SINGAPORE, Sept 9 ― One of the clearest indications of how lively, or even lucrative, the live music scene in Singapore has become in recent years has been the dramatic increase in the number of concerts and music festivals we now have. Well, you can now add music and arts festival Neon Lights to this burgeoning list.

The newest player on the festival circuit is hoping to make a big splash over two days in November at Fort Canning Park.

But the folks behind Neon Lights are not new to the game: Declan Forde, Robbie Butler, Justin Sweeting, Jennifer Jennings and May Leong have extensive experience organising festivals.

Butler, for example, has done event management for the world-famous Glastonbury Festival, while he and Forde have both worked with the Electric Picnic festival in Ireland. Forde has worked with Jennings for Australia’s Harvest festival, Sweeting has worked on Clockenflap in Hong Kong, and Leong is the co-founder and director of the [-]YPHEN multi-disciplinary arts projects in Singapore.

Already, music fans are abuzz on social media over news that featured artists will include the likes of CHIC (featuring guitarist and producer extraordinaire Nile Rodgers), indie bands Ride, Mercury Rev and Nouvelle Vague, singer-songwriters Damien Rice and Sun Kil Moon, and our very own Hanging Up The Moon.

Besides music, the event promises an interesting arts programme that includes international and local dance, theatre, comedy, art and design installations, spoken word and children’s workshops.

Jennings, Neon Lights’ producer and arts programme director, said that the festival is first and foremost a music lovers’ festival. She described the festival’s target demographic as “people who are passionate about excellent music that spans both genres and decades, who are as passionate about the latest electronica drop as they are about legendary reggae beats and timeless folk belters”.

But she also hopes it will appeal to “people who are looking for something extra — performance, workshops, installations, comedy, delicious food and other surprises, all combining to make one of the most nourishing, uplifting weekends of the year”.

In addition, she emphasised the family-friendly aspects of Neon Lights. “We love the energy that children bring to a music festival, and lots of our arts programme is tailored specifically for families, including great workshops hosted by MySuperFuture. We believe it’s never too early to get your festival groove on.”

Definitely, Neon Lights promises to be an eclectic adventure for arts and music enthusiasts in Singapore with one added ingredient, said Jennings: “Great quality, great-variety food that takes its inspiration from regional classics but with a modern twist. But with the incidents regarding big-name festivals being cancelled due to licensing issues, what steps would Neon Lights take to ensure that everything will run smoothly?

“Providing a safe, fun environment for everyone at Neon Lights — not only attendees but our artistes, vendors and staff — is paramount to us,” said Jennings. “To that end, we have been and will continue to work very closely with the relevant local authorities and our affiliates, from licensing and security to marketing and partnerships, to ensure that our family-friendly festival runs as smoothly as possible.”

Jennings was adamant that organisers have long-term plans for Neon Lights. “We are building Neon Lights to become the Singapore-based flagship outdoor music and art festival for the region for years to come. We are here for the long haul.”

Neon Lights 2015 is on November 28 and 29 at Fort Canning Green and Gate. Early bird and family weekend tickets are available from SISTIC and EventCliQue. For more details, visit http://www.neonlights.sg. ― Today