It’s gonna be a short but eventful month this February, what with the Lunar New Year festivities, obligatory Valentine’s Day gatherings, and plenty of biggie events the likes of i Light Singapore 2019 and Huayi taking place. Not interested in those? There’re far out things like a wrestling match, a new month-long arts festival, a film fest dedicated to mental health and fresh local theatre productions to go check out. Time to get your Spring fling mode on.
FESTIVAL
Inspired by the history of its immediate surroundings, the Asian Civilisations Museum is gathering a series of interactive artworks for display in a two-weekend showcase titled Light to Night Festival. Walk through a giant time capsule, revisit nostalgic games and come out knowing more about the Civic District than you did before. Feb 1-2
MARKET
Local edgy urban farm OnHand Agrarian is making happen New Love Farmer’s Market—where you can expect fresh, authentic locally grown food, affordable seafood and plastic-free reusables in the comfort of solar-powered air conditioning. Look forward to partnering vendors from plant-based company Kroodi and fish market Seafood Element. Feb 1-3
CARNIVAL
Go crazy like the kidult you are at toy giant Hasbro’s first multi-brand blowout, Toybox. Have fun with games and activities under brands like Transformers, Nerf and My Little Pony, including a human-sized claw machine, a jumbo play pool, and a Cluedo-inspired escape room, all set in a massive 4,800 sqm playground on Sentosa’s Palawan Beach. Feb 1-17
EXHIBITION
Asian Civilisations Museum and London’s British Museum are coming together to present Raffles in Southeast Asia: Revisiting the Scholar and Statesman, to illuminate the different sides of founding father Sir Stamford Raffles himself. Peer into the historic Raffles Collection on loan from the British Museum, that comprises largely Javanese and Sumatran objects Raffles personally collected during his time in the region. Feb 1-Apr 28
MARKET
Kill two festive birds with one stone when you visit Gardens by the Bay this February for Spring Surprise. As the Lunar New Year rolls around, watch as the gardens are transformed into a vibrant playground of performances—think leaping carp, lion dances on poles, and Chinese orchestra performances; and get some shopping done at buzzing marketplace of Chinese New Year souvenirs and crafts within the Flower Dome. Feb 2-10
PARTY
Love Silent Disco? There’ll be plenty of chances to groove this month as they bring their rockin’ headsets down to the ArtScience Museum atrium for seven nights of partying as part of i Light Singapore 2019. Feb 2, 5, 9, 14, 16, 22-23
ART
Set to the theme “Image and Sound of Fragrance”, the fifth Artwalk Little India returns this year to the buzzing heritage district with more experiential works, where guests get to admire public art displays, wall murals, performances and more, all happening in the real-world stage of Little India. Part of Singapore Art Week 2019. Through Feb 2
EXHIBITION
Peranakan Museum’s latest exhibition, Amek Gambar: Peranakans and Photography, delves into the Southeast Asian history of photography through the pictured lives of the Peranakan community in the region. Through Feb 3
PARTY
CNY gettin too straight for you? Once you’re done with all the visiting, spend all the ang bao you’ve collected at the Two Queens x Hypermkt Grrls party, their first shebang of the year where you’re bound to feel lit again. Feb 5
MARKET
As Singapore Art Week comes to a close, no better way to wrap things up than with a funky Retail Bazaar showcasing our local creatives. Stop by SAM at 8Q for a marketplace of arts and crafts, creators, designers, makers and inventors—after which you can pop inside for a look at the current exhibitions. Feb 7-9
FILM
The 22nd edition of the Japanese Film Festival presents a bumper crop of 31 films this year, with screenings of Japan’s best at Shaw Theatres Lido, *Scape and The Projector. If you can only catch one screening, make it zom-com One Cut of the Dead, the festival’s opening film. Through Feb 10
PARTY
It’s gonna be an unforgettable night at Zouk with who else but the legendary Craig David bringing his infamous TS5 party series to Singapore for one night only. Ditch your romantic dinner plans this V Day; you’ll wanna be here instead. Feb 14
FILM
Make Captain Marvel herself, actress Brie Larson your Valentine’s Day date at the Marvel Studios’ Captain Marvel Fan Event, where you’ll get to be up close and personal with the heroine herself, along with a few others the likes of Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Gemma Chan (Minn-Erva) and the film’s directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Feb 14
EXHIBITION
Next up in Telok Ayer Arts Club’s roster of artists is Dawn Ng with 11, an experiential performance piece on human relationships that involves bringing together 11 pairs of strangers. Pay for a ticket and become part of the performance, in a social experiment-type show that combines audience participation with speed dating. Through Feb 14
ART
Get in touch with some Chinese culture at Huayi 2019 taking place at the Esplanade. This 17th edition has a full roster of free and ticketed programmes happening over 10 days, with perfromances by indie bands, famed musicians, local artists and more. Feb 15-24
FOOD/PARTY
Ce La Vi’s indulgent Sky High Brunch is back, where endless Champagne and modern Asian cuisine await as you groove to the beats from the DJs on deck. Feb 16
MARKET
Calling all phytophiles—everyone’s favourite independent bookstore BooksActually is holding a special pop-up market, and plants are of the highest priority. The PlantsActually Pop-Up Market will be growing and selling plants in a cheeky bid to reset the karma scales from affiliate Math Paper Press’s publishing activity. You’ll obviously still be able to pick up books then too, which is always a great way to spend your money. Feb 16-17
For more markets to spend your ang bao money at, see our roundup here.
FESTIVAL
Continue your CNY celebrations at Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall’s Wan Qing Festival of Spring 2019, where heritage tours and trails, craft activities, zodiac predictions, music performances and kampong games await. Feb 16-17
ART/FESTIVAL
A brand new arts festival, The Future of Our Pasts Festival, hopes to bring Singapore’s micro-narratives to life, reimagining communities and places of the past and present. Nothing is off the table; the festival will explore various facets of Singapore history—from more well-worn icons like the Sungei Road Thieves Market, to lesser-known stories like the history of classical composition by Singaporean composers. Feb 16-Mar 17
EXHIBITION
Brace yourself for a disturbing visual experience at contemporary video artist Toh Hun Ping’s first solo show Dance of a Humble Atheist. In it Toh marries his self-invented techniques of bleaching, scratching and recycling filmstrips, with more than 600 handmade ceramic pieces—for a painstakingly made, frame-by-frame stop-motion masterpiece. Part of Singapore Art Week 2019. Through Feb 17
FOOD
More than a happy hour oyster deal, Humpback’s First Annual Oyster Festival is here in celebration of the salt-water bivalve with plenty of oyster dishes, oyster-inspired games, gin cocktails made using Four Pillars, and lots more. You just might become a shucking pro by the end of it. Feb 20-21
FILM/HEALTH
The first of its kind here, the Singapore Mental Health Film Festival hopes to tackle negative attitudes and lack of awareness of mental health issues through the medium of film. Other than screenings, there will also be a line-up of panels for those hoping to deepen their understanding of the issues raised. Feb 21-24
THEATRE
Confront your existential crisis with local theatre company Toy Factory Productions’ The Transition Room, their first play of the year. For an hour and 15 minutes, get whizzed away on a journey of identity and existentialism as you follow protagonist Mike through a series of mysterious rooms—each one inhabited by a unique character. Feb 21-Mar 2
WRESTLING
It’s gonna be a knock-out night at Singapore Pro Wrestling’s first live fight of the year at SPW Boiling Point. Defending SPW Southeast Asian champion “Lokomotiv” Ivan Markov, known for slamming opponents off high platforms and crashing them through steel chairs, will be fighting against some of the best Singapore has to offer. You won’t want to miss this. Feb 22
FOOD/FESTIVAL
The annual Michelin Guide Street Food Festival returns this year to The Coliseum at Resorts World Sentosa, where 15 establishments featured in the Michelin Guide Singapore 2018 will be banding together for a whole weekend to offer Michelin-approved eats at more affordable prices; and without all the crazy wait times. Feb 22-24
THEATRE
Pangdemonium is dialing back the fantasy for the first show of their 2019 season. Stripping things down to the foundation of pure dialogue and acting, the they will present Late Company—a simple but searing look at cyberbullying and society today. Feb 22-Mar 10
EXHIBITION
Working at the intersection of art and technology, local artist Andre Wee presents a solo exhibition of traditional and new media works (where both oil paintings and digital creations alike shine) with Within Without, held at the Mulan Gallery. Part of Singapore Art Week 2019. Through Feb 23
FESTIVAL
Sustainable light art festival i Light Singapore returns for a massive Bicentennial edition commemorating 200 years of being colonised Singapore’s founding. A total of 32 artworks set to the theme “Bridges of Time” will be on display, and will be for the first time include being installed on six iconic bridges around the Singapore River and Marina Bay. Expect a larger festival area too, with installations extending to Fort Canning Park. Through Feb 24
EXHIBITION
At State of Motion 2019: A Fear of Monsters, your worst nightmares will be pulled apart for in-depth interrogation as installations, paintings and video works reimagine our childhood fears in odd new ways. Go on a guided tour or explore the 11 Kampong Bugis venue yourself; just don’t be startled if you find a chill running down your spine. Through Feb 24
FESTIVAL
Crowd favourite Light to Night returns for its third year, with a bumper six-week edition to span both Singapore Art Week and the Singapore Bicentennial in February. While the second half of the festival has been themed to honour Singapore’s histories, the first two weekends will see installations and programmes emphasising new perceptions of art via the five senses. Through Feb 24
EXHIBITION
From Cold Storage to Tiger Balm, come chart the evolution of print advertising in Singapore from the 1830s to 1960s at Selling Dreams: Early Advertising in Singapore. Aside from just print advertisements, the exhibition at the National Library also includes interactive multimedia stations for you to experience life as a consumer in early Singapore. Through Feb 24
PARTY
Single ladies, ditch looking for a date and bring your girlfriends to Bar Rouge’s Girls’ Night Out First Anniversary instead on this last day of the month. Get pampered by manicure and makeup services, and as dashing men hand you roses and free shots to keep you titillated all night. Feb 28
CARNIVAL
The second coming of the Prudential Marina Bay Carnival is here, set to transform the Marina waterfront into a colossal fairground filled with rides, games, food, and of course, plenty of pretty lights. This time, entry is free, and with more rides to check out than before. Through Mar 24
EXHIBITION
Trace the Polaroid camera’s fascinating history at the National Museum of Singapore’s latest exhibition, In an Instant: Polaroid at the Intersection of Art and Technology, featuring over 200 Polaroid artefacts and artworks from the original collection. Through Mar 31
EXHIBITION
The ground-breaking Minimalism: Space. Light. Object exhibition spanning National Gallery Singapore and ArtScience Museum traces the origins and evolutions of the Minimalist art movement, in more than 150 works loaned from all over the world. Check out our quick picks here. Through Apr 14
EXHIBITION
One of Singapore’s smallest minority communities is finally having their moment in the spotlight at Chetti Melaka of the Straits: Rediscovering Peranakan Indian Communities. Come hear the lesser-known stories of the Chetti Melaka, also known as Peranakan Indians—descendants of early South Indian migrants who to Singapore in the 15th and 16th centuries, and married local Chinese or Malay women. Through May 5
