After a brief post-Covid recovery, the nightlife scene in Singapore’s Sentosa island is struggling yet again.
Two major venues have closed their doors in recent weeks: Rumours Beach Club on Jan 1 announced that it would cease operations three days later, and Tipsy Unicorn shuttered on Jan 30, a week after its operator was compulsorily wound up.
Rumours opened in December 2019, right before the Covid-19 pandemic struck. CNA reported in 2022 that the club’s parent company, Blue Waves Group, was considering an offshoot on the main island.
In an Instagram post announcing the closure, Rumours said it “may surface again someday, and it will depend on when and how the story is told once more”.
That, however, appears unlikely, with Blue Waves having substantially scaled back its footprint. Its website lists Rumours, Baristart Coffee, Sama Sama, Tok Tok Indonesian Restaurant, Tok Tok Indonesian Soup House and Kota88 Restaurant among its brands in Singapore; only Baristart in Tanjong Pagar remains open today.
Tipsy Unicorn, meanwhile, was beset with challenges from the get-go. For one, its development cost about double its original budget of S$3 million. Its opening in September 2023, too, was clouded by the death of parent group Tipsy Collective’s founder Derek Ong just a month prior.
Parent group Tipsy Collective has also been the centre of a boardroom tussle and legal battle since Ong’s death. Other controversies have followed, including a bout of unpaid salaries. The group’s social media – save for a collaborative post authored by Tipsy Unicorn – has been inactive for close to a year.
Several beach clubs remain on Sentosa, even after the pair of closures.
The Lo & Behold Group’s Tanjong Beach Club reopened with a new look in mid-2025 after a months-long renovation. It’s arguably the most popular venue on the island; plus, it’s leveraged corporate bookings (most recently, Uniqlo with its spring/summer 2026 collection) to keep things busy.
Elsewhere on Sentosa, there’s +Twelve, FOC by the Beach and Ola, among others.
(Main image: Tipsy Collective)
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