The past month has been rife with both outrageous and heart-warming reactions in the run up to one of the most important events in Singapore’s calendar, the annual LGBTQ picnic, Pink Dot. Besides this headliner event that has become one of the most talked about topics the past few weeks, July also sees the start of a festival dedicated to Singaporeans’ favorite past time—eating—as well as a bunch of artsy happenings courtesy of SIFA’s precursor festival, The O.P.E.N. Looks like it’s going to be another action-packed month.
PICNIC
Make sure you have a pink shirt ready for Singapore’s annual LGBTQ picnic/rally, Pink Dot. For the first time, Hong Lim Park will be barricaded on all sides with only seven access points. Here’s a couple of things to note before you head down. Jul 1
MARKET
Loewen Gardens’ Farmers’ Market is back again this month, promising a range of organic wines, vegetables and fresh brews at The Pantry. Jul 1
FILM
If you’re overwhelmed by the huge variety of programs that the Singapore International Festival of the Arts (SIFA) has to offer, start with the big film component of SIFA’s precursor festival, The O.P.E.N., with films like The Other Side of Hope, a story of the unlikely friendship between a Syrian refugee and a restaurateur who lives in Helsinki; On The Beach At Night Alone, which tells the tale of a young actress who contemplates her affair with a married film director, and many more. Jul 1-15
FOOD
The popular Singapore Restaurant Month is now a full-fledged festival, thanks to the Restaurant Association of Singapore bringing together more than 200 chefs who will be preparing a locally-inspired dish at their respective eateries for the very first Singapore Restaurant Festival. Jul 1-Sep 30
PARTY
It’s all about the Red, White and Booze at Tanjong Beach Club’s Smack My Beach Up: Stars and Stripes edition. Celebrate America’s Independence Day with bottles of beers, beer pong, battleshots and music by DJ Parrish James and Jnr Tirso. Jul 2
FOOD
If you scowl at the idea of celebrating the Fourth of July on the beach, head to Meatsmith for their USA Day Party, where they’ll be hosting guest chefs Chris Lin and Howard Lafour who’ll be whipping up a mash up of American Southern classics and Chinese soul food. Jul 2
PARTY
Pool parties can’t get any better than the ones at W Singapore Sentosa Cove. Party like a rock star to the tunes of Phuture DJ Battle 2017 winner and Zouk Resident DJs LeNERD and Zushan at W’s Endless Summer Pool Party. Jul 2
EXHIBITION
Check out the colorful and eccentric world of upcoming visual artist Howie Kim’s debut solo exhibition at Artistry. Titled The Millennial Funfair, the exhibition sees Howie’s personal experience with loss told through fantastical and cryptic symbols, metaphors and representations. Through Jul 2
FOOD
Camp Kilo Charcoal Club and Decker Barbecue are teaming up to fire up the grill and celebrate America’s day of independence. They’ll be serving up some serious meat (think briskey, dirty fries, ribs and more) and drinks courtesy of Proof & Co., High West, Michter’s and St George’s Spirits. Jul 4
PARTY
Unleash your inner teenage angst and bust out them eyeliners and skinny jeans for the 12th edition of Emo Night. Expect lots of screaming, a bit of moshing and one-for-one deals on beers and housepours. Jul 6
PARTY
Ce La Vi is throwing an anniversary party with complimentary entry all night long, special performances and music from the club’s resident all-stars. They’re also giving back to society—$2 from every purchase of their specialty cocktails will go to support the Singapore Red Cross Food-Aid program. Jul 6
FESTIVAL
Chang Sensory Trails returns for another celebration of Thai cuisine and culture, bringing with it Thai music, art, food and of course, beer. Here’s what you should look out for. Jul 7-8
ART
The Goodman Arts Centre is opening up its doors once again for the brightest and boldest edition of Tanjong Goodman. You’ll get to meet Goodman’s resident artists in over 50 programs, check out the well-loved Tanjong Goodman Weekend Market, take part in craft workshops and more. Jul 8
PARTY
Kapok’s boasting a fresh new look and they’re inviting everyone to check it out at their Garden Party this month. Enjoy some sweet and savoury treats from The Garden Slug, drinks by Tanuki Raw and learn to create terrariums, among other things. Jul 8
POETRY
Local and Bangladeshi poets, writers and singers like Pooja Nansi and Ng Yi-Sheng are coming together for an evening of poetry reading, songs, spoken word and love to raise awareness for the voices of migrant workers in Singapore who need to be heard. Jul 8
FESTIVAL
Spa Esprit Group’s popular French bakery chain Tiong Bahru Bakery is holding a two-day picnic party at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Weird Wonderful World will provide buckets (yes buckets, not baskets) filled with goodies from the group’s eateries, like sandwiches from the Bakery and fish sliders from Open Farm Community, to fill your tummies before you head on and partake in the many fringe activities happening. Jul 8-9
MARKET
Zouk’s Flea & Easy flea market is back. In collaboration with Sunset Pasar, expect an eclectic selection of pre-loved threads and goods, alongside collections from emerging brands and designers. While you’re shopping, fill yourself up with localized grub from Red Tail Bar and check out the line-up of live open mic performances and DJ sets. Jul 9
PARTY
Inject your life with a dose of deep house as London-based producer and DJ, Jimpster, takes over Headquarters by the Council for a night of groovy beats that will keep you dancin’ till the sun comes up. Jul 9
FOOD
Before heading down to National Gallery for Yayoi Kusama’s exhibit, first feast on an afternoon tea set inspired by the artist’s works available just a stone’s throw away at The Courtyard, where you will get to taste (and Instagram, of course) five specially-made sweets that correspond with her artworks, such as a lychee mousse flecked with dots mirroring her Gleaming Lights of the Souls constellation. Through Jul 10
FILM
Objectif’s annual Asian Film Focus festival returns with its screening of independent short films from Singapore and the region. This year’s theme, “Time Machine”, will explore notions of archival and found footage within the context of contemporary filmmaking in Asia, with highlights from Vietnam, India, the Philippines and Singapore. Jul 12-15
PERFORMANCE
The signature big top circus tent of Cirque du Soleil will be erected once more in Singapore next month, this time, bringing their new production Kooza to our shores for the first time. This will mark the world famous Canadian troupe’s fifth foray here. Jul 13-Aug 20
CONCERT
Join the 62 Singaporean musicians of Base Philharmonic Orchestra and award-winning Australian conductor Jessica Gethin as they tell you the story of classics like The Little Mermaid and The Lion King through their music at the Disney in Concert series. Jul 14-15
FOOD
Singapore-themed culinary event Singapore Food Festival 2017 returns for its 24th edition. Expect the usual chef collabs, masterclasses, food trails and cocktail pairings, as well as the main festival highlight, Streat (see below). Jul 14-30
FESTIVAL
The 16th edition of Esplanade’s annual alternative music festival, Baybeats, is back. Alongside 23 local bands and musicians performing, five regional bands will also be taking the stage to play everything from psychedelic rock and folk to blues and punk across four stages at Esplanade, including at the new Annexe Studio. Jul 14-16
FOOD
If you consider yourself a foodie, then you’ll want to check out Singapore Food Festival’s signature event, Streat, where Peranakan chef Malcolm Lee of the one-Michelin-starred Candlenut will join chef Willin Low of Wild Rocket to present contemporary versions of local classics through a three-course mod-Sin and modern Peranakan Tok Panjang menu at Clifford Square. Jul 14-15
FOOD/DRINK
What’s better than an evening of pairing hawker food with boutique wines from Australia and New Zealand? Hosted once again by Merchants Wine Store, five carefully curated wines will be paired with delicious hawker fare from Bib Gourmand stalls at Singapore Food Festival’s Hawker Wine Safari. Jul 14-30
PARTY
Block parties may have taken a backseat the past few months, but it looks like the engine is being fired up again, starting with the Rasa Fiesta Singapura Block Party on Jiak Chuan Rd. Participating outlets Lime House and Phat Cat Laundry come out to play as they offer rum-based cocktails, limbo games, beer pong, workshops and music, as well as nosh by Mexican, Brazilian, Argentinean and French Caribbean food vendors. Jul 15
CONCERT
Other Sounds and Middle Class Cigars have teamed up to bring in Anglo-Australian indie rock band Splashh to Singapore. In 2015, they decided to have some time apart and went on different directions in London and New York for a “self-imposed exile to write” and pull together different influences for their sophomore album, Waiting A Lifetime. Jul 15
DRINK
The inaugural Singapore Tea Festival celebrates our love of drinking tea. Besides just sipping on tea, the two-day affair will also see local tea brands create locally-inspired eats at the festival’s “Teapitiam”. Jul 22-23
THEATER
For an adrenaline-pumping, high-energy evening, look no further than the highly-entertaining, non-verbal South Korean comedy theatrical performance, CHEF: Bibimbap vs Chilli Crab, making its debut at the Resorts World Theatre. Category 1 ($98) and VIP ($118) weekend ticket holders will even get a special edition chilli crab tart as part of their ticket price. Through Jul 22
EXHIBITION
The latest exhibition at DECK sees two independent photography projects—Nicholas Koh and Jiahui Tan’s Some Other Way and Koh Kim Chay and Eugene Ong’s Singapore’s Vanished Public Housing Estates—that explore the significance of memory in a country that’s ever-changing. Through Jul 22
THEATER
You can count on W!LD RICE to deliver on high production value and thoroughly localized performances, and that is exactly what you’ll get with Boeing Boeing, the theater company’s fourth rendition of the 57-year-old French farce about a swinging bachelor (Rodney Oliveiro) juggling between three air stewardess girlfriends, now updated to 2017’s world of connected smartphones and social media. Through Jul 22
CONCERT
The xx, one of the most popular indie pop outfits around, is returning to Singapore to perform at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Joining them on tour is one of UK’s rising singer-songwriters, Sampha. Jul 25
EXHIBITION
Lego has teamed up with the Piece of Peace executive committee (made up of Parco Co. Ltd., Lego Japan and Bau Communications) to showcase the various UNESCO world heritage listed sites built using Lego blocks as part of ASEAN’s 50th anniversary celebrations. Singapore is the first Southeast Asian country to host this once-in-a-lifetime UNESCO world heritage art exhibition. Jul 27-Sep 3
FOOD
The famed food truck-themed gastropark, Timbre+ is hosting Open Stoves once again, where more than 10 food partners and eight invited chefs will come together at the inaugural “Wok This Way” outdoor beer garden to create culinary treats that will be paired with craft beer. Jul 28-30
FESTIVAL
Wheeler’s Estate is finally throwing a housewarming party (though they’ve been opened since Dec last year) in the form of a two-day outdoor bash filled with music, drinks, food and, of course, bicycles. Jul 29-30
FOOD
Following the success from last year, Chinatown Food Street’s 50 Cents Festival returns with a classic 80s’ makeover. Have a slice of the past and savour authentic local hawker food made using familiar and traditional recipes, all for 50 cents each. Jul 29-30
FOOD
Goodwood Park Hotel’s annual durian festival returns, unfrazzled by the suspension and food poisoning cases last year, with all-time favorites like durian puffs and crepes and new creations like a designer cakes shaped after the fruit itself. Through Jul 31
FOOD
Ah Hoi’s Kitchen at Hotel Jen Tanglin is throwing a Festival of Crabs where you can feast on not one, not two, but 10 different styles of meaty Sri Lankan crabs. There’s no way to eat all of them (at one go at least), so be smart and get your claws on the Salted Egg and Crispy Yam Crab, Glass Noodles and Chinese Wine Crab or Claypot Crab Beehoon. Through Jul 31
FOOD
While there’s an undying love for Goodwood’s durian fiesta among Singaporeans, we’re also excited about the durian offerings at Marriott Cafe. This year, they’re running a durian-centric version of their highly popular local high tea buffet where you can try a slice of their durian strudel, durian swiss rolls and more. Through Aug 9
EXHIBITION
Enter the whimsical world of Yayoi Kusama at National Gallery Singapore, the first big-scale survey of her work in Southeast Asia. Yayoi Kusama: Life is the Heart of a Rainbow curated by the Gallery’s Russell Storer and Adele Tan, will showcase more than 120 paintings, sculptures, videos and installations spanning over seven decades—some of which have never been shown before. Through Sep 3
ART
This year’s Singapore International Festival of the Arts (SIFA) and The O.P.E.N. will run without a month’s break in-between for the first time, bringing 90 different talks, workshops, plays, films and other performances that continue to push the boundaries. New this year are Open Homes by Jeffrey Tan—a unique theater experience where residents of 30 HDB public housing estates, private condos and landed residences will invite audiences into their homes to share stories—and O.P.E.N. Kitchens, where you can cook with the host, Noorlinah Mohamed, as she shares stories of each dish being prepared. Through Sep 9
EXHIBITION
Robots have invaded the ArtScience Museum and everyone’s invited to take a peek at what the future of cybernetics, artificial intelligence and genetic modification might look like at the HUMAN+: The Future of Our Species exhibition. Come with an open mind as you interact with life-like humanoids and find out how robots are already living among us. Through Oct 15
EXHIBITION
Asia’s largest mirror maze has landed in Singapore as a new permanent installation at Science Centre Singapore. The visually-appealing maze features 105 mirror cells, more than 17 interactive exhibits and experiments on light, a bunch of holograms and fake exits. Admission is free but you’ll still have to pay admission charges to the center itself.
