Geylang Serai Bazaar and Festive Light-Up 2018


Sampling hipster food and festive lights at Geylang Serai Bazaar 2018.


Time flies, doesn’t it? It seems only yesterday that I was shivering under a poncho in the rain, awaiting New Year fireworks at The Float. In a blink, well, several blinks, a third of the year is over and “summer” is nearly upon us.

Summer …

In the case of Singapore, mid-year heralds the arrival of the second major ethnic celebration too—that of Hari Raya Puasa and its accompanying Geylang Serai Bazaar. With the bazaar nowadays as equally about preparing for Hari Raya Puasa as it is for showcasing the latest hipster food, I’ve been looking forward to visiting since mid-April.

To paraphrase the words of others, this month-long event promises one of the most dazzling mixes of the traditional and the hip in the Singaporean festive calendar.

Food Objective for This Year’s Visit!

When I visited Geylang Serai Bazaar last year, I was still groping about for the right (and efficient) way to do my festive light-up posts. No thanks to that, I was obsessed with taking pictures with my then Nikon D7000. I think I ended up only buying from two food stalls.

Not going to happen this year. While food isn’t one of my major blogging niche, I’m determined to stuff more down this year. My LG G6 has also been behaving admirably, so this year I wouldn’t have to queue and eat with a chunk of magnesium alloy dangling before me. In other words, it’s time to feast

I must feast!

(I.E. More food shots this year. I’m verbose, am I not?)

Arrival

Yikes! Three things happened on arrival.

First of all, I barely recognised the vicinity upon exiting Paya Lebar MRT Station. Despite having lived nearby for three years, there have been so many changes and build-ups, I needed half a minute to orientate myself.

What’s more, even the spread of the festive bazaar is different from last year, the bulk of it is now wrapped around the nearly completed Wisma Geylang Serai. Because of this, there are also different sections this time around. Each more or less caters to a different crowd. (An amusement area, food, cars, etc)

Thirdly, I got my dates wrong, of all possible mistakes. While the Ramadan bazaar and festive lights began on May 12, Ramadan itself doesn’t start till May 15, i.e., the day after my visit. Likely because of this, many stalls were still in the process of setting up; carpenters were literally sawing away when I stepped in.

On the bright side, the above meant crowds were thinner and photo-taking was easier. For those of you who are into “the full swing” of things, I would advise that you schedule your visit for after May 18th.

Geylang Serai Bazaar 2018 Ketupat Decorations
Ketupat Hari Raya decorations. One of the first things I saw.
Geylang Serai Festive Market 2018.
Curtains row? There was an entire “alley” devoted to curtains, bed linens, and tapestries.
Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar 2018 - Colorful Cushions on Sale.
Decorative cushions. You know, the right cushion design can really brighten up your living space.
Hari Raya Puasa LED Decorations
Hari Raya Puasa L.E.D. decorations. Walking by this stall was akin to passing through a fairy alcove.
Islamic Home Decorations
Islam-themed home decorations at the same L.E.D. stall. I couldn’t resist the geometric designs and bought one right away.
Malay Costume Jewellry.
Malay costume jewellery. I … managed to resist buying some. (Which if I did, would go to my latest stash of why-did-I-buy-that mysteries.)
Geylang Serai Bazaar 2018 Game Stall and Prizes
Game Stall and Prizes. I want a Snorlax!




Geylang Serai Bazaar 2018 Food & Drinks!

Right. On to food. What most Singaporeans would be heading to this festive celebration for.

The emphasis this year seems to be on cheese. Exotic drinks served in huge cups and buckets too. As for me, I bought a Thai green milk tea and man, it lasted me the entire visit.

Alley Thai Milk Tea.
The stall where I got my milk tea. The cups don’t look large in this picture but believe me, they are. At four bucks, it’s also a lot more than what you get at downtown stalls.
Rojak Power Gila by Kreyv.
Rojak Power Gila by Kreyv! (The middle top poster) Now that’s a good name.
Bucket Gangster drinks at Geylang Serai Food Bazaar 2018.
Bucket gangsters. You have to be very Singaporean to appreciate the humour of the bucket names. But I believe anyone would be enthralled by the colourful ingredients and presentations.
Word Gangster Meat Cups
Word Gangster meat cups. One cup could be a meal in itself. As I discovered.
Aligot Making at Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar 2018.
Aligot in the making at The Four Horsemen. I didn’t sample this. I’m leaving it for my second visit.
Yummers.SG Drinks
Colourful Drinks by Yummers.SG at Geylang Serai Bazaar 2018.
Geylang Serai Bazaar 2018 Fried Finger Foods.
Fried street food. A standard favourite at Singaporean pasar malam.
Raclette Rosti and Lemonster Stall at Geylang Serai Bazaar 2018.
At the very popular Raclette Cheese Rosti stall. Unfortunately, I’m not really into Raclette cheese, so I gave this a miss. (I like the ring of the Lemonster Drink, though)
Rainbow Grill Cheese Toast by Take A Bite.
Okay, my favourite snack from Geylang Serai Bazaar 2018. Rainbow grill cheese toast. Other than the happy colours, this wasn’t as sweet as I thought it would be. In fact, it’s a perfect mix of crispiness and mild sweetness among that melted mozzarella goodness. It’s also very fun to twirl the mozzarella around the toast after it cools.

Geylang Serai Hari Raya Lights 2018

Satiated after two hours about the food stalls, I found a corner to sit at and patiently waited for nightfall. Probably because most visitors were then queuing for food, it was quite easy for me to snap early evening pictures of the illuminations. Some of the areas that I wandered into were nearly empty.

Geylang Serai Bazaar 2018 Salam Aidilfitri Display
Salam Aidilfitri. Peace be upon you.
Geylang Serai Bazaar 2018 Carnival Rides.
The carnival rides area. Very peaceful. Kids have yet to attack.
Hari Raya Celebrations 2018 Bumper Cars.
That’s a very festive backdrop for the bumper car ride, isn’t it?
Geylang Light Up 2018
Looking down, or rather up, Sims Avenue.
Hari Raya Light Up 2018.
Heart of Geylang Serai, so to speak. The Joo Chiat Complex junction.
Geylang Serai Light-Up 2018
Like Sims Avenue, a tunnel of lights over Geylang Road.
Geylang Serai Festive Light-Up 2018
My best shot from the evening. This is the overhead bridge nearest to Haig Road Market.
Geylang Serai Festive Lights 2018.
A sea of crescents and geometric patterns against the Geylang night sky.

Geylang Serai Bazaar 2018 is ongoing till June 14, 2018, the day before Hari Raya Puasa.


Geylang Serai Bazaar and Festive Light-up 2019.

Read my other Festive Celebrations in Singapore posts.

Summary
Geylang Serai Bazaar and Festive Light-Up 2018
Article Name
Geylang Serai Bazaar and Festive Light-Up 2018
Description
Yummy food and night photography crawl at Geylang Serai Bazaar 2018. One of the biggest festive food celebrations in Singapore this year.
Author
Scribbling Geek
Scribbling Geekhttps://www.scribblinggeek.com
Geek, gamer, writer, movie lover, photographer, and occasional graphic artist. I like to consider myself a one-stop content creator of sorts. But the truth is, I obsess over too many hobbies.

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