A nightclub popular with fans of techno and house music will shut its doors again after New Year’s Eve in a move it blames on high operating costs.
The Kilo Lounge said that great locations such as Tanjong Pagar – where it reopened three years ago – cannot support a “niche” club.
“It’s been a fantastic run, but truthfully, the costs that come with operating on a prime belt of Singapore real estate hasn’t proven to be financially sustainable for a club like ours, one which primarily finds its niche in house and techno, genres that are still (for the most part) considered underground for the nightlife masses,” the Monday statement said.
It added that moving downtown from Kampong Bugis was a gamble that didn’t pay off.
“We knew it would be a big undertaking when we signed on the lease, but after two years out in the boondocks of Kampong Bugis, we needed a new challenge,” it said. “We took a risk, we tried, and now we know.”
Kilo Lounge first opened on the highest floor of the Kallang Rivergreen Building at Kampong Bugis in 2014 before it was forced to bring the shutters down on Jan 1, 2016, because the area was not approved for nightlife use. The nightlife spot had been operating on a temporary nightclub license then, club management said at the time.
Management is currently searching for a new venue and vowed to return “armed to the teeth with all the good and bad that we’ve learned.”
Fans took to the comments to mourn the loss of their weekend outlet for music and dance, described as a “legendary place.”
“You have created such a legendary place with so many potent memories!” user Sean Tobin said.
“I’ve celebrated my birthdays at Kilo every year. [Will be] there for one last hurrah and ledge dancing?” a Joanna Fong said.
Kilo Lounge is managed by Kilo Collective group, which also operates the restaurants such as the Kilo Kitchen and Camp Kilo Charcoal Club in Singapore. The company also has outlets in Bali and Jakarta, its website says.
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