Street fun at Clarke Quay

Bruce Airhead (above) and Pepe the Clown (left) will be performing at the Clarke Quay StreetFest, which is part of the Singapore Festival of Fun.
Bruce Airhead (above) and Pepe the Clown will be performing at the Clarke Quay StreetFest, which is part of the Singapore Festival of Fun. PHOTOS: MAGIC ROCK
Bruce Airhead (above) and Pepe the Clown (left) will be performing at the Clarke Quay StreetFest, which is part of the Singapore Festival of Fun.
Bruce Airhead and Pepe the Clown (above) will be performing at the Clarke Quay StreetFest, which is part of the Singapore Festival of Fun. PHOTOS: MAGIC ROCK

Street performer Bruce Airhead has literally taken on his surname.

The Australian's signature act has him smoothly wriggling his entire 1.78m frame into a giant bright green (his favourite colour) latex balloon.

If that doesn't sound preposterous enough, Bruce Airhead- whose real name is Lee James - then bursts out of the balloon dressed as Elvis Presley, Santa Claus or other recognisable personalities, after entering in just skintight workout shorts.

"It feels amazing to be inside the balloon but it is very dangerous as you can get trapped inside - so for professionals only," the 47-year-old tells The Straits Times.

He will be bringing his zany act here later this month as part of the inaugural Singapore Festival of Fun that will run from tomorrow to next Sunday at Clarke Quay.

Visitors to the nightlife district will get to enjoy three alternative entertainment options at the festival, which is organised by events company Magic Rock in collaboration with Clarke Quay and Nickelodeon.

  • BOOK IT / SINGAPORE FESTIVAL OF FUN

    WHERE: Clarke Quay, 3 River Valley Road

    WHEN: Tomorrow to next Sunday, various times

    ADMISSION: Free except for entry into Magners International Comedy Festival. Tickets start at $21 (early bird till Sunday) or $30 for entry to a single venue. There is also a weekend passport at $30 (early bird) or $40 for all shows next Friday and Saturday.

    INFO: funfest.asia

From next Tuesday to Sunday, Bruce Airhead and five other international street performers will beguile and tease festivalgoers at the first Clarke Quay StreetFest held at the Central Fountain Square, Read and Clarke Streets.

Catch world unicycle champion Jamey Mossengren in action and do not be alarmed if Pepe the Clown from Bulgaria creeps up on you with a trick.

The festival has something for the little ones too. The South-east Asian debut of the Nickelodeon Fiesta kicks off the March school holidays this weekend.

Kids can play traditional childhood games but with a Nickelodeon twist. One example is carrom, where players will use spatulas and disks in the shape of Krabby Patties from the popular cartoon series SpongeBob SquarePants.

Or they can take a wefie with the yellow boy-in-asponge, his best friend Patrick Star and other Nickelodeon characters in meet-and-greet sessions or go on a heritage hunt in the area.

All activities are free.

The fourth edition of the Magners International Comedy Festival will be part of the Singapore Festival of Fun too.

From next Thursday to Sunday, catch 12 stand-up international comic acts, including Canadian Lars Callieou, Briton Matthew Giffen and Indian Sunanda Sachatrakul.

They will perform in the evenings at six bars in Clarke Quay, such as Irish pub McGettigan's, rock 'n' roll bar Crazy Elephant and live music joint Warehouse.

Tickets start from $21 at each venue per night.

Collectively, the three programmes are the "finest forms of fun that a festival can offer", says Mr Matt Bennett, Magic Rock's managing director. "The concept was to provide a window of fun for all age groups and not just grown-ups," he adds.

Mr Adrian Lai, Clarke Quay's centre manager, says the festival is likely to be a yearly event until 2019.

Gurveen Kaur

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 10, 2017, with the headline Street fun at Clarke Quay. Subscribe