Getai 歌台 in Singapore

A Getai (literally song stage) (Simplified Chinese: 歌台), is a usually boisterous live stage performance which held during the Ghost Festival in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia in the past. But the Getai's 歌台 in recent year are commonly held in chinese temple celebration, RC and National Day Celebration in contrast to the generally solemn mood of the festival. The stage setup is usually composed of temporary structures and situated in the suburbs of the city in any empty field or even in carparking spaces or housing estate.

The Getai's 歌台 is usually meant to be performed to the spirits and also the people alike during the seventh month and other celebration. The backdrop of the stage is usually made of plywoods and clothes painted in bright colours. Also, spotlights, usually consisting of brighter colours, like, red, blue, pink and yellow. The performers would normally don loud and glittery clothing, and the compere would spout crude jokes or even dirty jokes all in the name of fun.



The younger folks in Singapore would normally relate to a Getai 歌台 as kitsch, as the performers would sing and talk in Hokkien, which is a dialect they label as crude and passe. The older people would normally enjoy watching a Getai 歌台, dance and sing along to the staple songs.

A groundbreaking Getai 歌台 was held in 2006. There was a twelve hour marathon Getai 歌台, that saw many famous performers gracing the stage and bringing the crowd to their feet. The organiser is known as Mr Peter Loh, a veteran in the getai scene. The marathon was a one-of-a-kind and it really awed the whole of Singapore.