MARQUEE Singapore has suspended operations until further notice. The superclub, located in Marina Bay Sands, cited the move as a response to the Singapore government's recent advisory to defer and cancel ticketed events with 250 or more people due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The club, which has an overall capacity of 1,883 people across 2,319 sqm, is best known for presenting some of the world's most popular names in electronic music and was scheduled to present Electro House DJ Laidback Luke tonight. Earlier today, the Dutch-Filipino DJ posted on his Instagram stories to announce his cancellation, sharing that he was forced to change course and fly back to New York before the travel ban started.

Part of the TAO Group, MARQUEE Singapore is the first nightclub to announce temporary closure since the government advisory. It remains to be seen if other clubs like Zouk Singapore will follow suit in suspending operations. AVENUE, KOMA, and LAVO, which are also run by the global hospitality group, remain business as usual.

The Singapore government advisory was released by the Ministry of Health on 13 March 2020 and impacts all ticketed cultural, sports, and entertainment events.  

All ticketed cultural, sports and entertainment events, with 250 participants or more, are to be deferred or cancelled. For events that have already been committed (e.g. tickets sold), organisers must demonstrate that satisfactory precautionary measures have been put in place before they can proceed.  

Source: Ministry of Health

National Development Minister Lawrence Wong cites social distancing, reducing density, and event organisers needing a benchmark, as reasons for the 250 limit. 

Stay tuned to Bandwagon for more updates.