A sober pool party targeted at 15-year-olds and above has been cancelled by its organisers after it drew backlash regarding youth safety.
Flow State, organised by Party With Mythic, was meant to be held this Saturday (April 18) at Mexican poolside bar El Chido, located on the rooftop of Pullman Singapore Hill Street hotel.
A now-deleted promo video on its social media account said that the event was the first 15+ pool party to be held at the rooftop pool, and that partygoers could expect DJ sets to run from 2pm till late.
The promo video resurfaced on Reddit.
Netizens including several content creators voiced their concerns online, citing the lack of safeguards for minors, and urging people not to attend the event.
One such person was @Ruggerbud47, who posted a TikTok video commenting on the party.
“I’m going to speak to you like an older brother”, he started saying. “You’re going to an event with no guarantees of your safety, and the organisers themselves have nothing on their minds other than profit.”
“Any adult that you meet there who is 18+ is not a good person,” he added, explaining that it isn’t normal for any adult to want to be mingling with an underaged person.
“This is a catalyst for younger, impressionable children to be meeting older adults in a legal way, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.”
Even though the event is alcohol-free, he pointed out that there’s nothing to stop attendees from pre-drinking or from sneaking drinks into the party on their own volition.
“The last thing that we want to do is host an event where we give opportunities to child predators to be able to have access to these children so freely, what more in a clubbing environment.”
Online personality Dewy Choo chimed in with her own post. “Let’s just talk about how f****** weird it is right. 15-year-olds at a pool party, what are they going to wear? Bikinis. And there are going to be adults there partying with them?”
“I think the organisers don’t even realise it themselves but they are literally opening a market for disgusting paedophiles to enter the space.”
Parties targeting attendees aged 15 and above are becoming more visible, she said, while urging young people not to attend such gatherings. Instead, if they wish to go out, there are more age-appropriate events that they can go with their friends.
TikToker and musician @Krystajoy highlighted how the organisers are “intentionally curating a dedicated space for close interaction between adults and minors that could lead to inappropriate relationships that can and will cause irreparable harm or damage.”
She also pointed out that just because alcohol and vapes are not sold at the event does not make it a sober party.
“What are the safety measures that will be taken to ensure that everyone is truly sober? Will there be breathalyser tests at the door? Will you be patting everyone down to make sure nobody’s smuggling alcohol in? What are the safety measures put into place to protect your attendees?”
“These vices are a large part of clubbing and nightlife culture, and it is naive to think otherwise,” she added. “If it were just about the music and the dancing, you could book your condo function room and blast it through a JBL.”
She also raised concerns regarding the swimwear dress code, since it’s a pool party.
@krystajoy i will have no way of knowing whether you didn’t go, but i’ll trust your word. hold me to mine! stay safe and in safe spaces @Saylah Studios
Local musician and design student @Mashanyanna, having been involved in youth-centred events, also spoke out against the party, citing similar reasons the others have brought up.
“Youth workers out there put in [effort] day and night to make sure they can create similar experiences to make teenagers not feel left out, and yet, still be able to keep it safe,” she said.
She suggested that teens can find a sense of community at other events, such as those organised by the Singapore Children’s Society.
Gatherings put together by the charity organisation allows young people to mingle and participate in activities outside a clubbing environment, and have proper safety precautions put in place, including having volunteers around to ensure the safety of attendees.
Organisers cancel event
Party With Mythic has since deleted its social media accounts and the event page for Flow State that was previously listed on Eventbrite.
This is despite attempts made by them to address the issues raised, including limiting the age requirements to those aged between 16 and 18.
They’ve now started another Instagram account, @Strawhatpirates_s, and indicated that they were aware of the concerns voiced online, thus their pivot into another concept.
No posts have been made on the new account yet, but in a series of Instagram Stories, the organisers stated “now we will be doing trivia nights.”
“No more events, no more dance floor, no more dancing. Just straight up pure ball knowledge.”
“You can still check out other 15+ parties but we ain’t gonna continue.”
They declined to answer AsiaOne’s queries, saying: “We’ve decided to release our own statement soon.”
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dannon.har@asiaone.com
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