KUALA LUMPUR – The organiser of the Havoc Food Festival (HFI) has expressed disappointment over the immediate shutdown of its event in Setapak yesterday, lamenting that no prior discussion took place with them before the directive was issued.
Havoc Event & Management Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Firdaus Nadxaman said the company had applied for a permit from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and has evidence of the application.
Firdaus argued that due consideration should have been given to the financial implications for both organisers and vendors, amounting to approximately RM1 million.
However, he acknowledged the decision to comply with the closure order.
“It’s not right to say the permit wasn’t approved. You have to understand the chronology of how we applied for the permit. We could have had a civilised discussion.
“We’ve kept records of our application with DBKL. We are experienced in this process – this is our 44th event. Applying for permits is something we are very familiar with.
“We’ve already spent half a million ringgit. Meanwhile, 60 vendors paid for their booths and bought raw materials, which, combined with our expenses, total RM1 million,” he said in a video clip posted on the Havoc Food Festival Instagram account.
DBKL had previously ordered the event to cease operations immediately, citing severe traffic congestion that disrupted the local community.
Setiawangsa Member of Parliament Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, in a statement, confirmed that his office had received numerous complaints from residents since the event began.
“The traffic congestion was so severe that it caused significant inconvenience to the local community. My office worked with the authorities to address the matter.
“As a result, DBKL has instructed the organisers of the Havoc Food Festival to halt the event from today,” he said.
Nik Nazmi also noted that the event lacked a valid entertainment licence from DBKL.
Addressing the traffic congestion, Firdaus clarified that the worst disruptions occurred during the setup day and that steps were taken to mitigate the issue on the festival’s first day.
“The heavy traffic happened during our setup day. We made every effort to address the parking situation. On the first day of the event, measures were put in place to resolve parking and traffic issues.
“We increased the number of Rela personnel to 30 to manage traffic and coordinated with the site owner to expand parking facilities,” he said, adding that discussions had been held with Rela, the site owner, and the residents’ association prior to the event. – January 12, 2025