Art and thrift market Mercury Festival draws large crowds at Suntec amid virtual queue debate
The popular art and thrift market drew large crowds over the weekend at Suntec, with some visitors reporting waits of several hours while vendors praised the organisers’ crowd management.
The art and craft market Mercury Festival drew large crowds, prompting some visitors to complain about the queue management on social media, while other visitors and participating vendors praised the organisers for their crowd management. (Photo: Instagram/@zilliediaries, @lilpotato.co)
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Visitors to Mercury Festival this past weekend reported long waits and confusion over its virtual queue system, although some attendees and vendors said their experiences were more positive.
The art and thrift market was held at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre Hall 406 from Jun 5 to 7. Admission was free, with visitors able to browse stalls selling art, crafts, clothing, accessories and vintage items from artists and small businesses across Singapore and the region.
A major source of frustration for some visitors was the festival’s virtual queue system.
To enter, visitors were required to scan a QR code provided on the event day and register their name and phone number. They would then receive a queue number and be notified by SMS when it was their turn to enter.
Several social media users claimed that thousands of people were waiting to enter the event at various points during the weekend, with some estimating queues exceeding 9,000.
One of the most widely shared posts came from the couple going by the username Zilliediaries, who described the situation as “literally a war zone” while filming crowds gathered around Suntec City.
Calling it a “wasted trip” to the area, the couple said they eventually left without entering after waiting for several hours. “Apparently there’s 8,000 people in queue right now,” one of them said, while the other added that it was as if “the whole Singapore, plus Malaysia plus Philippines plus Indonesia are here”.
Their video has since attracted more than 110,000 views on Instagram and over 170,000 views on TikTok.
Other attendees reported similar experiences.
Instagram user Mrza said he joined the queue at about 2.30pm but only received a notification to enter at 7.15pm, by which time he had already left the area.
Another visitor, who goes by Hamdapickle26 online, said they joined the queue at noon and left two hours later, only receiving their entry notification at around 4pm.
Ivor Lim, the Malaysian co-founder of the beauty brand Hygr, also took to social media to comment on the crowds – not because of the inconvenience, but to express regret and “FOMO” (fear of missing out) over not opening a booth at the event.
Not everyone agreed that the crowd situation could be attributed solely to Mercury Festival.
Several commenters pointed out that Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre was hosting multiple events simultaneously. Adjacent halls were occupied by Twilight: Flea & Feast, Not So Little Fair and Doki! Doki! Anime Market – all of which drew significant crowds over the same weekend.
Others suggested that the virtual queue system itself may have contributed to the perception of extremely long waiting times.
One attendee who goes by Nic wrote on Instagram that there were more than 500 people ahead of her when she joined the queue at 11.30am. Although this suggested a long wait, she managed to do so within an hour.
She speculated that some visitors may have wandered around Suntec City while waiting and missed their queue notifications, creating gaps in the line.
Another commenter, Nana, questioned whether people were registering remotely through the QR code before arriving at the venue.
“At 12.30 when it first opened, there were already 7,000 people waiting – it makes no sense,” the user wrote.
While visitors debated the queue situation online, other visitors and many participating vendors described the event positively.
Local host and coach Rae Fung shared on Instagram that Mercury Festival was a space for the “vibrant art and creative scene in Singapore” and that she had no complaints about the queue or crowds at the event. Others described the event as “joyful” and “pleasant”.
Indonesian artist Icantstandstill, who was exhibiting in Singapore for the first time, said the festival gave her an opportunity to meet local supporters and fellow regional artists.
Singapore-based jewellery maker Chizzieyy also praised the organisers’ hospitality and management, and described the event as successful despite the issues with the queues.
Similarly, local artist Lil Potato said that “despite the crazy long queues, (the organisers) were always open to feedback and worked so hard to make the experience enjoyable for both vendors and customers”.
Another artist, Tinyforestfolk, also shared that the organisers were “so thoughtful” and gave goodie bags for all the vendors, each with a gift that was unique to the creator and their craft.
Mercury Festival began in 2022 and is typically held twice a year. Previous iterations were held at the Central Public Library and Visual Arts Centre @ AZ Paya Lebar. The latest June 2026 edition, titled Lucid Dreams, was the festival’s ninth instalment.
CNA Lifestyle has contacted the organisers for comment.
Source: CNA/iz
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