SINGAPORE — Ms Kriti Tulsian and her three friends were hoping for a fun night on the dance floor on Wednesday (April 20) but had their hopes dashed when they were turned away from club Zouk.

“I didn’t know you need tickets now to enter clubs… you used to be able to walk in and just party,” the 25-year-old engineer lamented.

She was one of seven hopeful partygoers who were disappointed that Zouk was not allowing walk-ins to the club.

However, most who spoke to TODAY were armed with tickets, ready for their first clubbing experience in two years — some for the first time in their life.

Nightclubs were forced to shut in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. More than two years later, on April 4, the authorities announced that all nightlife establishments, including nightclubs, would be able to reopen on April 19.

At Zouk, revellers were streaming in as the club opened its doors at 10pm. For Zouk’s chief finance officer and country head Alex Phua, all hands were on deck to ensure the club’s opening night goes smoothly.

“Preparing for reopening has been a mad rush… our team working in our headquarters and from our restaurants are all here to help as we’re still tight on manpower and have to train (our workers). But we’re all very excited to finally welcome back the community,” he said.