[Top: Just having fun? Some of the party-goers at ZoukOut last Saturday night.]

COMMENT: Bella Charlene Kwan

WANT a vibrant city that endears itself to everyone, including visitors? Then don't try to design it according to your tastes and values alone.

The living city is one that has many parts - good and bad, sublime and cheesy, grand and sleazy.

It thrives in its diversity and is held together by its commonality.

So, we who want to live in such a city must have a zen-like attitude towards its range of available activities, like the all-night beach party, ZoukOut.

Like the excitement but don't like the excesses?

Never mind, be a good 'city-zen' - live and let live.

That doesn't mean burying our heads in the sand. We should be aware of what's taking place but, as Madonna sang: Papa, don't preach.

The New Paper carried two reports on this iconic event and it invited two sets of responses.

Our Sunday report captured the festive side of ZoukOut and one reader had this to say: 'This may encourage young teenagers or adults; (they might think) it is rightfully (sic) ok to have a night to let loose and party hard'.

Our Monday report presented the other side of the event - youngsters who passed out and made out on the beach.

This sparked other reactions: The event connects with the young. Give them some space. Make the city exciting to attract visitors. Help Singapore gain a foothold in the entertainment scene.

ZoukOut or ZonkOut?

So, what was the event like for average youngsters like myself?

We drank till our wallets were empty and heads were light. We danced till the sun rose and our feet went numb.

We had no reservations, and my friends and I partied hard.

Did we get drunk, stumble around like fools and occasionally do embarrassing things like vomit on our own feet?

Uh, yes.

Did we also have a great party , and walk away feeling like the past year's stress, setbacks and unhappiness had floated away with the morning breeze?

Yes, too.

That's our world, papa. Forcing change upon us is like asking youth aged 18 to 30 to develop a yen for line dancing.

The weekly pilgrimage to a favourite clubs for a few drinks with friends and several hours of abandon on dance floor is all part and parcel the youth culture.

It's city living

A city that denies yuppies space for their pursuits will be left with nothing but a legion of grumpies (grumpy older folk).

ZoukOut is touted as one of the best beach parties in Asia. And it didn't get that way by being orderly, alcohol-free and squeaky clean.

It is a microcosm of the city that offers fun in many varieties.

Given ZoukOut's bigger space, louder music and list of international DJs that would put any other local event to shame, it's no surprise that revellers go wilder and party harder than usual.

Drunks doing the 'Merlion' by the road, couples mistaking a bar counter for their bedrooms, and girls flaunting their taut bodies in public are sights common at every weekend in clubs at Clarke Quay - if you know where to look.

Accountant Dominic Hong, 24, a regular clubber, said: 'With alcohol comes the urge to lose your inhibitions and sometimes, we do silly things.

'Whether it's at a club, a beach party, or even a friend's house, I think this is how youths have fun these days.'

There has been some finger-wagging and frowning after media reports showed pictures of drunken and overly passionate party-goers at ZoukOut.

Were the young going too far?

Ms Tracy Phillips, marketing manager of Zouk, said: 'There are 26,000 people at a beach party.

'The reality is people do drink, and some lose control of their own limits,' she said.

'I believe, though, that 95 per cent of people who attend ZoukOut are there to make the most out of a good event, not to embarrass themselves and get sloshed.'

Ms Tania Johnson, 22, a flight stewardess, believes that there is nothing wrong in having fun at parties.

She said: 'Older adults have the financial means to travel the world or splurge on expensive products as a form of self-pampering.

'For young adults like us, it's a good party where we drink, dance and mingle with friends. It is our way of relaxing and treating ourselves for working hard.'

If a crow had flown over Siloso beach during the early hours of Sunday morning, it would have seen large clusters of young adults gathered around the three stages, jumping, cheering and dancing to music spun by world-renowned DJs.

It would not have noticed the few people passed out under coconut trees, nor the couples getting passionate in a quiet spot.

Said Ms Phillips: 'I do not believe that people go to ZoukOut intentionally to get drunk, throw up, or pass out.'

Said investment banker Yong Wei Xiang, 30: 'My friends and I go for ZoukOut each year because it is an almost therapeutic experience. After eight hours of non-stop dancing, you're exhausted, but very relaxed.'

The truth is, there is no escaping the fact the party-goers are out to have a good time, and that means dancing and drinking.

As Mr Hong put it: 'As long as we know when to stop drinking, and be with friends who will look out for us, I think everyone has the right to party.'

Ah, the zen of partying in a lively city.

This article was first published in The New Paper on Dec 16, 2008.

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