Spring Wave Smoked Out

Though haze is an annual problem caused by man-made forest fires that mainly take place on Sumatra and Kalimantan in Indonesia, this year it has been particularly intense, with more than 140,000 people in Indonesia alone reporting respiratory illnesses.

As a result, many outdoor events in Singapore were canceled this summer. Spring Wave is billed as Asia’s biggest Mandopop (pop music in the Mandarin dialect) outdoor music festival, featuring the top rock acts from Taiwan, including Wu Bai, Chang Chen-yue, Luantan Ascent, Buddha Jump and Auntie Roxy.

It was to take place Oct. 10. The organizer of the festival, Friendly Dog Entertainment, told local media it tried to find an alternative indoor venue to Fort Canning Green but was unsuccessful.

In a statement, Friendly Dog founder Shen Kuang-yuan explained: “It was difficult to secure a similar venue which would create the same atmosphere within a short period of time where all the artists could commit their time to perform live.”