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It's around midnight on a party Friday and the place looks like a ghost town. You almost expect to see tumbleweeds drift down the street except for the cabs meandering by the roadside and the odd bunch of tearaways doing skateboard tricks on the curb.
No, it's not the Central Business District after the offices have closed for the day.
It's actually one of the Republic's most famous landmarks, Orchard Road, known worldwide — at least among those who know Singapore is not a province in China — as a major tourist, retail and, according to some, entertainment hub.
While there are no doubts about the tourism bit and shopping reputation of the area being true judging by the masses strolling up and down the road during the day, the entertainment aspect raises some questions come nightfall.
Unless you're talking about watching a midnight movie, no one seems to want to live a nightlife in town these days. So why is money being spent to spruce up Orchard Road's "daytime" look and not on a party makeover?
MEMORY LANE
The Singapore Tourism Board's (STB) $40-million, 10-month makeover of the area starting on Monday seems timely.
The facelift will see fancy lighting showing off trees that line the boulevard, creative spaces for events and a pedestrian mall.
But while it all sounds nice, some nightlife operators are wondering how lights, trees and a mall will give the neighbourhood's rather forlorn nightlife scene a much-needed "zing" once the stores, cinemas and restaurants are done for the day.
"The announcement does not report anything that is of relevance to the entertainment scene," said Marco de Miranda, managing director of b:one (formerly known as Bar None), which has been operating from the Marriott Hotel at Orchard Road for 10 years. "It may beautify Orchard Road and it would work for the malls and the pedestrians ... but it has nothing to with clubbing and nightlife."
Having said that, the Orchard area is certainly not a one-horse town, said Miranda and his peers. And that's even if you exclude our notorious Orchard Towers or the KTV lounges in the neighbourhood.
Most operators said business has been "generally good" thanks to a good number of tourists, regulars and random walk-ins, but they missed the night-time excitement that used to be in the area — before good ol' clubs and bars such as Venom, Sparks, Devil's Bar, Papa Joe's and Saxophone Jazz closed down.
Ironically, night owls seem to be giving Orchard Road a miss at a time when the area seems to have more clubs and bars — of an arguably-higher standard — than it used to have during its heyday.
While veterans such as b:one, Brix, Hard Rock Café, Muddy Murphy's, Ice Cold Beer and No 5 Emerald Hill Cocktail Bar are still holding the fort in the area, there are also relatively-new additions to the scene such as The Living Room, Thumper, IndoChine Sanctuary and the Balcony bar.
While the nightlife crowd is known to be notoriously fickle, why aren't they flocking to the area, which has many more options than it used to?
PEDESTRIAN CROSSING
"For me, Orchard Road is for meeting friends over shopping, movies and coffee," said Linda Seek, a 30-something marketing manager who parties almost every weekend and who used to frequent clubs like Venom back in the day. "Honestly, I don't think of Orchard anymore when it comes to partying."
These days, she prefers to check out the variety of bars, clubs and restaurants at current favourite Clarke Quay.
Clarke Quay and other bubbling hot new nightlife hubs such as Dempsey Hill, Robertson Quay and the resurgent Sentosa area are the main culprits for luring away the bulk of the nocturnal crowd that used to party downtown, said industry experts.
"What Dempsey offers is convenience plus discovery. Its immense greenery is one of its charms," said Spa Esprit Group managing director Cynthia Chua. Her firm runs the bar Camp @ House in the area.
Chua, like most of the other operators in Dempsey, said the forbidding rental prices in Orchard Road were keeping more clubs and bars out instead of welcoming them in. "If I had a cool concept I wouldn't put in Orchard because the rent is a killer."
THE ROAD AHEAD
Spa Esprit's Chua thinks what Orchard Road lacks is a "concept" that Dempsey or Clarke Quay has — one that is creative while retaining its unique urban character. "The allure of Orchard Road is its 'bustling factor'."
Che Pereira, the general manager at Thumper in Goodwood Park Hotel, had an out-of-the-box idea to give Orchard Road a shot in the arm. "Why not have ZoukOut at Orchard?" Pereira said, half-jokingly, referring to Zouk's internationally-famous annual dance music festival, which may lose its traditional home on Sentosa this year.
Miranda of b:one also thinks a landmark like Orchard Road should have more celebrations befitting its status like those in other iconic streets in major cities around the world. He cited the annual Love Parade street party in Berlin, New Year's Eve celebrations on Times Square in New York, and even street parties across the causeway in Kuala Lumpur during the Formula 1 race as examples.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong himself stated during his 2005 National Day Rally speech that Orchard Road is a Singaporean "brand name" and the Government plans to make it "one of the great streets in the world".
When asked what is being done to make it a "great street", the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) admitted Orchard Road has "the potential to develop more nightlife buzz".
But it looks like the onus of adding more oomph to the area lies with the businesses — in this case, the bars and clubs.
"The industry recognises this, given the recent acquisition of b:one and The Living Room bar by St James Power Station," said Lynette Pang, director for cluster development, events and entertainment at the STB. "This is set to add a new dimension to the lifestyle offerings that Orchard Road currently presents."
It seems we've got ourselves a Catch-22 situation: The STB seems to think things will get better when nightlife operators make the most of Orchard Road's potential, but the operators are reluctant to join the party until it is made more attractive.
Perhaps, by the time the facelift is completed next February, the street will be a hive of activity after dusk, but for now, we may have to patiently put up with Orchard Road being as quiet as the Chinese and Sumatran graveyards that used to dot the street in the late 1840s. - TODAY/fa
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