The hottest topic of the month is, well, Taylor Swift. But right after that, we have Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar at the tip of everyone’s tongues. This year’s 500-store event runs from now till 10th April 2024.
And, here’s some good news: if 9% GST has got you feeling down, every F&B store this year is said to have $3 food items.
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Most stores accept PayLah! or PayNow and we didn’t use a single cent of cash during our visit. Do ensure that you come with your phone charged to make payment! Credit cards are also not largely accepted here.
While the bazaar is said to open at 10am, avoid going too early as many of the F&B stalls only open from the afternoon onwards. Some stores have shared that they plan to open as late as 4pm since business will be quieter beforehand.
And of course, do walk around the bazaar, and don’t just stick to the largest tent – there are food and retail stores scattered all over, including inside Wisma Geylang Serai and along Changi Road.
Geylang Serai Bazaar may be best known for its food but you best bet that there are going to be shopping and a handful of carnival games ready to fill your night too. Unlike previous editions, we didn’t find many photo ops like draping flowers and fairytale carriages, but there’s still plenty of things to do from making friendship bracelets to shopping quality leather products.
While not the biggest segment of the bazaar in size, the carnival games drew a sizable crowd. Us too, were drawn to the popping balloons and shattering sounds of firing pellet guns.
Should your goal be to bring home a prize, the target shooting game was surprisingly easy. Mind you, I’m no expert Call of Duty player but it’s simple enough to get a straight aim on the pellet gun. Start from the bottom row of targets, and work your way up – there’s a high chance you’ll walk away with at least a small gift like we did.
At the ArtScience Museum, sorry, First Price store, you’ll be greeted with a pretty display of whimsical lights beckoning. All sorts of lighting and ornaments are available for sale with 10 metre fairy lights going on sale for $19.90. Clocks, hanging ornaments, and artificial candles are all up for grabs at reasonable prices so grab some to make your living room.
Get yet more decor to impress the mother-in-law at a humble store numbered “27”, with classy gold engravings on marble slabs. Nearby, you’ll also find another shop with bedsheets on sale for – get this – just $13.90 (U.P. $39.80) for a Super Single.
Complete your home visiting prep by throwing some bottles of M&M Chocolate Chip and Biscoff Tella Cookies ($14-$18) from “Store 6” into your bag. While there aren’t many snack stores there, the few around offer a decent variety of snacks, with dried dates and mini popiah available too.
Find modern and conservative outfits at Sherkzy.
Festive events are the perfect excuse to let your inner shopaholic run free. Your inner Rebecca Bloomwood would be happy to know that outfit options are plenty here. Find everything from modern Raya fits to matching sets for the whole family. You’ll even be able to find comfy leather shoes that will neither cramp your feet nor your style.
Leather shoes from Grey.
Granted, the total number of stores this year is slightly fewer compared to 2023 but you’ll still find enough variety of things to do here to be a satisfied shopper.
Needless to say, eating will be the highlight of the visit. Seats are aplenty in the dining area with lots of long benches to accommodate larger groups. There’s also a vibey outdoor dining area by the road you can try to chope.
Tip: bring along some tissues, as the tables won’t be in sparkling condition after many other visitors have dined there.
Apart from the usual suspects like Ramley burgers, kebabs and Thai milk tea, here are some of the best food and drinks to spend on:
$3 these days doesn’t get you much. Cries. But what it can get you is a yummy tub of Som Som, or cold coconut rice pudding, at The Padangton. With creamy coconut pudding topped on a bed of green jelly, this was one of the more value-for-money “budget dishes” we found at the bazaar.
Give the Rendang Padang Tacos a try as well – this is a dish the store only sells at their pop-up events. You can’t find it on the menu at their physical restaurant along Jalan Klapa. Cooked for 3-7 hours, the meat in the beef ($5), chicken ($5) and lamb ($7) tacos were tender and flavourful and came topped with a layer of achar cucumbers that added a touch of welcomed acidity.
Rainbow Cheese Coin Waffles ($6).
Happiness in a Box is the first to sell Halal cheese coin waffles in Singapore. The iconic Korean snack is served piping hot – and that’s when you want to tear it apart for that cheese pull. You can still eat this if you’re almost full by now, the cheese isn’t jelak despite the look. Encrusted in a fluffy and sweet batter, this is one easy snack you’ll walk off satisfied with.
Bintanghulu – or candied fruits – has taken over FoodTok by storm so it’s no surprise that they’ve started to make an appearance at Ramadan bazaars too. Priced from $2 for a mini and $5 for a regular, they’re every sugar lover’s dream come true.
Coated with hardened sugar syrup, these are sweet and extra crispy to bite into. No worries, the Mandarin oranges don’t have seeds.
This comes with bits of lychee, butterfly pea flowers and lemon slices.
Tip: 1 litre of drinks may sound like a bit too much, but when you’re stuffing yourself at a food bazaar, it’s always a good idea to have more liquids on hand. At $5, a bucket of Fresh Butterfly Lychee from Balang can feed an entire family so grab one to wash down all that sinfully good food you’ve just enjoyed.
Prata and waffles – a combination possibly better than Bonnie and Clyde. The Chilli Crab Praffles ($16.90) is topped with bite-sized pieces of soft shell crab slathered in thick and spicy sauce. While it’s already a bit of a splurge foodies will want to top up $1 for egg praffles, which gives the whole thing a fluffier bite.
Get the Chilli Beef Fries ($10) if you’d do anything for a flavour kick because this one would whoop you upside down. Packed with seasoning, this one’s salty, spicy, and topped with a generous handful of herbs. It even comes with a warning box saying “highly addictive”.
P.S. You can also try the praffles plain for $3 if you’re on a budget.
Stressed is desserts spelled backwards so turn that burnt-out frown upside down by treating yourself to some Bubble Waffle x Ice Cream ($12.80) after work. The visual treat is highly customisable too as you can choose your preferred ice cream flavour, sauce, and topping to get the perfect combination of flavours.
Chocolate, love letters, and even Fruity Pebbles are available as part of the complimentary toppings.
For those who’ve been to past Geylang Serai Bazaars before, this year’s edition brings back a lot of the stores we know and love. The biggest change is the implementation of 2 mandatory $3 dishes for all stores. Most stores did abide but just know that these dishes are typically smaller bites like mini fries that likely aren’t going to fill you up!
That being said, this year’s edition had a good variety of everything, with “hipster” and traditional food, lots of retail stores, and even some carnival games for the kids to enjoy.
Date: Until 10th April 2024
Time: 10am to 11.59pm, Daily
On 10th April 2024, the bazaar will run from 12am-6am.
Venue: 1 Geylang Serai, Singapore 402001
Getting there: The nearest MRT is Paya Lebar. Walk 10 minutes towards Geylang Serai to reach the bazaar.
Read more things to do this month:
Photography by Brad Lee.
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