Geylang Ramadhan Bazaar 2017: picture highlights

The roads around the bazaar have been decorated for Eid
al Fitr (Aidilfitri).

The annual Geylang Ramadhan Bazaar in the Geylang Serai area is held throughout the month of Ramadhan and a popular destination during the month for Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

While this bazaar includes the same foods and products sold during a typical pasar malam (night market) there are also seasonal items for Ramadhan and Hari Raya (Eid), and popular as a venue for breaking the fast. Many stalls are regulars and often pick a location in about the same place each year so that loyal customers can locate them easily. In recent years, the Ramadhan Bazaar has also become the place where new street foods make their debut before moving on to neighbourhood pasar malams.

If there was a theme this year, it was the unicorn, which is associated with rainbows, especially pastel ones. There were unicorn-themed drinks everywhere, interpreted in several ways. They were either layered in different colours, or sprinkled with colourful toppings, or which swirled and glittered when the drink was agitated.

This year, stalls seem to have downsized, while prices feel higher. Aisles were more spacious, too. One stall holder said that rentals have gone up significantly this year.

A number of stalls have made it clearer this year that they are either halal-certified by Muis, Muslim-owned, or contain no pork and no lard* with banners or National Environment Agency certification prominently displayed. There had been concerns that the some food stalls were not serving halal food even though it is a Ramadhan bazaar, and a list of those clearly halal was published by the Halal Food Hunt blog this year. There are other Muslims who feel that it is natural that some food stalls are not halal as the organisers are running a commercial venture and still have to fill spaces, even if they cannot get enough halal food operators.

The bazaar gets crowded in the evenings, after sunset.

Prayer rooms.

Geylang Ramadhan Bazaar 2017 had a mix of old and new:

Appeals for donations were in aid of the mosque building fund for Khadijah Mosque in Geylang.

A stage at the event was decorated as a traditional Malay kampong house.

Envelopes for gifts of money during Eid were common and sold at a wide range of prices. These are three for S$10 but there were some going for three for S$2 too.

Ketupat-shaped decorations in various colours appear at every bazaar.

Grilled oysters.

Shawarma stalls abound.

Date-based beverages are popular, both mixed with water as well as with milk.

Over Dose, which sells beverages in plastic bags, was extremely popular last year.

Dragon's breath beverages, made with liquid nitrogen, have become a night market staple.

This is The Bedouins' first foray into the Geylang Ramadhan Bazaar. The stall sold Syrian sweets made by a Syrian chef in Malaysia, including baklava. The recipes are made with less sugar in keeping with Singaporean and Malaysian tastes. In Kuala Lumpur, the company runs a restaurant of the same name serving Middle Eastern cuisine at 6, Jalan Wan Kadir, Taman Tun Dr Ismail.

Ramen burgers! Instead of buns the burger is sandwiched between layers of ramen.

The deep-fried "x" brigade was back with a vengeance. Deep-fried Oreos have become a thing in recent years, and now there is deep-fried Ferrero Rocher too.  Editor's comment: A deep-fried Oreo is mostly spongy from the batter but still tastes like an Oreo, with a gooey filling.

Another take on the unicorn-themed drinks were these served in light bulbs from MythStorySG. The S$6 light bulbs contain "Unicorn's Tears". The blue beverage is named the Ocean Unicorn, the Rosaceae Unicorn contains Hokkaido strawberries, and the Daffodil Unicorn on the right has lime, dried plum and Alaskan honey in it.

Layered puddings in pastel colours were popular and in keeping with the unicorn theme. These had the added attraction of being served in light bulb-shaped containers.

Another take on the layered puddings, this time in bottles for S$5. 

Poffertjes, Dutch baby pancakes, made their appearance at night markets last year. The twist is in the unusual flavourings, which include salted egg and ondeh-ondeh.

Men's baju for Raya.

Ladies' and children's baju kurong.

Brooches. These cascade, and are worn with traditional Malay clothing for ladies.

More than one carpet stall hopes to catch visitors who want to change their home decor. This one invited a celebrity to help introduce its wares.

Tapestries with verses from the Quran in bead embroidery.

Beaded curtains on offer.

Games with prizes. Stuffed emojis as prizes are a recent addition. 

Henna art is a perennial favourite during Ramadhan. This stall started off at S$5 per hand.

Behold, the Man Cave, a barber at the bazaar.

WendypeachesHenna, a henna artist. Editor's comment: Wendy of WendypeachesHenna does outstanding henna art. While she may not be at her booth all the time the services there will be reasonably priced and will include creative, less-traditional designs. WendypeachesHenna is also willing to accommodate special requests, such as henna that is done on various parts of the arm instead of the back of the hand, and multi-coloured henna.

Calligraphy done in the Sini style, by Muslims from China.

Interested?

The Geylang Ramadhan Bazaar will run till June 25. Most of the food and henna art stalls will open in the late afternoon to catch the pre-iftar crowd. Retailers are typically open in the day as well.

Watch the Instavideos:

Glittery unicorn drink

Lighting demonstration 

*No pork, no lard does not mean the food is halal as the animals whose meat is used may not have been slaughtered in a halal manner, or the food could contain alcohol.