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Five third-party events held at Padang last year

Five third-party events were held at the Padang last year in addition to internal events organised by the Singapore Recreation Club (SRC). They were the SAFRA Singapore Bay Run, Singapore Grand Prix, Cold Storage Kids Run, Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore and JSSL International Soccer 7s.

The Singapore Grand Prix is one of five third-party events held at the Padang last year. TODAY file photo

The Singapore Grand Prix is one of five third-party events held at the Padang last year. TODAY file photo

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Five third-party events were held at the Padang last year in addition to internal events organised by the Singapore Recreation Club (SRC). They were the SAFRA Singapore Bay Run, Singapore Grand Prix, Cold Storage Kids Run, Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore and JSSL International Soccer 7s.

This year, an urban race called Run For Your Lives Singapore was held in January and the JSSL International Soccer 7s is taking place there again today and tomorrow.

In 2006, 2007 and 2012, TOUCH Community Services held its charity walkathon at the Padang, while American nu-metal band Linkin Park staged a concert there in 2004 as part of its South-east Asian tour. The National Day Parade is also held there every five years.

Under the SRC’s lease of the Padang with the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), the site is generally meant to be used for sporting events, said its general manager Dr Abdul Rashid. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and SLA restrict use of the Padang for events that are not SRC-related to 45 days in a calendar year, including the number of days needed to set up and tear down an event, he added.

TODAY understands that the Singapore Cricket Club (SCC), which owns the other side of the Padang, rarely rents out its field to third parties.

Event organisers said that while staging an event at the iconic spot is a complicated process that involves multiple agencies, it is not a monumental task if one follows the right procedures.

Mr Leo Chin, organiser of Celebrate Songkran 2014, had planned to hold it at the Padang. However, he eventually moved it to Wave House due to poor ticket sales.

He told TODAY that he obtained approval to use the Padang within two weeks of applying for all the required permits. “There were no issues, the authorities were very fair. They won’t be more strict just because the venue is at Padang,” he said.

Ms Andrea Yong, an events executive from Action X, which organised Run For Your Lives Singapore, said the company consulted with the URA and SLA on the event’s route and applied for a permit with the police. It received approval after about 1.5 months. “There was certain information they required that took us some time to provide,” she said.

However, Mr Ross Knudson, co-owner of concert promoter LAMC Productions, said the approval process is a tough one that requires a great deal of planning as the available dates are restricted.

“We were exploring it ... but we needed to move quickly and they had things going on. It’s very difficult to get everybody to agree,” he added.

JOY FANG

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