshippers. It also experimented, for a short period, with an à la carte restaurant on the ground floor, a transvestite cabaret and male undergarment/swimming trunk fashion shows. It was the only sauna to proudly hang a rainbow flag, an LGBT icon signifying diversity, outside its main entrance. It is located next to Ann Siang Hill, already a popular cruising ground. Membership is no longer required.
An upmarket sauna at 17 Upper Circular Road between Boat Quay and Clarke Quay. The Raffles Place MRT station is closest. Tel: 6223-0017.
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45 Ann Siang Road #02-02 just behind Maxwell Food Center and a 5-min walk from the Tanjong Pagar MRT station, tel: 6222-2252.
The third sauna established by entrepreneur Max Lim in 2003, its competitive advantages are its budget entry fees, 24-hour opening times and a 'barracks' containing individual rooms for those desiring to stay for prolonged periods. It pioneered the concept of theme nights, which later spread to all saunas. This introduced variety and catered to subsegments of the gay crowd such as chubs, foam party lovers, minority races, foreigners and sun worshippers. It also experimented, for a short period, with an à la carte restaurant on the ground floor, a transvestite cabaret and male undergarment/swimming trunk fashion shows. It was the only sauna to proudly hang a rainbow flag, an LGBT icon signifying diversity, outside its main entrance. It is located next to Ann Siang Hill, already a popular cruising ground. Membership is no longer required.
An upmarket sauna at 17 Upper Circular Road between Boat Quay and Clarke Quay. The Raffles Place MRT station is closest. Tel: 6223-0017.
Nude nights start on Friday from 7pm till Saturday morning. Saturdays from 7pm to midnight are 'short towel', and after midnight it is 'skin'." It was the first to have an al fresco swimming pool which later had to be covered up, as office workers in the neighbouring building could have a bird's eye-view of the frequently naked men lounging around the poolside. The floor above, which was formerly occupied by a bank, was acquired and renovated at great expense in 2004 which effectively doubled its cruising space. Two men were arrested here by undercover policemen for homosex in 2003. Their penalty was commuted from a potential 2-year jail sentence under section 377 of the Singapore Penal Code to a mere $600 fine under section 20 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act in what may be a landmark ruling in Singapore legal history, as far as gay rights are concerned.
6 Loke Yew Street. The City Hall MRT station is the nearest. Tel: 6336-6328.
It has private suites, group areas, a steam room, jacuzzi, hydrojet cool pool, café and private sun deck. Open Mondays to Fridays from 4pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from noon. The crowd is a mix of locals, expats and visitors. It is billed as Singapore's largest gay sauna and also the most expensive. Its monthly nude "full moon parties" held once a month on the 15th day of the Chinese lunar calender, and youthful attractive patrons are the greatest attractions. It has been consistently ranked as the most popular sauna in Singapore through various polls.
Closed down end 2007. Their website announces that they would open at a new location.
7 Mosque Street, near Chinatown, tel: 6221-2729.
A 3-level sauna appealing to a mainly Chinese-educated clientèle. It has the most nude nights in a week, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It closed down in mid-2007.
176 Telok Ayer Street near Tanjong Pagar, tel: 6221-0367.
The Box was Singapore's first cruise club, a concept which proved less popular locally, so it was later converted into a sauna, using the new name of Shogun Spa. In mid-2006, it moved its location several units away, from 182 to 176 Telok Ayer Street. It was one of the last saunas to introduce nude nights. No membership is required. It closed down in mid-2007. The New Shogun Spa is now operating at 18A Hong Kong Street across the road from the "THE CENTRAL" near Clarke Quat MRT.
2 Jalan Pinang, near Bugis Junction outside the CBD. Parking is available at the Golden Landmark Hotel. The Bugis MRT station is closest. From here, it is a 5 min walk in the direction of Sultan Mosque. Tel: 6295-5668.
Established by a naturalised Frenchman, it has a full gym, a café with free Internet access (the first gay sauna to offer such a service), and a large steam room. The entrance fee is inexpensive and no membership is required. It is patronised by a crowd of all nationalities. Nude nights are on Sundays; Thursday nights are for 20-somethings only. Another 4 men were arrested here in April 2005 in a police raid masquerading as a night-time fire-safety inspection. The outcome of this case is still pending amidst the apparent official backlash against the rising incidence of HIV infection amongst homosexuals in Singapore. It appears to have ceased operating in mid-2005.
05-01, Sultan Plaza, 100 Jalan Sultan near its junction with Beach Road, tel: 6392-2396. It is unique amongst gay saunas in that it charges a standardised entry fee of $19 and that it closes relatively early even on weekends.
It started as a straight sauna offering massage by women masseuses, but gradually gained a predominantly gay, elderly Chinese-educated clientèle. This phenomenon of homosexuals eventually forming the majority of patrons in a previously straight establishment is affectionately locally known as "colonisation". It was the first sauna to have a coin-operated karaoke machine on its premises, free buffets and Hollywood/Hong Kong movie screenings, all of which proved to be very popular. It closed in early 2005 for renovations and reopened for business on 29 May 2005 with a relocated entrance but has, since the latter date, been patronised mainly by elderly straight Chinese customers, making it more of a mixed sauna again. Recently Wednesday nights have been promoted for chubs and their chasers, with this phenomenon spilling over into the weekends.
Located at 16A, Smith Street in the Tanjong Pagar area, it opened in November 2006, advertising itself mainly through the Trevvy website. It initially billed itself as a no-frills sauna and charged only $6 per entry at all times, with no membership required.
- 10 men's club - situated one floor below Mox Bar in the same building, it opened in mid-2007. Its main attraction is its central location, smack in the middle of the gay disco district.Recently it has been moved to near Chinatown MRT. The entrance is only accesible by a lift beside the "XIANG" barbecue meat shop and beside the overhead bridge of the Chinatown MRT.
[edit] Outdoor venues
Being frequented mainly at night by a stigmatised minority in fear of running afoul of the law every time they congregate for social or sexual intercourse, outdoor gay hangouts have remained largely unknown to the mainstream public. It was only in the mid-90s that police harassment of homosexuals at these venues stopped, although sporadic complaints by members of the public may still be investigated. The following list, which includes cruising areas some conservative gays may feel does not cast a favourable light upon the Singaporean homosexual image, has been drawn up for the sake of academic comprehensiveness and as a record of the collective local gay memory.
(For transgender (transvestite/transsexual) venues such as Bugis Street, Johore Road and Changi Village, see the article Transgender people in Singapore.)
Also officially known as Hong Lim Green, it was the first and formerly the most famous Singaporean gay venue listed in the première international gay tourist reference, the Spartacus Gay Guide. It was affectionately code-named "Honolulu" or "Hollywood" in the early years by some English-educated gay men. Later, after the fame of the movie, others also nicknamed it "Jurassic Park" as an irreverent dig at the geriatric homosexuals who frequented the place. Cruisy at night for more than half a century, its dim lighting and tall shrubbery provided ideal conditions for quickies between gay men, especially elderly Chinese-educated ones, until the bushes were pruned and bright lights installed in the early 90s to deter such activities. Nightly cruising and sex also took place in a small 2-storey shopping centre which was demolished and replaced by the present car park. In the 1980s, casual strollers were shocked to see young boys holding hands at night and wrote letters to the newpapers to complain. In spite of several police patrols in which these boys were questioned, no one was charged as nobody was caught flagrante delicto. The setting-up of the Kreta Ayer Neighbourhood Police Post in an old building next to the car park was also considered a measure to curb late-night cruising. Policemen would ride out on their bicycles in the 1990s to comb the entire Boat Quay-OCBC building area at night to scare away thrillseekers.
- Fort Road Beach- a secluded stretch of reclaimed land near Fort Road in Tanjong Rhu, visited by gay men since the 1980s. Nude sunbathing or swimming sometimes takes place as it is remote from public view and no one is disturbed. Its future as an idyllic gay venue is uncertain as development plans may bring it into direct public access. Less frequented stretches of beach include the more secluded areas near Changi Point which in the past were occasionally visited by heterosexual Gurkhas and Korean construction workers who served as the draw for local gay men, the segment of East Coast Parkway near Big Splash and the area near the People's Association chalets.
Cruisy at night since the early 1990s, but much less so since a landscaped sanctuary named Ann Siang Hill Park was built in 2004 with adequate illumination so that clandestine activities are not so convenient.
- Back alleys in the Central Business District and Tanjong Pagar
Less popular after the sprouting of numerous gay saunas since the late 1990s and the development of well-lit commercial complexes like China Square which replaced the dark, dank, derelict shophouses where night-time cruising took place.
The current hot-spot is the Telok Ayer area, especially around Boon Tat Street, where the back alleys have not had lighting installed yet. However, the available length of cruisable pathways is much less than in the Ann Siang area during its heyday.
- Katong Park- the previous toilet which was completely enclosed by 4 brick walls was a hive of activity. The new toilet, built in 2003 during a major redesign of the park, whose interior is visible from the outside via large gaps in the slotted timber walls is much less conducive to cruising, although some still takes place. Most homosexuals prefer to stroll in the fresh air along tracks traversing and skirting the perimeter of the park.
[edit] Enclosed/Indoor public venues
More comprehensive and up-to-date listings can be found at the Utopia website's Singapore pages:[19]
- Toilets
- Swimming Pools
- Shopping Centres
(For a discussion of places no longer extant where homosexuals used to socialise or cruise such as Le Bistro, Pebbles Bar, Treetops Bar, Vincent's lounge, Niche, Marmota/Legend/Shadows, Spartacus, Rairua, Boat Quay and Esplanade Park, see the article Singapore gay venues: historical).
[edit] External links
Photo albums of gay cruising venues in Singapore: [20]
