Turnout jumps a third on Culture Pass booster

Response exceeds organisers' expectations; overseas guests full of praise for the literary event; more spaces can be created for participants and authors to mingle

- Clement Yong Correspondent

SG Culture Pass credits accounted for more than 40 per cent of ticket sales at the sold-out Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) 2025, which concluded its fortnight run on Nov 16 to high praise from both local and overseas participants.

The Culture Pass was the conspicuous motor that drove a 30 per cent increase in festivalgoers over 2024's iteration. The government-funded scheme gives Singaporeans aged 18 and older $100 to spend on culture and heritage programmes.

Organiser Arts House Group (AHG) provided these statistics at the request of The Straits Times without revealing absolute figures. But this boost in attendance was readily felt on the ground by all - most conspicuously during the book signing of American author R.F. Kuang on Nov 8, when an overwhelming response momentarily flummoxed organisers.

Contrary to initial expectations, this excitement was not contained to one or two celebrity writers, which might have indicated a passionate but more skin-deep engagement with a tentpole literary festival boasting more than 200 programmes.

By the second day of the festival, it was clear that people could no longer count on simply showing up on time to enter events.

Consecutive sessions meant people routinely left 10 to 15 minutes early to get in line for preparatory queues. Laggards stayed outside full-house sessions, hoping to gain entry when other participants left midway.

Packed sessions were as varied as a panel discussion between an Indian historian and a Malaysian archaeologist on the South Indian Chola empire, and readings of women's poetry.

Over 40 programmes requiring additional entry fees were at full capacity, including many first-time participants.

After an edition in 2024 characterised as more "laid-back", it is safe to say festival director Yong Shu Hoong has successfully re-injected the buzz while still retaining his thoughtful approach allowing for robust discussions across eclectic topics.