Evan Goh - Clarke Quay Central - 19 Jul 2025

It is not common to have busking locations where people can just sit on the steps and enjoy the performances (apart from some hawker centres), with a select few I know where passers-by can just sit on the floor without being concerned that they may obstruct other people (e.g. The Cathay, One Holland Village). There are a few locations that have seating areas available, simply as steps, or in the form of an amphitheater, allowing the audience to relax and chill while watching buskers perform.

Clarke Quay Central is one of these. It is located, well, in the vibrant riverside hub of Clarke Quay, known for its bustling nightlife, river cruises along the Singapore River, as well as a bungee jumping amusement ride. The Old Hill Street Police Station and Fort Canning Park are located nearby.

Even though it is open throughout the day, this busking location is more popular in the evenings, where the busking performances complement the evening crowds as the nightlife comes alive and locals and tourists alike stream in for dining, leisure and entertainment. The music video for T Junction's single, "一颗星的寂寞", also has scenes filmed there.

As it was also the NDP Preview Saturday, you could also see the aerial display passing by as they fly in and out of the Padang. There were also fireworks, though from here it's more of a restricted view.

And now, we take a look at the shots I took during Evan's busking performance there.

失落沙洲 [originally performed by Lala Hsu (徐佳莹)]

This song is from Lala Hsu's self-titled debut album, released in 2009.

慢冷 [originally performed by Fish Leong (梁静茹)]

This is from Fish Leong's album "The Sun Also Rises" (我好吗？-太阳如常升起), released in 2019, with Ricky Hsiao as its composer. It is also the very first song that I have picked for the first season of the Busking Chase.