Classification of arts entertainment in public entertainment licensed establishments or events

As part of the revised Public Entertainments and Meetings Act (PEMA) passed in October 2014, amendments were made to provide a clearer delineation of the definitions and licensing regimes between Public Entertainment (PE) and Arts Entertainment (AE). PE and AE are licensed by the SPF and the MDA respectively.

Therefore with effect from 1 Mar 2016, AE provided within a Public Entertainment venue or events must be classified by MDA unless exempted.  This will provide greater clarity to the public and allow them to make more informed decisions in their choice of AE.

To minimise the regulatory burden on PE-licensed businesses and premises which offer various forms of AE, MDA held several consultation sessions with stakeholders, such as the Singapore Nightlife Business Association (SNBA), Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) and major business precinct associations for their feedback and to finalise a set of exemptions.

Through the consultation, MDA identified five classes of classification exemptions, subject to a set of conditions:

• Arts entertainment in a PE-licensed establishment under a Category 1 licence

  Any arts entertainment provided in a Category 1 PE-licensed establishment that has a door policy of 18 years and above is exempted from classification. The licensee must enforce the age restriction at the point of entry. He needs to inform MDA of the door policy by providing to the Arts Entertainment Licensing Officer, using the attached form (247.42KB) , the details of the door policy at least 20 working days before the implementation of the door policy. More information is available here.

• Karaoke singing in a PE-licensed establishment under a Category 1 or Category 2 licence

  The exemption applies as long as the karaoke videos have been approved by the Board of Film Censors (BFC) or declared to the BFC to fall within the exempted video category. Karaoke singing should not be provided in combination with another arts entertainment.

• Performance of music, singing or dancing in a PE-licensed establishment under a Category 1 or Category 2 licence

  PE Category 1 or Category 2 establishments do not have to submit such forms of arts entertainment for classification if the content is suitable for a general audience including children aged 12 years or below.

• Scheduled arts entertainment

  This set of arts entertainment is exempted from classification requirements if they are provided in a PE-licensed establishment under a Category 1 or Category 2 licence or an event licensed as PE.

• Incidental arts entertainment

  This refers to an arts entertainment that is provided in a PE-licensed establishment under a Category 1 or Category 2 licence or a PE licensed event but is not the main feature or attraction of the event. This is exempted from classification provided the content is suitable for a general audience, including children aged 12 years or below.