Take a break from the daily grind and color your week with a myriad of artsy festivals, film screenings, theater productions and more.
Monday, Mar 5
Singapore Design Week
FESTIVAL
The annual Singapore Design Week (SDW) organized by the DesignSingapore Council, returns in its fifth edition with a new plan to involve the public in their most frequented public spaces. This year’s initiative sourced ideas in an open call to the public—a first for SDW—placing more emphasis on “district activations” and interactive design trails. Mar 5-18
FILM
The Japanese Film Festival is back for its 21st edition, with 16 films of genres ranging from action to romance, comedies and even anime at the National Museum of Singapore. Check out our picks here. Through Mar 18
CARNIVAL
Get your adrenaline pumping at Singapore’s largest carnival. The massive Prudential Marina Bay Carnival will span across 25,000 sqm (or the size of three and a half football fields) at The Promontory and Bayfront, and boasts more than 40 rides and games—most of which are from the UK, Germany and Italy. Through Apr 1
Tuesday, Mar 6
The Father
THEATER
Pangdemonium’s next play, a staging of French playwright Florian Zeller’s The Father, is a gripping look at dementia from the sufferer’s POV. It will explore the deteriorating mind of 70-year-old Andre, who begins to feel as if something sinister is happening in his home. Expect family drama, suspense, and a puzzling narrative, as Andre starts to bend under the weight of dementia. Through Mar 18
FILM
Truth, beauty, freedom, but above all, love… relive the tragic romance of Satine and Christian 17 years after its release in Baz Luhrmann’s epic, Moulin Rouge, over at Canvas. Mar 6
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
EXHIBITION
A cursed gem, a dodo and a giant stuffed sloth walk into a museum; the punchline is that they’re here to stay till the end of April. Treasures of the Natural World , the traveling exhibition from the Natural History Museum in London, makes its first and only stop in Southeast Asia at the ArtScience Museum, bringing over 200 of the London museum’s star artefacts Through Apr 29
Wednesday, Mar 7
Emo Night
PARTY
Last month’s nomadic and raucous Emo Night was held on a Saturday for the first time. March’s edition however returns to a weeknight. Dust off your Chucks, black jacket and eyeliners, and indulge in a little mid-week screaming, moshing, drink promos and potentially tear-jerking, memory-pegged songs of yesteryear at Kilo Lounge. Mar 7
EXHIBITION
The problematic issues surrounding climate change and the ocean take center stage at this exhibition presented by the NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore. Featuring contributions by 12 artists, filmmakers, composers and researchers who made trips to islands in the Pacific, The Oceanic focuses on large-scale human interventions in oceanic ecospheres. Through Mar 8
COMEDY
Kumar is turning 50 next year, but he’s far from a mid-life crisis. In fact, he’s teaming up with Dream Academy Productions to celebrate his 50th birthday with Kumar50, a jubilee drag show at Capitol Theatre where he’ll look back on five decades of growth as fodder for the entertainment. Through Mar 11
EXHIBITION
Curated by acclaimed art historian Lorand Hegyi, The Artist’s Voice, brings together the works of 34 contemporary artists from around the world, to reflect on socio-political issues and the human conditioning through mediums ranging from sculpture and video. Through Mar 18
FESTIVAL
Celebrate all things French at at Alliance Francaise’s Francophonie Festival. This year, they’ve teamed up with the French, Belgium, Canadian and Swiss embassies to bring you the best of Francophone culture through four conferences, nine premiere films, two workshops, one exhibition and one concert. Check out our film picks here. Through Mar 28
THEATER
Hot on the heels of The Imaginarium of Disco David, local nomadic theater group And So Forth is back with a new pop-up feast planned. Adventures in Grimmsneyland will focus on the darker sides of fairy tales—as evidenced by the reference to the Brothers Grimm, whose folk tales were anything but pleasant—and take audience members through various worlds. Through Apr 21
Thursday, Mar 8
Noces, screening at Smash The Glass!
FILM
The Singapore Committee for UN Women and European Union in Singapore, in conjunction with International Women’s Day, are teaming up to present Smash The Glass!, a film festival of women’s stories and women’s rights, every Thursday this month. Mar 8, 15 & 22
FESTIVAL/COMEDY
Magners International Comedy Festival is back for its fifth edition in Clarke Quay, and this time, our very own Fakkah Fuzz and Samuel See will be joining an international mix of comedians (the likes of US stand-up Doug Stanhope and Jim Brewsky from Hong Kong) for a side-splitting weekend. Mar 8-11
ART
We’ve already seen an insider’s look at Jurong, but the upcoming bi-annual Arts in Your Neighbourhood (AYN) returns this March to spotlight the northside heartland of Ang Mo Kio. AYN celebrates its 10th anniversary in this neighborhood with nearly 50 activities, a third of which will draw inspiration from the district’s rich history. Mar 8-25
EXHIBITION
Lui Hock Seng, an 80-year-old self-taught photographer, will be showcasing more than 30 black and white photographs of Singapore from the ’50s to the 70s’ at Objectifs. It’ll be the first time he’s presenting his work; about 60 years after picking up the hobby. Through Mar 11
EXHIBITION
If you fancy yourself a cinema enthusiast, the Singapore Art Museum’s latest exhibition Cinerama: Art and the Moving Image in Southeast Asia is a must-go. In a series of immersive, multi-medium installations, the exhibition brings together the works of 10 artists and art collectives from across the region. Here are five you should check out. Through Mar 18
EXHIBITION
Singapore’s most esteemed disabled artists exhibit oriental works in a series of three parts at Hail, Chinese Culture!, organized by local charity organization Very Special Arts Singapore and Pan Pacific Singapore. Through Mar 30
Friday, Mar 9
A-Trak. Photo credit: A-Trak’s Facebook page
PARTY
A-Trak, Canadian DJ-producer and owner of record Fool’s Gold, takes to Singapore’s skies this month as he helms the decks at Ce La Vi for a one-night-only set. Mar 9
CONCERT
Missed American singer-songwriter Lauv in his Singapore debut opening for Ed Sheeran last Nov? Well, the pop star is back for another live performance this March—and this time, free-of-charge. As part of the Make the Future Singapore festival happening Mar 8-11, Lauv will headline a new segment on Mar 9 called Make the Future Singapore Lates, the festival’s first after-hours event. Mar 9
TOUR
It’s one thing to take a walk through hell at Haw Par Villa during the day, and a whole other experience if you go at night. The twilight tour of Haw Par Villa is back—check out the infamous 10 Courts of Hell, King of Ghosts, the upcoming Hell’s Museum and the Aw family memorials. Mar 9
HEALTH
Calling all Star Wars fans who’re looking for a way to stay in shape—sign up for a SaberFit Fitness Class at Safra Toa Payoh, where you can reap the benefits of a full-on, high energy workout while living out your lightsaber-wielding and -fighting dreams. Mar 9
BOOK
Book nerds and lovers of all things literary, check out all the book fairs and other literary activities lined up for the #BuySingLit weekend, an event organized by the NAC with more than 50 programs featuring literary non-profits, publishers and booksellers. More details here. Mar 9-11
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. Mar 9-11
FESTIVAL
Your favorite sustainable light art festival is back this month. i Light Marina Bay 2018 will once again bring together a vibrant display of innovative and sustainable light art installations. Artists from Singapore and around the world have been invited to transform the waterfront precinct for a visual showcase, along with music performances, a carnival, outdoor food fair and an interactive art inflatable park. Mar 9-Apr 1
MUSICAL
The iconic original West End and Broadway production of Evita by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice is making its Asian premiere at The Mastercard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands. Even if you’re not a fan, you’ll definitely recognize classics like “Don’t Cry For me Argentina” , and “On This Night of a Thousand Stars”. Through Mar 11
EXHIBITION
In a stunning collab between National Gallery Singapore and the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, Claude Monet and his contemporaries grace our sunny island with over 60 Impressionist masterpieces in Colours of Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Musee d’Orsay, featuring works like the dreamy Le Bassin aux nympheas, harmonie rose. Through Mar 11
EXHIBITION
You’d think a traveling exhibition from the London Natural History Museum would be hard to top, but ArtScience Museum’s next show traces 40 years of street art, from its controversial beginnings as expressions of counterculture, to its current standing as a major pillar of contemporary art. Art from the Streets features the works of the world’s top street artists, such as Banksy, Shepard Fairey and more. Through Jun 3
