LGBTQ party cancelled as it was electronic dance music event, says Capitol Theatre operator in disputing claims by organiser

SINGAPORE — An event for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community due to have been held on May 27 at Capitol Theatre was cancelled owing to a misunderstanding caused by a lapse in communication, the theatre's operator said. It was not because of concerns over its LGBTQ nature as alleged by some, it added.

The party event, called Slay Harajuku, was cancelled because it was an electronic dance music (EDM) event, the Capitol Theatre's operator IMC Group Asia told TODAY in response to queries.

The firm had decided not to hold EDM events at the theatre in future after a New Year's Eve EDM party there left the premises "in an extremely bad condition".

However, this change of policy was "not communicated effectively to our venues management team", an IMC Group Asia spokesperson said.

"We regret this outcome and will improve on our internal communications."

The event's organiser Slay LA, which is based in Los Angeles in the United States, said in an Instagram post that the firm had booked and paid for the venue in March and was not proceeding with Slay Harajuku, including at any other venue, "with a heavy heart".

The company, which specialises in LGBTQ events, alleged that Perennial Holdings, the owner of Capitol Theatre, had expressed concerns about the event to IMC Group Asia, referring to its discomfort “with Slay being a ‘gay event’”.

Responding to TODAY’s queries, Perennial Holdings did not directly answer the allegation about the gay nature of the event, but pointed to IMC Group Asia's statement that the reason for the cancellation was because it was an EDM event.

“As the landlord of Capitol Singapore, we uphold a key responsibility to our stakeholders and community to manage the heritage property well," it said.

This includes "taking into consideration the views of our immediate and surrounding stakeholders, including the religious community in close vicinity such as the church and mosque".

Slay LA said that it had put out marketing campaigns for interested participants to save the date and expected about 600 to 700 partygoers to attend the Japanese-themed event.

With the event now cancelled, it expects to lose “tens of thousands of dollars” in sponsorship deals and ticketing revenue.

The firm had previously organised two LGBTQ events in Singapore, with its latest event, Aqueerium, attracting throngs of partygoers to Rumours Beach Club where the event was held.

In response to TODAY’s queries, Slay LA said that the firm “had planned for two live DJ performances, dance performances (as well as) a drag performance” for the now-cancelled party.

“Our events are about diversity and inclusion. We have lots of people who come to our parties including straight allies, not just people from the (LGBTQ) community.”

Slay LA said that Perennial Holdings was also concerned about “noise complaints” from nearby tenants as well as potential “rowdiness”, but this was not stated before the venue hire agreement.

Speaking to TODAY, IMC Group Asia referred to the company’s earlier experience with hosting an EDM event at Capitol Theatre, as it clarified the rationale behind the event's cancellation. 

“In (a previous) EDM event (the "Don't Let Daddy Know" New Year's Eve party) organised by IMC Group Asia, patrons left (Capitol Theatre) in an extremely bad condition for which we had to make significant reparations.”

IMC Group Asia took over the management of the Capitol Theatre from Perennial Holdings in January 2021. 

The company said that it has since abided by the guideline to avoid hosting EDM events at Capitol Theatre.

“(The cancellation) was solely due to the operational difficulties of doing an EDM event at Capitol Theatre. The venue is not suited for events of this genre of music. It is a venue with a rich history, we prefer not to risk damage to it.”