Keong Saik Carnival - a case of mismatched expectations with reality?

I don't know if I read the promotional write-up wrongly or misinterpreted it but I was under the impression that the Keong Saik Carnival was a retro-style event. The promotional banner on the carnival's Facebook page seemed to suggest that there was a strong retro element with the use of old pictures. Then again, when I scrutinised the write-up again after the event, it didn't seem to be the case especially the part about letting the young and old come together to create memories on the old streets. I think I must read the description more carefully next time before going for any events especially I had the same disappointment with the Super Japan Matsuri last week.

Perhaps it was the hot weather and the cigarette smoke which got on my nerves. Maybe it was the lack of retro elements which made me feel disappointed since that was my primary aim of going for the carnival. Otherwise, I'm one who shuns crowds at open-air spaces. I think this event felt more like a street carnival in an old street but with pretty modern attractions that unfortunately did not interest me.

This is probably the most retro-style item I could see at the carnival i.e. this small and ancient-looking merry-go-round. Then again, this is for the kids so for the adults, we would just have to be content with snapping pictures of it. Given the limited space available for this carnival, it would be difficult to have many of such amusement facilities which are often rather big. Perhaps a stretch of a few traditional game stalls would be good to let adults and kids have some fun which should be less costly and easier to set up? I didn't stay long enough though to find out if you needed to pay before you could ride this.

There were actually some stalls which did offer small games as a side attraction e.g. the mini table-tennis table with huge bats and the ball-throwing game from Jameson Irish whiskey which offered prizes such as a shot of whiskey, a notebook and a glass or the spin-the-wheel game from Deliveroo or the fortune cookie game from Uber (which was already fully given out by the time I reached). Some required you to fill in at least an email address before you could play the game (which I suppose was to get your contact details for marketing purposes) while others did not have any pre-existing conditions.

One of the more interesting stalls I came across was the Hounds of the Baskervilles. I have no idea why the name was chosen for this tattooing and barber shop especially since it is the title of a Sherlock Holmes book. Having read this book so many times to date, I thought that it was quite intriguing to see this being used as a shop name even though I don't recall anything about barbers or tattoos from the story. Might have to revisit the novel again.

In any case, there was an old-style chair for the customer who could get a shave, haircut or tattoo on the spot. I happened to be there when there was a guy having his haircut which I suppose was why so many people were standing around to observe how it was being done. Behind the barber was a table containing various items used for the shaving and hair-cutting which had a pretty nostalgic feel. That white-and-blue tall can of talcum powder (forgot the brand) was what I saw when I was a kid so it was surprising to be able to still spot it now. That wooden table itself also looked like it had been used for ages and blended well with the surrounding old street shophouse atmosphere. Although I don't think there would be any likelihood of me visiting the Hounds of the Baskervilles, this might be something which the guys might like to check out for at least a shave or haircut in a old-school setting.

In terms of the F & B offerings, I thought that it would be more appealing for those who prefer alcoholic drinks e.g. beer as there were slightly limited choices on the non-alcoholic side of things. Along the streets where the carnival was taking place, there were quite a number of restaurants and pubs/bars so it was natural that people were also drinking there. Snacks-wise, there were burgers, corn in a cup and other small items. In that sense, it's probably not so family-friendly as the promotional materials described. Coupled with the fact that people were smoking all around, I didn't really feel comfortable eating and drinking in their midst. Maybe other people might not mind but it's just a personal preference on my part that I don't fancy breathing in secondhand smoke while enjoying a meal.

The only thing I bought was the ice pop from Potato Head Bar which was really disappointing. Initially, the staff did mention to me that the ice pop was not frozen enough but I assumed that it was just a bit soft. Imagine my surprise when it came in liquid form! It would have been better if the sour plum ice pop was indeed frozen because it was so difficult to drink the plum juice from the ice bag. And it certainly did not quench my thirst as I had expected.

To be fair to the organisers, this is the first time that they are doing this so there may be some hiccups or things that they did not realise or consider in the planning. Besides, some of the "not-so-enjoyable" things I listed above were pretty much due to my own preferences so other people might have a different take on this. Especially when I saw that quite a number of people were having fun drinking, mingling with friends and dancing to the live performances or music played by the DJs, I think there were indeed people who enjoyed the carnival more than I did.

Just as a suggestion if there are future editions of this carnival, I think there needs to be a clear description on what this event is supposed to be. Is it a retro-style carnival? Is it more like a street party? Is it more of a bazaar in a traditional setting with live music? If things were made clearer, I'm sure it would attract the "right" people who are interested in what's offered. That will also mean that people won't be disappointed to find that the carnival did not provide what they were seeking. Traffic control also needs to be relooked since the entry points to the carnival still had vehicle traffic and it was kind of dangerous to be walking alongside the cars. I bet it must be frustrating for the drivers to navigate past the human traffic creating bottlenecks on the narrow streets too.

Perhaps the biggest reward I obtained through the carnival was that I've finally found out where Potato Head Folk is. It was impossible to get in due to the huge crowds but it's probably time to plan a visit to here in the near future.