Outdoor Affair 2024

From thrilling games to vibrant performances, 2024's Victorian Affair was an unforgettable and amazing experience for the whole J1 cohort. Victorians were especially pumped up because of this year's exciting theme of “VArcade”. This year's theme was chosen as arcade games encompass a wide range of timeless and memorable experiences, allowing for plenty of imagination and creativity. Furthermore, this theme celebrated the diversity of games we all enjoy, ensuring there was something for everyone at Victorian Affair!

Class 24S35 writing out words in the sand. Photo taken by Lin Hanjing Delfina (24S35) from VJC Photography Society. 

That morning, Sentosa’s Beach Station flooded with enthusiastic Victorians, all wearing their bright yellow PE tees, making their way towards Palawan and Siloso beach eager to start playing some games and winning prizes. The daytime segment of Victorian Affair, “Outdoor Affair”, had started. The day began quite gloomy, with grey clouds looming over the beach as expected, since the past few days had brought heavy rain across Singapore. Fortunately, to everyone's delight, the clouds cleared out soon enough, and the familiar Singapore sun shone brightly once again—a great start to this exciting day indeed.

Victorians walking at Siloso and Palawan beach. Photo taken by Lin Hanjing Delfina (24S35) from VJC Photography Society. 

All classes started out by laying out their picnic mats, while  the gamemasters made arrangements for their respective games, one of which was the fan favourite “Dog and Bone”. Students attentively listened out for their assigned numbers and rushed to grab the ‘bone’ (a wooden stick) as their number was called. Subsequently, the winner of the round earned the opportunity to place their team's marker, either a cross or a circle, on the tic-tac-toe board. In the end, the winner of the tic-tac-toe-game claimed overall victory. This creative take on the original dog and bone game was definitely a hit with Victorians.

One of the more popular games played was a real life take on the roblox game, “Dress to Impress”, where two classes competed to deliver their most fashionable outfit on their chosen model, being given only a handful of materials such as scotch tape and newspaper to design their dress. Students showcased their ingenuity by designing intricate dresses out of newspapers, drawing inspiration from bridal gowns and cartoon characters. Classmates cheered and clapped as their friends confidently walked down the beach runway, modeling the creative newspaper dresses they had crafted together. 

Sneha Thomas (24A13) reflected on her experience as a gamemaster, “One of the games I was in charge of was Pacman, where catchers have the power to freeze anyone they choose to tap, while the runners have the power to unfreeze their team members, granted they are not frozen themselves. The classes which played this game had lots of fun, their competitiveness on full display as catchers sprinted towards the opposing team and runners tried their best to evade them.” 

Victorians participating in various games. Photographs taken by Tan Hong Kai (24S51),  Lin Hanjing Delfina (24S35) and  Faith Tan (24S54) from VJC Photography Society.

At the halfway mark, light refreshments such as cakes and sandwiches were provided. Hungry students quickly munched them down before moving to their next station.

Victorians eating roll cake snacks during their break. Photo taken by Cheng Hui Zoe (24S55) from VJC Photography Society. 

Other games carried out included ‘Hot Potato’, Dodgeball, Volleyball, ‘Scrabble’, ‘Minecraft’, and more. All the games were cleverly designed to fit the arcade theme of the event, drawing inspiration from classic games that teenagers know and love, creating a fun and familiar experience for all. 

Victorians enthusiastically jumping and playing volleyball. Photo taken by Lin Hanjing Delfina (24S35) from VJC Photography Society.

Although the games went smoothly and everyone had a good time, the gamemasters did not have as smooth of an experience as there were some bumps along the way that caused some difficulties. “A significant challenge was the classes' lack of punctuality. For interclass competitions, both classes were required to be present. However, a lot of the times, either one class or both didn't show up on time and we often couldn't afford to let the classes play longer  as either we had other classes to attend to or they had other games to play.”, Sneha commented. 

In summary, despite these challenges, the VA Ad Hoc team worked tirelessly to bring these games to life. Their hard work paid off, providing Victorians with a lively and active outdoor experience that was the perfect way to cap off the year on a high note. 

Class 24S36 posing for a picture. Photo taken by Tan Hong Kai (24S51) from VJC Photography Society.

But the day was not over as the evening portion of the event, “Lasting Affair”, was still to come !