Mercury Festival: The Gen Z Pop-Up Market Championing Small Businesses And Handicraft
From trinkets to plushies made by local businesses, expect to bring home all things cute from Mercury Festival.
Starting out in 2022 with just 30 booths or so, this pop‑up market has metamorphosed into one of the most popular playgrounds for those after cute trinkets and accessories crafted by young business owners. That said, Mercury Festival isn’t just another pop‑up. Organising it today is a team of Gen Z small‑business owners who want to create a space for creatives like themselves, and has won legions of young fans with its thoughtful curation of colourful and craft‑focused vendors as well as its community‑first spirit. Proof? Its seventh edition – happening June 6 to 8 at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre – boasts a line‑up of more than 200 vendors spanning cartoon‑drawing nail artists, graphic designers with their own brand of stickers and stationery, and charm makers putting their own spin on Sylvanian Families and Sonny Angel figures. Here, the main brains behind Mercury Festival tell us how they’ve made it into one of the hottest Gen Z gatherings in town.
Rather than follow a rigid set of criteria, Mercury Festival prioritises vendors who exude originality, care in their branding and a DIY spirit, and often features handicrafts across a variety of mediums ranging from crochet to illustration, like Audafterhours who makes crocheted animal keychains and plushies. The result is a diverse yet cohesive market space where customers across different aesthetic styles can find something they love.
TELL US ABOUT THE ORIGIN STORY OF MERCURY FESTIVAL.
KELLY WONG (KW): “Back in late 2021, I started my own small business Kallieykrafts (a cottagecore‑inspired costume jewellery label) and quickly fell in love with the pop‑up market scene. At that point, I hadn’t boothed yet, but I had gone to a ton of art markets with friends and the energy was always so vibrant. There’s just something really special about being in a space filled with artists and creators who are doing what they love and not just chasing profit. Every booth felt personal, set up with care and heart – it hits differently from regular shopping. What sparked the launch of Mercury happened in January 2022: A bunch of us small‑business owners were trying to booth together at a popular weekend market – it was common for us to coordinate locations and dates in an attempt to draw bigger crowds. However, we found out that this market was going to shut down in March that year. Other similar pop‑ups were also disappearing, which stumped us for a bit – until we thought, ‘Wait a minute. What if we ran one ourselves?’”
THERE ARE SO MANY POP‑UP MARKETS THESE DAYS. WHAT SETS MERCURY FESTIVAL APART?
KW: “Mercury has always been about intention. From the get‑go, it was designed for creatives like us – people who love art, thrift and weird niche things. Our focus is on making our vendors happy. Most of us in the organising team have our own small businesses, which means we’re experienced in manning booths at such events for long hours. With this background, we decided to elevate our vendors’ experience by providing not only a goody bag, but also an unlimited and complimentary supply of water, for example. The goody bag contains candy and snacks to fuel them for the entire day. A lot of big events also tend to invest less into marketing once they’ve grown big enough, but we always remind ourselves that in choosing to take up a booth at Mercury, our vendors trust us. So whatever we do under the Mercury name, we put in our maximum effort. For example, we created seven sets of images to promote the upcoming edition: Sirens, Greek/Beach Life, Victorians, Mori‑kei/Cutesy, Bright Y2K, Fairycore/Cottagecore and Grunge/Acubi. At Mercury, we prioritise variety – not just in terms of vendors, but also in the aesthetics we spotlight, so that no matter your style, you’ll feel seen and find others who get your taste. The result of doing this: we attract authentic businesses with a lot of heart – vendors who care. That kind of energy builds trust and shoppers can feel it. People know that buying from Mercury means supporting someone’s dream.”
ELECTRA LEE (EL): “We see Mercury as an entry point – a launch pad – for new and emerging creatives. All five of us on the core team started our small businesses young and we know how tough it can be to get noticed or even afford to start. A lot of events feel overly commercial or inaccessible, so Mercury was created as a response to that. Our vendors, artists and visitors shape the soul of the festival. As small‑business owners ourselves, we do our best to share what we’ve learnt, open doors and grow the scene together.”
Vendors who have taken part in previous editions include Jagua tattooist and sticker artist Ink Range.
THE FESTIVAL OOZES CUTE CULTURE VIBES. IS THAT INTENTIONAL?
KW: “I wouldn’t say that every part of Mercury fits neatly into cute culture. We make it a point to feature a wide range of vendors that reflect the many aesthetics our audience loves. For example, vendors such as Toasty Towns and Vensroom lean into the cutesy and whimsical, but we also have the likes of Tasyfir, Eros_cult and Kopi.toast, which are more grunge, edgy or metal‑inspired. Then there are vendors like Alles.seinn and Wlncity, which bring a more delicate, princess‑y vibe. To us, ‘cute’ is anything that sparks joy … Cute is not about following trends or being overly polished. It’s anything that defies the norm and aligns with our personalities. It’s kind of like how bag charms have always been a subtle form of self‑expression. You rock a Kuromi plushie keychain? You’re probably a Sanrio girlie. You’ve got a clover pin? You’re a clover girlie. Everyone has their own version of what’s ‘cute’, and that’s what makes it so fun to showcase different aesthetics in our promotional shoots as well as vendor line‑up.”
TeenyTiniansMart makes these extra‑small stickers and doll garments.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT CUTE CULTURE THAT JUST CLICKS WITH CREATIVES AND YOUTHS THESE DAYS?
KW: “I think it’s a quiet form of rebellion. In a place like Singapore, where we’re so often expected to grow into these polished, practical, digestible versions of ourselves, choosing to make or love things that are soft, pretty, weird or joyful just for the sake of it is somewhat radical, don’t you think? Cuteness has stopped being one single aesthetic. These days, it just means whatever feels true to you. No two people have identical tastes, but, at the same time, we all just want to feel seen. Being creative becomes our favourite outlet for that. It’s our way of broadcasting what we love and believe in, and what we want to share with the world. To be human is to be seen and accepted, and I think ‘cuteness’ – or what’s really personal expression – is one of the most beautiful ways we do that. That’s what we hope Mercury can be: a space where people feel free to be loud, soft, strange, dreamy, messy, real, and always seen.”
Tooth gems by specialist Third Eye Toothgems SG, who has previously participated in Mercury Festival.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE UPCOMING EDITION OF MERCURY FESTIVAL HAPPENING THIS MONTH?
EZANN CHIN: “We’re expanding our official merch line! In previous editions, we’ve had items like laptop cases, but for this edition, which has a Seven Seas theme, we’re dropping some fresh pieces such as sea creature key rings and themed baby T‑shirts. We’ll be sharing previews soon, and we can’t wait to see how everyone styles them at the festival!”
THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN EDITED FOR BREVITY AND CLARITY.
This article first appeared in the June 2025 Cuteness Overload Edition of FEMALE