Ramadan marks the month of fasting for Muslims in Singapore – but it also means the return of one of the city’s most popular street bazaars.
Mark the date: Mar. 17 is when the Ramadan Bazaar returns to Geylang Serai, with 700 stalls expected to pop up. Fun fact: only 70 stalls operated in 2022.
The bazaar will also begin slightly earlier than the fasting month and will run for 36 full days – making it the longest-running Ramadan bazaar yet.
Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said at a conference today that affordability will be an important consideration for visitors this year.
He added that they wanted to make sure the food items are something people can afford and that every F&B stall at the bazaar will offer at least one time on the menu at a sample size for S$4.
While that sounds like a reasonable benchmark, the past years’ bazaars saw food and snacks being sold for inflated prices – think S$19 lobster rolls and S$8 rainbow bagels.
Still, we are unsure how they will try to make things affordable. Mohamed Mustaffa Shah Jehan, founder of Enniche Global Trading, which is part of the organizers operating the bazaar, said retail stalls can expect rentals of up to S$15,000 for the entire month, while rent for the F&B stalls can go for up to S$19,000 for the same period.
There will also be a space allocated for local entrepreneurs in Wisma Geylang Serai called ‘Souq City’ which is separate from the street-level bazaar. It will cost $55 a day for budding entrepreneurs to rent a stall to market their goods and wares there.
On top of that, community shelves will be set aside for people to place donated food (non-perishable and Halal) and clothes for Hari Raya.
Graffiti artist Slac Satu will also be there spray painting his artwork across multiple panels over the 30 days of Ramadan.
Faishal said that he wants to make the bazaar more memorable for many years to come.
The bazaar will operate daily from 10am to 11:59pm, although this will be extended to 6am on Hari Raya Puasa, which falls on April 22.
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