Do you dine at the city’s top tables or at your favorite kopitiam? Are you a collector of vinyl or high-tech gadgets? Do you spend your weekends on Keong Saik or at home with your parents? The answers to these questions will determine not only your personality type but also which of these 27 events you should attend before the year is up. Better get started:
1. When you pick up a copy of I-S, you immediately flip to:
A. Essential Events
B. Last Word
C. Page 3
D. Free Will Astrology
2. Your favorite local social media personality:
A. @TommyWee
B. @catslavery
C. Mr Brown
D. none
3. You collect:
A. Tech toys
B. Recipes for gluten-free, vegan cupcakes
C. Oversized books from BooksActually
D. Vinyl
4. Your go-to place for dinner is:
A. Jaan
B. Afterglow
C. At home with a Heston Blumenthal cookbook
D. The hawker stall next to Smith Street Taps
5. You live in:
A. The Sail
B. Tiong Bahru
C. campus housing
D. Ang Mo Kio
6. The summer blockbuster you’re most psyched about:
A. Transformers 4
B.The Fault in Our Stars
C. Lucy
D. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
7. Your browser’s home page:
A. LinkedIn
B. Pinterest
C. Gawker
D. Reddit
8. A typical weekend activity:
A. Drinks at Potato Head Folk
B. Going to a pop-up market
C. Watching TED talks
D. Going to wherever your friend is spinning/playing
Aug 12–Sep 14
The equine acrobatics at Cavalia will get you and your dates oohing and aahing in no time. Kick things up a notch with their Rendez-vous Package, which includes the full VIP treatment and a post-show tour of the stables.
Aug 26–Sep 7
Nutopia Stephan Zoisl’s super-luxe pop-up dinner with 11 haute couture-themed courses and lots of multi-sensory special effects. Did we mention that the location is secret?
Sep 12–14
Michelin star-studded Epicurean Market is a must-attend for bragging rights for dining on Tetsuya Wakuda’s, David Thompson’s and Justin Quek’s creations all in the same meal. Plus you get to hang with your bartender pals Zdenek Kastanek and Joe Alessandroni from 28HKS, who will be serving up cool cocktails.
Sep 19–21
Wild horses couldn’t keep you away from this year’s Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix or the accompanying invite-only afterparties. Also: J Lo.
Oct 8–11
Sometimes, all you want is the simple life: beer, buddies, live music and yachts. Oktoberfest Asia will deliver.
Oct 11
A neon rave party by the beach? Yep, it’s happening at Illumi Nation, Asia’s first glow-in-the-dark paint party with DJs like Bingo Platers, Dada Life and Martin Solveig spinning their chart-topping hits.
Dec 12–13
What with the all-but-certain closing, this year’s ZoukOut could well be your last chance to get wasted with a throng of scantily-clad babes losing it to EDM. You ain’t sitting this one out.
Sep 1–9
Singapore International Storytelling Festival will deliver that much-needed dose of lit, ahead of Singapore Writers Festival, with diverse storytelling styles from around the world and dreamy personalities like UK National Storytelling Laureate Katrice Horsley.
Sep 5–14
Some of your kindred spirits profiled on the big screen at this year’s A Design Film Festival are street photographer Vivian Maier, quirky artists Ukio and Noriko Shinohara, and the many tinkerers and crafters showcased in Maker.
Sep 6-7
Cake and caffeine? Yes please. Cafe Fest offers both in spades from all your favorite hangouts, including Common Man Roasters and Toby’s Estate, all in one spot.
Sep 26
Indie-pop darling Ingrid Michaelson is back in town. Of course you need to catch this.
Sep 26-28
Theater: check. Improv: check. Flea markets, indie bands, poetry slams: check, check and check. Lit Up has a bit of everything you love.
Oct 4–5
The second Kranji Countryside Farmers’ Market is just what it says on the tin. There are few accomplishments more satisfying than whipping up a meal made with locally-grown veggies, eggs and goat’s milk.
Nov 20-23
It’s important to surround yourself with pretty things. Snap up a few affordable ones at the annual Affordable Art Fair–prices start at just $100 a pop.
Sep 1–21
Architect Jason Pomeroy’s Design Green! exhibition focuses on greenery and open spaces in an increasingly crowded urban landscape. His solution is to get high—think skygardens and high-rise recreational breathing spaces.
Sep 26–Oct 11
Archifest should be firmly on any enlightened city dweller’s calendar. Apart from the usual architecture and design conferences, workshops and tours, you can also look forward to the collaborative activities like the Urban
Lab sessions.
Sep 27–Oct 1
You’re borderline obsessed with cult European film directors, so it goes without saying that you’ll want to catch the Pier Paolo Pasolini tribute, Pasolini Revisited. Sixteen of the provocative (poet/philosopher/painter/)director’s films will be showcased alongside readings of his poetry.
Oct 17–26
Cerebral types like you will enjoy watching whip-smart tennis champs (the WTA’s top 8, actually) as they outpace and outwit one another at the first-ever Women’s Tennis Association Finals in Singapore. Plus, diva Mariah Carey headlines the games.
Oct 31–Nov 9
It’s going to be hard for this year’s Singapore Writer’s Festival to top the last (which had A.C. Grayling), but where else would you catch (in)famous feminist Naomi Wolf?
Nov 27-30
The political science nerd in you should attend the debuting local offshot of Beirut Art Fair, Singapore Art Fair–the insightful ME.NA (Middle East and North Africa) pavilions, curated by Catherine David and Janine Maarari, are particularly worth seeing.
Aug 22–23, 29–30
The annual Singapore Night Festival is back with more performances, late-night exhibitions and projection art. It’s also spread over two weekends—in case, you know, you forget to go for the first one.
Aug 27–Oct 27
The much-loved Mosaic Music Festival may have enjoyed its final edition last year, but this year, there’s the jazz-centric Mosaic Music Series to look forward to. Granddaddies of chill Arturo Sandoval, Pat Metheny and Herbie Hancock headline.
Sep 1–27
Your old stomping ground The Substation celebrates its birthday with Septfest with its own indie arts programs, bookended by experimental theater productions Fish and Medea.
Nov 8
Festivals are your jam—and the inaugural Adult Playground sure brings something new to the table. Don’t be fooled by the risqué name, though. You’ll only find casual games like dodgeball, paintball and human foosball (plus The Sam Willows and Jack and Rai will be playing).
Nov 15
Liverpool Masters is the ultimate throwback match, pitting former Liverpool legends like Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman against our very own Fandi Ahmad and V. Sundram Moorthy in a full-field 11-a-side match.
Nov 30
Remember Incubus proteges Hoobastank, from the halcyon ’00s days of college rock? They’re back in Singapore, after a seven-year absence.
Dec 4-14
The rebooted Singapore International Film Festival, with its local and regional focus, might just inspire you to get your act together and make that cinematic masterpiece you’ve always wanted to.
