5. Great World Amusement Park
Where: Current Great World City shopping mall
What: The second amusement Park after New World, it was built in 1929 and known to locals as “Tua Seh Kai” in Hokkien.
The site was initially a Chinese cemetery, but after redevelopment, the park has attractions such as a nightclub called Flamingo, a famous Cantonese restaurant called Wing Choon Yuen (now known as Spring Court), fun fair with rides like Ghost Train and four cinemas run by Shaw Brothers.
If you miss this, you might also like: No alternatives available. Reminisce with Kelvin Tong’s 2010 film It’s A Great, Great World based on the park’s history.
6. Gay World
Source
Where: Between Mountbatten and Geylang roads.
What: Established in 1936 by George Lee Geok Eng, philanthropist Lee Kong Chian’s brother, the $350,000 park was previously known as Happy World, the third amusement park in Singapore.
It provided an East-meet-West kind of nightlife entertainment, with ronggeng (a traditional Javanese dance), movies, arcades, gaming, cultural shows, wayang, cabaret performances, and trade shows a must-visit for couples in the 50s to 70s. Free admission failed to lure visitors in 1987, as the park headed for its gradual demise. In 2000, Eng Wah discontinued the park’s lease. It was eventually demolished together with Geylang Indoor Stadium in 2001.
If you miss this, you might also like: Tough luck!
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