The one time in the year that you’ll be able to dress up and become whoever and whatever you want without being weird about it is finally here. While the city will be no doubt filled with ghastly ghouls and freaky parties, there are still a couple of film festivals and exhibitions going on for those who prefer to stay human this week.
Monday, Oct 23
FILM
Asia’s first Monaco Film Festival will feature a total of 13 feature films across various genres that showcase the glamor, rich history and breathtaking scenery of the second smallest country in the world (Singapore is #19). Through Oct 22
FILM
The National Gallery Singapore is messing with minds and shaking things up with Painting with Light, a showcase of more than 30 award-winning feature-length and short films exploring the multi-sensory medium of art. Through Oct 29
EXHIBITION
Monsoon Song is Singaporean artist Fyerool Darma’s second solo exhibition, two years after he debuted with a series of paintings exploring the Malay identity and dissociation. His latest draws from the aesthetics of urban subcultures, traditional ceremonies and the folk craft of Singapore, Malaysia and the region. Through Oct 29
CONVENTION
If you’ve always wanted to try the affordably priced products on Qoo10 (but feared they were too cheap to be true), now’s your chance to cast all apprehension aside. For the first time, the e-commerce retailer is taking the great deals offline for a Digital Fair at Plaza Singapura. Over 35 digital and IT stores will be participating. Through Nov 15
Tuesday, Oct 24
COMEDY
Catch everyone’s favorite drag queen comedian Kumar as he dishes out his usual antics, politically incorrect rants and Singapore issues-based jokes at Canvas. Oct 17
FOOD
Mexican king of the (Duxton) hill Lucha Loco is stepping up with their first Taco Libre event, featuring tacos made by six of SIngapore’s top chefs like Artichoke’s Bjorn Shen, Cheek by Jowls’ Rishi Naleendra and Dave Pynt of Burnt Ends over 12-weeks (rotates every fortnight). These chefs will be vying for top suds as the “Ultimate Taco Champion”. Through Nov 4
Wednesday, Oct 25
MARKET
Northside residents will be pleased to know that Nanyang Polytechnic is holding an an Art Market to celebrate turning 25. The event is hosted by local crafts and retail service Handmade by Wai, so look out for bespoke trinkets, hand-lettered gifts and other pretty souvenirs. Oct 25
FILM
Initiatives like Objectifs’ Women in Film are needed to give women filmmakers the attention they deserve. Back for its third edition, the showcase continues to serve as a powerful hit back at the patriarchy, highlighting a selection of six feature-length and five short films from Europe, the U.S. and Singapore. Through Oct 28
EXHIBITION
On the 75th anniversary of the fall of Singapore, the National Museum of Singapore remembers 1942, with their first large-scale, blockbuster war exhibition featuring more than 130 artefacts from 10 overseas museums and institutions. It’s the biggest collection of war stories to date. Check out the exhibition to explore events and portrayals of World War II beyond just your textbook syllabus. Through Mar 21 (2017)
Thursday, Oct 26
TALK
Allies Night is the LGBT-friendly networking party where you can meet new like-minded peers and allies from over 60 companies, ranging from Fortune 500’s to startups. It starts from 6pm, and the first 25 people gets a free drink (alcohol, or otherwise). Best part? Free admission, 10% discount on small bites and happy hour pricing on drinks all night long. Oct 26
HALLOWEEN
Over at Cineleisure’s Horror Haunt: School of Horrors, you’ll be tasked to go through various school-themed rooms to solve the mystery of the death of an innocent schoolgirl who was found dismembered in the toilet with her eyes gouged out. You’ll get a reward if you manage to figure out what happened to the dead schoolgirl (or at least the first 75 people each day will). Oct 26-29
FILM
The annual student-run film fest Perspectives Film Festival returns for a super-sized 10th edition showcasing a total of 11 films across seven days. Each of the them will explore the theme of rebellion; the kind that goes against social norms or defy institutional systems and go on to inspire the world with their ideas. Oct 26-29
FOOD
Shuck away at Ginett Restaurant & Wine Bar’s self-proclaimed Oysters Festival, which will roll out the finest oysters from the French ocean, including the Grand Cru de France, a vintage, special deep-cupped oyster that’s earned the title “Royal Oyster”.Other signature oyster varieties that will be available include oyster La Royale N1, La Royale N3, Wild oyster N3 and Fine Selection, with prices starting at $5. Through Oct 31
Friday, Oct 27
HALLOWEEN
Trust The Glory Hoes trio to come up with an alternative affair this Halloween. Catch one of the greatest and longest-running cult films The Rocky Horror Show and join in all the festivities they’ve conjured at The Projector, which includes “bags of shit”, the usual themed dinner and a groovy aftermovie dance party. Oct 27
HALLOWEEN
The Last House on Emily Hill a.k.a. Kult Kafe is taking advantage of its dark, quiet surroundings and turning its colonial house and compound into a freaky-looking haunted house, complete with a meandering maze that promises to keep you up to at night. After scaring yourself silly, head upstairs and dance it all off to the tunes of DJ Shellsuit and Stew Bamrah. Oct 27
HALLOWEEN
Kilo Lounge will turn into a dark asylum that’s said to surface as the harvest moon rises this Halloween, creating a bridge between our world and the dark and psychic realm for evil spirits to cross over. Sounds like a fun night to get absolutely smashed with all the CBD zombies. Oct 27-28
HALLOWEEN
Newcomer Bar Rouge Singapore is getting in on the Halloween festivities and will transform their sky-high premises into a dark and twisted wonderland where our sweet heroine Alice has turned into the Witch of Horrorland, accompanied by the Grim Reaper who was once the White Rabbit, and the Maddest Hatter, who apparently has gone off his rocker. Oct 27-28
DRINK
Singapore’s largest outdoor wine festival, Wine Fiesta, is back for its 10th anniversary, with over 300 wines from around the world to try over three days. Winemakers and vineyard owners will be present to share about their production processes and characteristics of their wines. Oct 27-29
PERFORMANCE
This year, Esplanade celebrates dancers, dancemakers and the form itself in its 12th annual da:ns festival—its biggest yet—boasting seven ticketed productions, 75 workshops and masterclasses and more than 70 free performances and activities to check out. Through Oct 29
FILM
A Design Film Festival is one of the more stylish and highly anticipated film festivals in Singapore, is back for its seventh edition. Catch Dries, this year’s designer biopic which shines the spotlight on one of the industry’s most private designers, Dries Van Noten or the Black Mirror-esque eye-opener You’re Soaking In It, which blows the top off the advertising world. Through Oct 29
EXHIBITION
The third edition of Objectifs’ Women in Photography group exhibition spotlights eight international and local women photographers and their works exploring domesticity and family. Follow Belgian photographer Bieke Depoorter around North America where she documents the homes of strangers who let her stay a night in I Am About to Call it a Day; or peruse uncomfortable portraits of Bangladeshi housewives and housemaids in Jannatul Mawa’s Close Distance. Through Nov 19
HALLOWEEN
Now on their seventh edition, Universal Studios Singapore’s Halloween Horror Nights returns on select nights, all circling the central theme of the seven new incarnations of sins present in modern society—cruelty, deception, malice, manipulation, narcissism, perversion and obsession. Through Oct 29
