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‘We just feel hopeless’: Stall owner posts viral plea over bleak sales at SG60 Marina Bay fair

A corndog stall at the Marina Bay National Day Festival Fair is struggling to stay afloat after recording daily sales as low as S$14.

Kwazy Korndog, a local business run by husband-wife duo Jay Lam and Hazel Chen, recently took to TikTok to sound the alarm after four days of losses at the event, which reportedly charges a daily rental of S$500 per stall each day.

In a now-viral video, Hazel, 28, showed their stall earnings — which dipped to S$14 on some days — while other vendors reported similarly dismal figures.

Other vendors reported similarly dismal figures — one seller said she sold just two portions while another claimed she only sold a packet of sweets.

Image courtesy of Kwazy Korndog owner

“The location is good, the setup is pretty — but the crowd is just not coming in,” Hazel said in the video.

The lack of footfall has left vendors in limbo, unsure if they can recoup even a fraction of their investment.

“We are on the verge of losing 10k at this event,” she added. The video ends with a heartfelt call to the public: “If you like food, nostalgic rides, beautiful lighting, and want to catch the beautiful NDP fireworks, please stop by.”

The post has since garnered more than 500,000 views, with many commenting that they had not heard about the event.

Source: Kwazy Korndog on TikTok

Organisers allegedly only addressed concerns on fourth day of fair

Jay Lam, 30, told MS News that the couple joined the event because it was marketed as part of the SG60 celebrations. The event spanned three weekends and was held at a prominent venue, so they expected strong weekend footfall, especially during the National Day Parade (NDP) rehearsals.

Instead, the opening weekend turned out bleak. Even on the Saturday of an NDP preview, most vendors averaged around S$400 to S$500 in sales, barely enough to cover rental, let alone manpower or supply costs.

“If Saturday can’t break even, what happens for the rest of the week?” Jay said.

Source: Kwazy Korndog on TikTok

Sunday fared worse. “I don’t think there were more than 100 people at the event that day,” he added. Stalls sat in silence, vendors idle, while others simply waited for the day to end.

Despite vendors sharing feedback early, Jay said the organisers only began addressing concerns on the fourth day. By then, vendors had already bled losses.

Image courtesy of Kwazy Korndog owner

Jay told MS News that banners and lighting were added, and they were told vouchers would be distributed on the streets to drive footfall. But for many, the damage had been done.

“All these things should have been in place before opening day,” he said.

Image courtesy of Kwazy Korndog owner

Video raises questions marketing for Marina Bay event

As views and shares poured in, so did support from members of the public, many of whom expressed surprise that the event even existed.

“90% of comments say they didn’t even know this event was on,” Jay said. Some commenters also mentioned walking past the fair without realising it was open.

Image courtesy of Kwazy Korndog owner

For Jay and Hazel, social media became their only lifeline. Even though the viral post brought more awareness, actual sales continued lagging.

Comparing their experience at the event to that from GastroBeats, which was held at the same space from late May to late June, Jay claimed the crowd for the former was “so, so much different”.

Source: Kwazy Korndog on TikTok

Jay shared that GastroBeats’ organisers began marketing months in advance. They also hosted a dedicated media day to invite KOLs and media outlets, which helped build anticipation.

“On a weekday for GastroBeats, people are seen queuing under the hot sun to enter the event,” he added.

While he acknowledged that there are always uncertainties in F&B events, Jay said strong marketing by organisers could “make or break” a festival’s footfall.

Some of Marina Bay fair stall owners ‘are at the mercy of the organisers’

Jay remains hopeful for open dialogue with organisers, especially regarding rental relief. With stalls paying S$500 daily and making very little sales, many vendors are unlikely to recoup their costs.

“Even the public agrees this was not marketed properly,” he said.

He told MS News that while they’re lucky to be young and digitally savvy, other stallholders, particularly older, traditional vendors, rely entirely on organisers to bring in the crowd.

“They don’t know how to use social media to market their stall. They’re really at the mercy of the organisers.”

Jay hopes event managers will acknowledge the shortfall and offer some cushion — either through discounts or rental rebates — to vendors who have borne the brunt of the ‘lapse’.

MS News has reached out to the fair organisers for comment.

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