Going to a concert in Singapore: what to bring, filming rules and getting home

Concert days in Singapore go smoothly when you know three things before you leave home: what the venue lets you bring in, what you're allowed to film with, and how you're getting home with thousands of other people. This guide covers the rules that apply almost everywhere. For venue-specific details, jump to the venue guides at the end.

The rules that apply almost everywhere

These come from the venues' own Conditions of Entry. Each show can add its own rules on top, so always read the event page and your ticket email too.

• Bag size: at the National Stadium and the Singapore Indoor Stadium, bags larger than 35 × 20 × 30 cm (small enough to go under a seat) aren't allowed in.
• Water and food: outside food and drinks, including bottled water, aren't allowed. You can usually bring an empty plastic bottle and fill it inside, but some shows ban plastic bottles too.
• Banned at most venues: tripods, monopods, selfie sticks, glass, cans, laser pointers, noise makers, and fan boards bigger than A3 (unless the show has approved them).
• Umbrellas: allowed at the Kallang venues, but don't open them inside.
• Re-entry: usually not allowed. Treat leaving the venue as leaving for good.

What you can film with

At the National Stadium and the Indoor Stadium, the official conditions don't allow video cameras, audio recorders, or professional cameras with telephoto or zoom lenses. Other venues and promoters use similar lists, often adding GoPros, iPads and tablets.

Your phone is normally fine. But two things matter:

1. Some shows ban all recording. The venue conditions allow promoters to prohibit photos, video and live streaming for their event. If the event page says no recording, that includes phones.
2. Clip-on zoom lenses for phones count as zoom lenses. Leave them at home. A phone with a strong built-in zoom, like the ones we rent, is just a phone.

Filming is for your own memories: the venue conditions also say recordings made inside are for private, non-commercial use only.

Getting there on time

• Take the MRT. Every major concert venue in Singapore is next to a station, and parking near big shows fills up or crawls.
• Arrive early for big stadium shows. Bag checks for tens of thousands of people take time, and the queue for people without bags usually moves faster.
• Have your e-ticket ready and your screen brightness up before you reach the scanner.
• Charge everything. You'll use your phone for the ticket, maps, photos and video. A power bank helps on long nights.

Getting home without the crush

The hardest part of a big concert is often the 30 minutes after it ends. What experienced concertgoers do:

• Walk one station further. At the National Stadium, fans regularly skip Stadium MRT and walk to Kallang, Mountbatten or Nicoll Highway instead (details in the venue guide).
• Use the less obvious exit. After shows at the Kallang venues, Stadium MRT Exit A gets the long queues; fans report Exit B is quieter.
• Book rides away from the venue. Ride-hailing pick-ups right outside big venues jam up. Walk a few streets away first, or wait 15 to 20 minutes for the crowd to thin.
• Check your last train. Last train times differ by direction, and long encores have stranded people before.
• Agree a meeting point outside the venue before the show. Mobile data often slows to a crawl when everyone leaves at once.

Venue guides

Stadiums and arenas

• National Stadium
• Singapore Indoor Stadium
• Arena @ EXPO and APEX @ EXPO
• Suntec Convention Centre
• Resorts World Ballroom, Sentosa

Theatres and concert halls

• The Star Theatre
• Esplanade Concert Hall and Theatre Studio
• Capitol Theatre
• Victoria Theatre
• The Theatre at Mediacorp
• *SCAPE The Ground Theatre

Rules change and every show is different. We last checked the official sources below on the date shown; your event page always wins.