'Taylor Swift moment' for literary fans: Singapore Writers Festival tightens crowd control after R.F. Kuang book signing
The Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) tightened crowd-control measures after a book signing for award-winning author Rebecca F. Kuang on Nov 8 drew more fans than expected, leaving attendees frustrated and videos of the chaos circulating online.
Sharon Tan, Executive Director of Arts House Group, said the SWF team was "incredibly heartened by the overwhelming response" to the book signings and called it a "true 'Taylor Swift moment' for the literary arts."
She added that enhanced measures had been introduced for the Nov 9 signing, including updated instructions on the festival's website and social media.
"We were especially appreciative of yesterday's crowd, who observed the queues and kindly cooperated with our staff and volunteers," she said.
The Nov 8 keynote by Kuang, part of the annual literary festival running from Nov 7 to 16, drew such a large turnout that many attendees were left stunned by the disorganised book signing queue.
According to a report from The Straits Times, the crowd had rushed to join the signing queue after the lecture ended, leaving no time for a final applause.
Attendees unhappy with disorganised crowds
Videos of the crowd showed widespread confusion, with some netizens calling the event "poorly organised". TikToker @charmaine.reads described the experience as "badly managed", with crowd-control "non-existent".
The TikToker said the festival did not communicate key information beforehand, including that fans could only have one book signed and that photos and videos were not allowed.
She raised concerns about queue management, noting that festival pass holders joined the line ahead of keynote session ticket holders. She also flagged the unruly behaviour of people pushing and shoving to join the queue, insisting it was "not safe" given the crowd size.
The confusion continued at the book signing: "It was so bad. Lines were moving in all directions, groups weren't moving, people were shoving themselves in and out of the lines."
"There should have been a plan, and clearly there was none," she concluded.
Other attendees agreed the event could have been better organised. Tan, a separate attendee, told Stomp: "I think the queue was poorly managed on Day 1. There was this couple constantly trying to cut in."
Enhanced measures in place for Nov 9 signing
By Nov 9, SWF had implemented enhanced measures for the signing, and attendees noticed the difference. charmaine.reads acknowledged the improvements in another video, noting more volunteers and better organisation.
"However, I don't think it should have been because we made some noise that they made these changes," she added.
Another attendee, Ms Ng, said the event ran more smoothly on Nov 9, with clear instructions helping to move the queue along.
"It was very crowded but the queuing was smooth and organised, the staff kept us out of the sun and told us to hydrate," she said.
"They kept it efficient and fast-moving, but that also meant we don't get interaction time, just sign and go."
"I think everyone was happier with how things went today," charmaine.reads said. "I'm glad SWF listened to us, made changes and took the feedback to heart."
