The 25m and 50m man-made Supertrees dazzled visitors with their multicoloured illuminations dancing in sync to classical Christmas songs like White Christmas, Deck The Halls and It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year. Following the entertaining light and sound show, kids and families had a blast during Blizzard Time, wherein artificial snow showered the area called Supertree Grove. And that's how Singaporeans and tourists have enjoyed their festive celebration, Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.
Christmas Wonderland was launched in 2013. This European-style Christmas fair is reported to have attracted 60% local people and 40% foreigners, mostly from regional countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, but also visitors from further locales such as Australia, the UK and the US.
"We looked at the calendar of events. We have art festivals, Formula 1 and culture festivals, but what was missing was a family festival for the year's end. It must be a good time to bring people together," said Sarah Martin, creative director from Blue Sky Events, the organiser for Christmas Wonderland.
THE MAGIC OF XMAS
On stage at "The Magic Of Rob Lake", the American illusionist Rob Lake — quarter-finalist from 2018 America's Got Talent — can cut a woman in half, make a girl float, guess lottery numbers accurately and make a paper fly right in front of the audience. The 35-year-old illusionist has stunned audiences around the world, and he recently brought his magical performance to The Meadows in Christmas Wonderland. Life spoke to Lake after his opening show.
Illusionist Rob Lake, from America’s Got Talent.
What drew you into magic?
When I was 10 years old, I saw a magic show and I just knew from every part of my body that I wanted to be a magician. I just knew that it would be my whole life. I love the feeling that anything is possible. Magic can be real. Even though you are sceptical, there are moments of zealous wonder and joy, and you feel that magic could be real.
Do audiences in different countries react to your performances differently?
No. It is something exciting about magic. It is so universal. Even in different countries, the response is the same. Even though languages are different, when magic happens, you understand it's magic. When you see magic, you have the same reaction.
What is the best thing about being an illusionist?
Being able to do the impossible. I don't know the word "impossible".
Have you ever made a mistake?
Many times. Whenever I create illusions, some of them can take a few months, and many take many years, to create. And when I create an illusion, part of the creation process is to brainstorm and think of anything that could go wrong. And try to make a plan for it. If something happens, we can go to plan B, C and D so the show can go on and on, and audiences don't know what happened. We have to do it live in front of the audiences. Live is exciting. It's not recording. We don't stop, cut and reshoot. That's why people like to come to the show.
You performed in Thailand before. What was it like here?
Hot. There were such nice people and such wonderful foods.
Do you have any message for your future audiences?
Please come. I hope you come because this event is such a cool, exciting way to celebrate Christmas, and there are so many activities. And the show is going to be magical. I create magic that allows the whole audience to be part of the show.
"We wanted to do something that's a little bit traditional in Europe ... And we wanted to have what we made our own, so we brought in Luminarie. The first year, that was all we had."
The Luminarie Light Sculptures, handmade by Italian craftsmen using white wood from the south of Italy, are one of the highlights at Christmas Wonderland. This year, this seven-storey-high Luminarie is adding to its charms with a mirror maze. After the first edition, the celebration has been bigger, with more activities. In 2014, carnival games and child rides were included. Last year, the African circus was a highlight performance while presently, an illusionist from America's Got Talent, quarter-finalist Rob Lake, is the headline performer.
During Christmas, visitors -- especially kids -- are looking forward to meeting Father Christmas. That's why Santa's Grotto is one of the most popular attractions, besides Garden Rhapsody and Blizzard Time.
"We doubled the size of Santa's Grotto so we can facilitate more people coming through. It's the free element within the festival. People love to line up for Santa Clause, even for half an hour, before they can take photos and meet with him," Martin said.
Before Christmas Wonderland was launched, lots of Christmas celebrations were held in shopping malls, since Singapore is a shopping-mall-driven city. Currently, a number of people are ecstatic to celebrate their festive holiday at an outdoor space with fresh air, glittering lights and fun activities, making Garden by the Bay very crowded because visitors are multi-generational. To ensure visitor safety, there is capacity-control.
"In the first year, it was a free event. We had about 900,000 people come. The second year, we had 1.6 million people. In the third year, we decided to do capacity-control, so we could make sure that people didn't have to queue up too long for anything. We wanted to make a festival that is a safe place for people and easy to navigate. This year, we expect to have 400,000 to 500,000 visitors. More than this can be a bit crowded," said the creative director.
At the fair, visitors can enjoy gourmet cuisine in the area, from Slice of Savour as well as from several eateries around Festive Market. Some delicious meals and sweets include the Beef Tenderloin Cube Rosti from The 6ixs Rosti, Japanese soufflé pancakes from Out of the Woods, Christmas Red Wine Cake from Coffee & Smores by Big O and modern French cuisine by Michelin-starred chef Emmanuel Stroobant's Saint Pierre.
"Singaporeans are keen for a whole variety of food. At the event, we have a wide range. We make sure that we mix and match both fun food and serious food," Martin said.
Not only families have great times at Christmas Wonderland; many couples also have memorable dates at this place.
"Christmas Wonderland is popular for dating couples. We had a lot of couples who proposed last year or in the last few years. Once, in the little hut, there was a special proposal with Santa."
Christmas Wonderland 2018 runs until Dec 26, 4-11pm, at Gardens by The Bay in Singapore. Admission tickets are S$8 (190 baht) online and $10 on-site. For more information, go to http://christmaswonderland.sg.
