Lion dances and drone shows are just two of the inventive gender reveals that have popped up in Singapore of late. SINGAPORE – Gender reveal parties, where soon-to-be parents learn or reveal the sex of their baby, are arguably just an excuse for a celebration with an abundance of gender stereotypes thrown into the mix – such as pink cupcakes for girls or blue balloons for boys. Arguably, they have also trended towards the increasingly absurd in the last few years, so much so that gender reveal party parodies are now an entire sub-genre on social media platforms like TikTok.
A few recent examples in Singapore made headlines for being extravagant – but also unusual and creative. Socialite and beauty entrepreneur Kim Lim threw a luxurious yacht party on Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River in early August to celebrate her birthday, and also to reveal the sex of her baby to her guests via a massive drone show. Lim, 33, is said to be five months pregnant after going through rounds of in-vitro fertilisation.
The father of her unborn child and her exact due date are unknown. The bash culminated in a fireworks sequence that could rival the recent National Day Parade on Aug 9, and an extensive visual display involving more than 600 drones. Videos posted by Lim, and event planner Lelian Chew, showed the drones forming various messages and images, including “Happy Birthday Kim Lim”, and a baby dragon – perhaps an oblique reference to the baby being born within the current Year of the Dragon, according to the Chinese zodiac.
The videos were cut off before the actual reveal, but Chew did share on social media that the drone display was the “world’s biggest (and) Asia’s first drone gender reveal”. Both Chew and Lim declined to answer further queries from The Straits Times. A post shared by Lelian Chew (@lelianchew) It is not known how much Lim forked out for the record-breaking reveal, but one Thai company offering drone show services on social media has starting rates at 490,000 baht (S$18,450) for 100 drones.
Fashion and beauty influencer Grace Khoo, 24, also threw an elaborate gender reveal soiree in early August at the Riverhouse restaurant in Clarke Quay. The three-hour dim sum-themed party featured a variety of touches paying homage to Khoo’s cultural heritage, such as “bao” cupcakes – and a 10-minute lion dance to reveal the baby’s sex. The dance featured a pink “mother” lion and blue “father” lion dancing around a curtain, which then parts to reveal a smaller, blue lion – indicating that Khoo’s unborn child is a boy.
“My husband and I considered many ideas (and decided on) a traditional lion dance with a twist...
the little baby lion popping out at the end seemed like the perfect little tribute for our baby (due) in December,” Khoo, who got married in September 2023, tells ST. A post shared by Grace Glazee (@graceglazee) She admits that finding the right lion dance troupe for the job was a challenge. “I wanted the right shade of pink and blue, and a cute little baby lion .
Both the baby lion and the box it comes out of had to be custom-made in the end.” She declined to reveal how much she paid for their services, but added that she would be revealing the name of the troupe on social media at a later date. Netizens were full of praise for the reveal, declaring it to be “freaking cute” and “creative”.
There was also plenty of social media goodwill for the wrestling-themed gender reveal party that took place in early August at Grapplemax Pro Wrestling Studios in Ubi – which netizens described as “hilarious”, “entertaining” and even “wholesome”. The party, thrown for Mr Ong Yu Chern and his wife Ashley, featured a match between one wrestler decked out in blue, and another clad in pink. In front of a crowd, the male duo duked it out for some 10 minutes before a winner was declared.
A post shared by Grapplemax Pro Wrestling Singapore (@grapplemax) Grapplemax co-founder Greg Ho says Mr Ong has been a part of the Grapplemax team as a professional wrestler since 2019. “It was an opportunity for all of us to do something special for both him and his wife, who has been very supportive of his wrestling endeavours,” says Mr Ho. Organising the event took several weeks, as new characters – “Blue” and “Pink” – had to be invented, and a narrative had to be created such that the audience tension and excitement would build towards the climax of the reveal.
According to Mr Ho, wrestling events organised by his company start at $2,800, inclusive of photography and photo editing. But as Khoo says, it is a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things. “My advice to parents is to celebrate milestones and special moments in life.
One day, you’ll look back at these memories and be elated that you captured these special moments.” Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel now.
