Tiger Street Food Virtual Festival 2020: A Food Festival From Home
In 2020, big food festivals were off the cards, so Tiger Beer moved its famous Street Food Festival online. The Tiger Street Food Virtual Festival ran every Friday to Sunday in November 2020, from 11am to 9pm, and it tried to recreate the whole festival experience on your screen, not just a food delivery menu. I gave it a go from home.
Walking the Virtual Streets
You start by creating a 3D avatar, choosing hairstyles and outfits, and then wander through three virtual streets: Kuala Lumpur Street, Selangor Street and Penang Street. Each street is lined with real vendors from that area. You can browse every menu, and if you are within 15km of a vendor, you can order the food to your door through the festival’s delivery partner.
The Food
There were 88 vendors in total, serving familiar street food favourites alongside limited-edition dishes made with Tiger Beer or Tiger Crystal, plus a few crossover creations between vendors. Combo meals came with a free set of Tiger Street Food chopsticks in two collectible designs.
Games, Drinks and Music
Between orders, you could play two mini-games, the Tiger Beer Hunt and the Tiger Crystal Mountain Climber Challenge, with prizes for the top scorers. The Drinkies Bar let you order chilled beer to your home, with a happy-hour deal in the afternoons. The festival opened with an exclusive virtual performance by Namewee, streamed from Taiwan.
My Experience
I got to experience the full festival, including ordering street food and beer straight to my doorstep, and it was a clever way to support local hawkers during a difficult year. Nothing beats eating at a real stall, but this was a fun and creative substitute while we were stuck at home.
