New month, new experiences. March is just packed to the brim with activities, no matter if you’re an art aficionado, a music lover, a self-realized film critic, or a party animal. Let this weekend of bar openings (and reopenings), parties, film and music festivals and exhibitions be a small preview of what you can expect this month.
Friday, Mar 2
The Nanyang Club
DRINK
After Bee Bee’s short-lived stint over at Boat Quay, The Nanyang Club, a new bar that focuses on Southeast Asian inspired cocktails, has opened up in its place. Join them in their grand opening for a night of tipples, craft beer and music courtesy of Tiko Disko. Mar 2
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 2
PARTY
Minimal techno DJ-producer Jennifer Cardini grew up on the lo-fi box jams of late ’70s new wave, which has cemented her defining style of mixing up stripped down drum patterns and riveting grooves. She’ll be tearing up the dance floor over at Kilo this week. Mar 2
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 2
PARTY
Local party series Gimme Shelter is throwing the next soiree at everyone’s favorite rooftop carpark haunt, The Great Escape. Indulge in deep and groovy funk, disco, house and more as selectas from Australia and France dig deep into their crates for a uniquely all-vinyl night. Mar 2
PARTY
House music club and lounge Cato may have shuttered last year, but after months of hiatus, they’re back with a brand new location. Opening at Diners Building, they’ll be celebrating their reopening with a weekend of parties featuring Vanilla Twins on Friday and Orio and Robo X on Saturday. Mar 2-3
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. Mar 2-18
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. Mar 2-18
DANCE/DRINK/FOOD
Watch, dine and be part of the action in the upcoming theatrical dining experience, Diva to the Death. Held at Monti At-1 Pavilion, this 105-minute self-styled sexy comic romp showcases two characters with different music background—jazz and getai—working the crowd and entertaining them while they dig into some Italian/Singaporean fusion dishes. Through Mar 2
DANCE/THEATER
Part of this year’s Huayi – Chinese Festival of the Arts, Cut Kafka! is the cross-disciplinary production of dance and theater, and collaborative brainchild of T.H.E. Dance Company and Nine Years Theatre. The two performing arts companies will be interpreting the poignant works of literary icon Franz Kafka and put on a dreamy display of human nature and its many masks. Through Mar 4
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
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’ll be 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
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, an exhibition and a concert. Through Mar 28
Saturday, Mar 3
Garden Beats 2017. Photo credit: Colossal Photos
FESTIVAL
If you’re lovin’ all the festivals and block parties that Sunshine Nation throws (think IMI Festival and Sunshine Nation Break Party), then you know you’re in good hands when it comes to their now-annual electronic garden picnic. Now in its fourth run, Garden Beats returns with yet another great mix of local and international artists, as well as a whole slew of fringe activities to keep you occupied at Fort Canning Park. Mar 3
HEALTH
The message behind Run For Light is a little convoluted—it aims to align itself with positive imagery and inspire individuals to become “leading lights” in their industry—but hey, a run’s a run. The night run kicks off at Punggol Waterway Park, with a choice between 5km and 10km routes; there’s even an intriguing 1km Blindfold Walk. Mar 3
TOUR
OH! Open House is no stranger to immersive art experiences. Since 2009, the company has garnered a name for itself—for its art walks and tours that go deep into unexplored neighborhoods, and illuminate the heritage of the place from inside people’s homes. This year, however, OH! takes to Emerald Hill, for a provocative discussion of Singapore’s relationship with colonialism. And to kick it off, they’re turning Emerald Hill into a massive block party where you can take a sneak peek at some of the artworks installed at Chatsworth International School, as well as art and performances by Jimmy Ong, Gilles Massot, Isabelle Desjeux and more. Mar 3-25
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
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 25
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
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
EXHIBITION
You’d think a traveling exhibition from the London Natural History Museum would be hard to top, but ArtScience Museum’s upcoming shtick will trace 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 will feature the works of the world’s top street artists, such as Magda Danysz, Banksy, Shepard Fairey and more. Through Jun 3
Sunday, Mar 4
Naomi Smalls and Kim Chi
DRAG
Drag superstars Kim Chi and Naomi Smalls, the iconic BFF Drag duo who emerged the top three in RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 8, will put the bass in their walk all the way to Kallang Theatre for a one-night-only comedy and lip sync show. Mar 4
FILM
Documentaries like award-winning filmmaker Matthew Heineman’s City of Ghosts are exactly the reason they play important roles in society and culture. The film documents the journey of anonymous activists “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently”, who uncover and share with the world the goings-on in their homeland ever since it was taken over by ISIS. Through Mar 7
COMEDY
Kumar is turning 50 this 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
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
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
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
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
