Whether you’re reminiscing forgotten days to the soundtrack of your childhood idols Backstreet Boys, frolicking in the streets at Singapore’s most hyped block party on Keong Saik or checking out the new joint that just took over the former site of Kyo, the weekend seems jam-packed enough for anyone who didn’t plan their annual leaves in time for a quick, long weekend getaway.
Friday, Oct 20
FESTIVAL
If you happen to be in the west of Singapore this weekend, check out “Outsider“, a weekend-long fashion art festival designed to present an “anti-elitist window” into the multi-dimensional mind of designers and visual artists. Expect live art, exhibitions, installations, fashion presentations and workshops set against the supermarket backdrop of BigBox HyperMart. Oct 20-22
PARTY
A mysterious cool cat named Mao has popped up recently, and word has it that this club is taking over the former site of Kyo, which closed down a couple of months back. Check out the new den this weekend as they bring in Hong Kong-based DJ Eve Speciall for turntable duties. Oct 20
WORKSHOP
Learn more about the spirits you love with the peeps behind 28 HongKong Street every Friday this month at Proof Flat. For this week’s edition of at Salon Social, they’ll be sharing origin stories and production methods of whisky, some fun and engaging and engaging anecdotes of working with whisky and a cocktail recipe. Did we mention there’s free-flow Prosecco throughout the workshop? Oct 20
CONCERT
Summer may be over but dream pop lives on in form of Fazerdaze, the project of New Zealand artist Amelia Murray. For her debut show in SIngapore, she’ll be joined by Gareth Thomas on bass and Andrea Holmes on drums. Oct 20
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 20-22, 26-29
MARKET
A new month calls for a new Katong Square market, which, with its vinyl records and vintage goods, touts itself as Singapore’s only true blue vintage flea market. Resident booths include familiar names like The Retro Factory, Memory Lane and The Great Vinyl Exchange; but be sure to hit up the “casual booths” for preloved bargains. Oct 20-22
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. Oct 20-29
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. Oct 20-29
DRINK/FOOD
Singapore’s biggest Oktoberfest returns with the same air-conditioned, festival-style marquee as last year; all decked out with decorations and other adornments to replicate Oktoberfest events (and their atmosphere) in Munich. It’ll be the fifth year where you can enjoy free-flow Bavarian and other German brews like Paulaner Brauhaus, Weihenstephaner and Bitburger, as well as typical German bites like roast pork knuckles, homemade sauerkraut and more. Through Oct 21
ART
Good things come in small packages—is what the folks behind iPreciation would like the growing art community in Singapore to know. Presenting the fourth edition of Portable Art Week, the local fine art company is once again spotlighting contemporary artworks from Singaporean and Asian artists. The catch? All the art on show is “small-sized” and collectible. Through Oct 21
THEATER
In celebration of Sing’theatre’s 10th anniversary, they’re staging their own adaptation of Forever Young, a comical jukebox musical from the original European hit by Swiss writer Erik Gedeon, at the School of the Arts. Read our interview with director Hossan Leong here. Through Oct 21
FESTIVAL
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
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
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, but go because the exhibition explores events and portrayals of World War II beyond just your textbook syllabus. Through Mar 21 (2018)
Saturday, Oct 21
CONCERT
Missed the Backstreet Boys when they came to Singapore back in 2015? We admit, we haven’t really thought about them much since then. But now that they’re returning to Singapore, it’s all coming back to us: “I Want It That Way”, “ Shape Of My Heart”, “Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely”… and the list goes on. The best-selling boy band of all time will be playing at the National Stadium for one night, in conjunction with the week-long Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) finals. Tickets are sold out, but you can always try Carousell. Oct 21
PARTY
Plan ahead for this one guys. Urban Ventures is back for its seventh block party, and this time, they will be taking over Keong Saik Road once again, transforming the street into a bustling block party filled with food, music, art, markets and lots of socializing. Oct 21
CONCERT
After playing DJ sets in 2010, 2015 and 2016, Anoraak will be performing live at Canvas, dishing out some of his “sunniest” material in years. The French synthpop artist is the founding member of the Valerie Collective, which lent its prowess to score the stylish soundtrack of the 2011’s crime drama starring Ryan Gosling and Bryan Cranston, Drive. Oct 21
FILM
Kult Kafe will host the sixth edition of Singapore’s largest independent animation festival, Cartoons Underground, showcasing 13 local and international animated films; three of which will be awarded the Golden Durian for best film, best director and best Singaporean film. Oct 21
CONCERT
Despite some of us being as old as (or older than) the famed Final Fantasy video game series, indulging in its awe-inspiring and sometimes melancholic soundtracks never feel out of place. In celebration of its 30th birthday this year, Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy, the official symphony concert tour of the series, will be performing the tracks live for one night only at The Star Theatre. Oct 21
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
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
EXHIBITION
The third edition of Objectifs’s 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
Sunday, Oct 22
MARKET
Local art space Artify Studio is hosting their very first flea, and it’s all about sustainability. No plastic bags will be provided, so bring your own bag to support the cause, or purchase one of the limited edition Aritfy Studio tote bags at $5 to stash your new buys in. Products on sale include henna, pre-loved clothing, trinkets, handmade crafts and vintage knick-knacks—basically anything that helps in reducing waste. Oct 22
FOOD
Here’s one for the carnivores: everyone’s favorite meat buffet restaurant The Carvery beefs up their menu with the return of the Great Meat Feast, featuring a new-and-improved, international line-up of pork cuts and beef carvings. Through Oct 22
DRINK/FOOD
This year, Erdinger takes its annual Oktoberfest to the idyllic Summerhouse, for a full 17 days of food and fun. Wildseed Bar at The Summerhouse celebrates with a makeshift German biergarten (beer garden) and exclusive dinner menu of German treats (lots of meat and sausages); as well as live music and live stations of Bavarian weisswurst, pretzels, pork belly roasts, house-cured smoked salmon and sausages. Through Oct 22
EXHIBITION
The Substation asks all the tough questions with Discipline The City, a three-act exhibition exploring the politics of space, control and access in Singapore, through a series of experiential installations from local and international artists. Be prepared to leave disillusioned and wondering: who really owns the city? Through Oct 22 (Act ii)
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
