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Aug. 09, 2003
Singapore's Nation.03 Hailed a Success!
Organisers hail the Nation.03 party a success , marking
the first time in local TV history a local - or any
gay event for that matter - has been reported in a positive
light accompanied by snippets of men dancing away on
podiums.
Singapore's Nation.03 party has been hailed a success
with an estimated 4500 attendees celebrating the host
country's 38th National Day. The party organised by
Fridae.com, Asia's largest gay and lesbian website,
has been held annually on Aug 8 since 2001. In 2001,
the party attracted 1,500 partygoers and 2,500 last
year.
Organisers of the event are pleased with the turnout
attributing it to an unusual amount of press coverage
of the event locally and internationally sparked off
by the Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's disclosure
in Time Magazine that the government will employ openly
gay people.
"On behalf of the GLBT community in Singapore, we are
deeply grateful for the opportunity to celebrate National
Day in such a spectacular and meaningful way with the
rest of the country. It is a clear display of how tolerant
and accepting the vast majority of Singaporeans are,
and I am proud that our government has the courage and
fortitude to embrace gays and lesbians in our melting
pot society," said Dr Stuart Koe, Fridae.com's co-founder
and Chief Executive Officer.
Organisers estimate that at least some 1000 partygoers
are visitors from abroad, most of whom bought their
tickets weeks before the event on Fridae's website.
The majority of the tourists are from Australia, Hong
Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and as faraway
as Canada and the United States.
The Sijori Resort Sentosa, which is located a few minutes
from the party grounds and Hotel 1929 - the official
hotel for Nation.03 - have reported a 100 percent occupancy
rate during this period.
Subaru, a major sponsor of the event, has also come
out showing strong support for Singapore government
lifting a ban on hiring of gays within the civil service.
Mr Glenn Tan, the spokesperson for MotorImage Enterprises
Pte Ltd that represents Subaru said: "We recognise that
there is an increasing need for Singapore to be a more
open and tolerant society as we progress. We were very
glad to hear of the Government's latest move to extend
equal job opportunities in the civil service to gays
and lesbians. We are proud to stand with all the other
forward-looking brands in recognising the need to eliminate
discrimination in whatever form it takes."
The party, which ran from 10pm to 6am, was co-headlined
by DJ Rick Mitchell, a hot favourite on the US dance
circuit and Sydney DJ-producer Mandy Rollins, a veteran
DJ of her home city's annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
parties since 1996.
The three-day event included a welcome party at Why
Not bar on August 7 and a poolside recovery party on
August 9 at Big Splash, a water theme park, and Tunnel
Club, also located on the same premises.
More than 1500 people passed through the doors of Big
Splash and Tunnel where the 12-hour poolside recovery
party was held. While some partygoers were unhappy with
the line-up at the door at Tunnel, the queue eased by
12.30am and all were either having a wild time in the
club or chilling out at the outdoor bar.
Rick Cheung, a visitor from Hong Kong who is in Singapore
for the Nation party, said: "The massive queue was a
big pain but I guess it's part and parcel of parties
of this size. All of my friends were in the club by
1am - it was steaming hot by then but it was really,
really wild, especially when the bar guy hosed some
guys on the dance floor down. It's our first time at
a party like this Singapore and we are very pleasantly
surprised, this is very amazing. Singapore is now definitely
part of the party circuit for us!"
This also marks the first time in local TV history
a local - or any gay event for that matter - has been
reported in a positive light accompanied by snippets
of men dancing away on podiums.
"Nation.03 can be seen as a gauge of Singapore's tolerance,"
ChannelNewsAsia and its sister station, TCS5, reported
the day after the event. "Surprising or not, this is
the 3rd year the party has been organised and its growing
popularity could make it a "must see" event on the world
party circuit."
To read the article, please click here.
Nation.03 is sponsored by Anchor Beer, Dolce and Gabbana
Parfum, Qantas Airways, Smirnoff and Subaru. ENDS
About Fridae
Based in Hong Kong, Fridae is a diversified media and
services company implementing an integrated strategy
that covers the Internet, Publishing and Events. As
the gay media leader in Asia, Fridae provides unparalleled
reach to the valuable, yet diverse and hard to reach
gay and lesbian communities in the region.
Fridae's innovative online portal (www.fridae.com)
leverages the distribution power and reach of the Internet
to provide products and services to more than 350,000
consumers each month and more than 80,000 registered
members. The Fridae Guide, slated for 3Q 2004, is a
comprehensive 3-volume travel guide covering 23 countries
and over 50 cities in Asia-Pacific, offering invaluable
travel insights and tips to first-time and experienced
travelers alike. Fridae Events include parties such
as Nation and Snowball, as well as seminars covering
topics such as personal financial planning - offering
companies valuable offline exposure and marketing opportunities.
Fridae uses its expertise to offer forward-looking companies
online advertising and branding as well as offline strategies
and direct marketing programs. Fridae has been named
Official Asia Media of the Sydney Mardi Gras for 2003-2004.
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