It’s time to start getting into the festive mood, and thanks to a couple of festivals and the thematic Christmas Village at Orchard Road starting earlier this year, we think it wouldn’t be too hard to achieve. Other than that, a couple of big concerts and arts events are happening throughout the month, including the return of Neon Lights, the annual Singapore Writers Festival, and the start of the Singapore International Film Festival towards the tail end of November.
MAAD
FILM
Bringing together Singapore’s eco organizations and storytellers, the Singapore Eco Film Festival returns in its third year with four days of films, panel discussions, workshops and more to ignite the passion for protecting our environment. Look forward to picks like documentary Plastic China, The Last Animals, and Waterschool. Nov 1-4
FOOD/DRINK
It’s dining enclave Dine at Stevens‘ first year anniversary and all 11 establishments are coming together for a month-long celebration. Throughout the month of November, get to enjoy signature eats and drinks from each restaurant or bar for just $11. Nov 1-30
PARTY
Holland V peeps, gather at the open-air carpark on Friday to start your first November weekend right. Catch a free film screening of Jurassic World, find a spot to munch on popcorn and more at the picnic area, check out the art market, and jive to tunes from Shirlyn + The UnXpected; remember to bring home a customised tote too. Nov 2
Help us decide which bar in town gets to be featured in our Nightlife Guide 2019.
MARKET
Everyone’s invited to the Red Dot Museum for yet another Market of Artists and Designers (MAAD). Singapore’s largest creative marketplace, expect to find original works by talented regional artists and crafters. Products here range from ceramics to literature, accessories to illustrations. Nov 2
FESTIVAL
The Singapore Writers Festival is back, and this year, the different nuances of the Chinese character 界 (jiè), or ‘world’, will be explored. One of Asia’s premier literary events, the festival will host more than 390 authors, speakers and artists from around the world, all of whom will be showcasing what this year’s theme means to them. Nov 2-11
THEATER
Veteran playwright Michael Chiang’s ground-breaking production on transsexuals finding love Private Parts returns, 26 years after its 1992 premiere, for a star-studded reboot at the National Library. Read more about the 21st Century restaging and his all-new theater company here. Nov 2-18
FOOD
You don’t know what you’ve been missing out on if you’ve never had a taste of fine Hokkaido cuisine. In an unprecedented move, three-Michelin-starred chef Masaki Miyakawa and his elite kitchen team from Niseko’s Sushi Shin will be in Singapore at Nami for a two-week pop-up, presenting crafted sushi set menus that are bound to be mind blowing. Nov 2-18
PARTY
The Council Warehouse returns in November bigger and better, this time in collaboration with German fashion house HUGO to celebrate the official launch of their first flagship store here in Singapore. As always, the location of the party remains undisclosed until later. But with Berlin-based techno trio FJAAK helming the decks, this is one not to be missed. Nov 3
FESTIVAL
The annual Day of the Dead celebrations are back, paying homage to the longstanding Mexican tradition—an ode to spirits of dead relatives returning to the world of the living. And headlining the festivities is the return of Southeast Asia’s largest Day of the Dead festival, Dia de Muertos. Nov 3
MARKET
The fourth edition of Cedele Marketplace is back at The Star Vista. Learn from experts who will share more about plant-based diets, Aryurvedic wellness, and how to live a sustainable life. There are yoga classes, gut-healthy food workshops, and fresh eats for sale too. Come hungry and get a preview (and taste) of Cedele’s Christmas offerings while you’re here. Nov 3-4
Whisky Live
DRINK
Whisky Live Singapore 2018 by La Maison du Whisky is going luxe again this year and heading to the new-ish Andaz Singapore hotel for its ninth edition. Happening within the residential-style meeting venue Alley on 3, it is set to be an amazing gathering of whisky connoisseurs, mixologists and enthusiasts alike. Nov 3-4
FESTIVAL
Join in The Conscious Festival by Green is the New Black in their quest for a sustainable world as they hold a carbon neutral and zero waste event held at Parkroyal on Pickering. As part of this fourth edition, this year’s festival hopes to bring to the fore concerns about global warming, the benefits of being plastic-free and the how consuming more local produce can help the environment. Nov 3-4
FOOD
Take your Deepavali feasting up a notch at The Song of India, Singapore’s only Michelin-starred Indian restaurant, with their exclusive seasonal four-course tasting menu. With a focus on returning to roots and countryside homecooking, the multi-regional menu features dishes prepared using clay pots and outdoor wood-fire burning stoves. Nov 3-10
Find out more things to do during the Deepavali season here.
ESCAPE GAME
A Zombie Attack pop-up event is swooping into the open-air Grange Road Car Park, smack beside 313@Somerset. In teams of four, seek out an anti-toxin cure that will contain a virus outbreak borned from an experiment gone wrong. Then slay your way through the undead with a laser gun as they clamour to catch you in the escape room. Through Nov 4
EXHIBITION
After conservation comes an interrogation of the heritage icons we hold close to our heart. The Substation’s next installment in their programme is an interactive, adventure course-type show inspired by the notorious interview process all Singapore Girl wannabes have to go through—where you too can reach for the overhead cabin stars and become a national icon. Through Nov 4
DRINK
Hopheads, gather round at Southbridge rooftop oyster bar for Top of the Hops, a showcase of craft brews from Hong Kong Beer Co. and Crossroads Brewing Company. On Oct 27 from 7-9pm, the producers themselves will be on-site to share more about their beers, so come chat over bottles and pints. Through Nov 4
PARTY
With the next day a public holiday, live it up at The Warehouse Hotel as they hold their first public party with renowned DJ Gilles Peterson dishing out fresh tunes that will have you jiving on the dance floor in no time. Nov 5
MUSIC
Almost two years after he played here for Ultra Singapore 2016, Norwegian tropical house DJ Kygo will be returning for his debut headlining show. Only 26 years old, he’s one of the biggest household names in the EDM scene right now, thanks to chart-topping remixes collaborating with the likes of Selena Gomez and Miguel. Nov 5
PARTY
After Kygo’s undoubtedly smashing performance, keep the good vibes flowing over at Lavo Singapore as the official afterparty goes on till the wee hours of the morning. Admission is free with priority entry for VIP ticket holders of the concert. Nov 5
MUSIC
Swingin jazz lounge Cool Cats is breaking out with Cool Cats Goes Large, the first in a series of jazz concerts helmed by renowned jazz players worldwide. In this inaugural show, Grammy award winning African jazz bassist legend Richard Bona will be town, taking over The Grand Ballroom of JW Marriott Singapore South Beach for a night of classical jazz, pop, bossa nova, afro-beat and funk. Nov 6
MUSIC
Only 20 years old, but Khalid has already been lauded in the music industry by fans and critics alike. This November, we’ll get a taste of his R&B and pop-soul magic when he performs in Singapore for his “American Teen Tour”. Nov 6
DRINK
Beer dude Brian Spencer from The Beer Travelist is for the first time launching his own collab beers (Haze Me Up Before You Sago and 50 Grams of Fire) in partnership with local brewery Rye & Pint, as well as with Boxing Cat Brewery from Shanghai. Get a taste of both small batch brews at Mikkeller Bar Singapore, The Good Beer Company and Smith Street Taps for three nights only, as they take over the taps of each venue each night from Weds-Fri. Nov 7-9
The Great Wonderscape
SHOPPING
Spa Esprit’s online store Beauty Emporium is throwing a big beauty bash and everyone’s invited. At The Great Wonderscape, expect nine days of pure shopping frenzy, Instagram photo ops and free beauty treatments. Come early before your fav brands get snapped up. Through Nov 7
MUSIC
American saxophonist Kenny G is indisputably one of the biggest-selling instrumental musician of all time, with 75 million record sales and a Grammy award under his belt. He’ll be coming back to Singapore for a solo concert featuring his 18th and most recent album The Brazilian Nights. Nov 8
FILM
The French Film Festival by the Embassy of France in Singapore and Alliance Française de Singapour is back for an amazing 2018 edition. With a diverse line-up of close to 30 celebrated masterpieces spanning genres of drama, comedy, children’s films and even horror, you’re bound to be laughing, crying and screaming from the edge of your seats. Nov 8-18
ARTS
In line with how arts and culture shouldn’t be just pensive museum visits, this year’s Arts In Your Neighbourhood by the National Arts Council returns for the 11th time with an expansive suite of over 70 curated activities in 18 locations nationwide. Time for the heartlands to shine. Nov 8-25
FESTIVAL
Make a trip down to the annual Bras Basah.Bugis Arts Sprawl, an eclectic lineup of arts and heritage offerings where for two days, the already bustling arts district will gather together even more local creatives for a celebration of the arts. Nov 9-10
THEATRE
Catch 31 plays within an hour and we get to decide the order? Sign us up. Fat Kids Are Harder to Kidnap is back for its tenth showing, and this time, Trump and Kim are fair game for the cast. Nov 9-11
Neon Lights 2016
MUSIC/FESTIVAL
After a one-year hiatus in 2017, Singapore’s very own indie music fest, Neon Lights, is set for its third edition, to be held back at the usual Fort Gate venue. This time, it’ll be expanded to a three-day event, from two before. The multi-stage outdoor festival will see headliners like Interpol make their Southeast Asian debut in Singapore; Malaysian songstress Yuna making her grand return to the festival; as well as Cigarettes After Sex coming back again after their sell-out gig at the Capitol Theatre last year. Nov 9-11
MARKET
A street market that has set itself apart from the others with friendly kampung vibes, So Gelam Market is a monthly weekend pop-up in the heritage enclave of Kampong Glam. During the event, Baghdad Street will be closed to cars, and as usual, transformed into a vibrant avenue of tented stores and batik buntings. This November’s edition sees a festival-of-lights theme, in time for Deepavali. Nov 9-11
PARTY
The party is on at Game Night as W Singapore hotel’s WOOBAR gets transformed into retro arcade filled with games like Air Hockey, Bishi-Bashi, Daytona and Time Crisis. Entry is free, but you can register for a free drink. If you’re like us, get the unlimited beer, wine, prosecco and house spirits package for just $60. Nov 10
FOOD
Get a taste of cuisine prepared by two-Michelin-starred chef Nicholas Sale of Ritz Paris as he joins Capella Singapore’s Chef David Senia for a one-night-only four-hands collab at The Knolls. The two maestros will be offering a six-course dinner filled with modern French cuisine, with the option of a wine pairing for those so inclined. Nov 10
EXHIBITION
New York pop artist The Sucklord rose to fame for his cheeky bootleg toys—unlicensed action figures and toys made subversive and spanning themes of politics, porn and memes. For the first time, he’s holding a solo show in Singapore at Kult Gallery, so stop by for a hit of sleazy, hilarious art. Through Nov 10
TOUR/BOOK
Join The Write Walk, a special trail curated by Ethos Books for Singapore Writers Festival 2018 with author Josephine Chia, and discover how time away from the writing desk helps the creative process. She will take you on her favourite stroll along the Kallang River, an area where she grew up in, and where most of her memoirs, Goodbye My Kampong and Growing Up in Kampong Potong Pasir, were conceptualised. Nov 11
DRINK/SHOPPING
Taste before you buy from a selection of over 500 labels of wines, whiskies, sakes and other spirits, at the sixth edition of 1855 The Bottle Shop’s Wine & Whisky Week. It’s also the perfect opportunity to refill the drink stash with exclusive and premium bottlings. Through Nov 11
FESTIVAL
The Singapore River Festival returns to the quays with the largest outdoor bazaar in Singapore River across Clarke Quay, outdoor circus performances, movie screenings, gameshows, and lots of prime eats. Through Nov 11
FESTIVAL
The massive Christmas Village at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza is back for the second time, and this year, they’re running it for longer. Over 42 days, there’ll be plenty to do, eat and drink thanks to a collab with Timbre. The homegrown F&B and music group will be in charge of the Food Village, where food kiosks by the likes of New Ubin Seafood and Two Wings will be set up. There’ll also be a Craft Beer Bar and performances from Timbre’s musicians too, naturally. Take a ride on the beautiful duplex carousel before you head home. Nov 15-Dec 26
FESTIVAL
Returning for a second edition, our very own hyper-local food and music festival, Let’s Go Jalan Jalan, will take over the lush surroundings of Turf Club at Kranji. With a smorgasbord of more than 130 merchandise and food booths, it’s gonna be one heck of a gathering of all things new and old about Singapore. Nov 16-18
ART
Affordable art, an oxymoron or nah? Returning for its ninth edition with over 80 local, regional and international participating galleries, the Affordable Art Fair Singapore 2018 seeks to give exposure to local and regional artists. Art pieces like paintings and handmade crafts are guaranteed to be priced from just $100, with more than two-thirds of art pieces kept below $7500. Nov 16-18
FESTIVAL
Happening for the first time, Sensorium, a festival dedicated to sensory play and wellness, will be taking place at the Funan Showsuite. There’ll be exhibitions, workshops, installations, tastings and more, all created to invoke one or more of your senses. Be sure to venture into The Tickle Room, an interactive exhibit involving feathers (and Insta-prints) that engages your sense of touch. Nov 17-18
MARKET
Sunday Social is returning to Camp Kilo Charcoal Club; and regulars, you know the drill—great nosh, delicious craft beers, local brands and some good ol’ house. Joining the lineup this time include a tarot card reader, artisanal bakers, interior decorators, fashion accessories, local handcrafted skincare brands, and of course, tasty, hearty roasts from Camp Kilo. Nov 18
EXHIBITION
Powerful ladies step up to the plate in Objectifs’ Women in Photography photo exhibition. This year, in line with prolific collective movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp, the exhibition will throw pertinent issues of politics, sexuality and cultural oppression into the spotlight via poignant visuals from international female photographers. Through Nov 18
Charlie
THEATRE
If your words were the only thing a little girl could hang on to in this maddening world, what would you say to her? Find out in Charlie, a one-on-one interactive performance piece by artist Victoria Chen, where you, the audience, is the only one who will know the outcome of your words. Nov 20-Dec 7
MUSIC
It has taken these Scottish indie rockers 12 excruciating years to return to Singapore, but hey, it was well-worth the wait right? Franz Ferdinand came out of Glasgow, Scotland in 2002, and were always noted as one of the most important bands to have revived post-punk back in the noughties. Nov 21
ARTS
Home to a melting pot of arts and culture in Singapore – comes alive with an extravaganza of exciting artful activities. Dubbed the Arts Weekend Civic District, the weekend-long affair will see a series of mostly free performances, exhibitions and more hosted by National Arts Council Singapore and some of the district’s iconic institutions. Check out six highlights of this month’s instalment over the last weekend of this month. Nov 23-25
CIRCUS
The Great Moscow Circus has come to town (their first time in over a decade), and you won’t want to miss catching some of the world’s most dangerous acts and high-energy performaces from the stands of the big top erected at the Bayfront. Through Nov 23
THEATRE
Hard to believe it’s been 15 years since Wild Rice first blessed us with Christmas pantomimes. This year, the theater company is taking a step back from Chinese folk stories, and putting a local spin on a hallmark Christmas tale instead with A $ingapore Carol, a reinvented take on A Christmas Carol, complete with laughs, love, and some obvious cha-ching. Nov 23-Dec 15
DRINK
Oenophiles and raving alcoholics alike, here’s another major wine festival you’ll wanna check out in case you need to recover from the unadulterated vino bash that is the Singapore Wine Fiesta. Following its 2017 sold-out debut, Pinot Palooza will be back in Singapore, this time held at TheatreWorks. Nov 24
PARTY
Tan Boon Liat’s block party (#TBLblockparty) is back for its second edition with 36 participating furniture brands. For those unfamiliar with this underrated gem of a 15-storey building, all you need to know is that it is where many independent furniture stores call home. And for one weekend, they are all banding together for an open house filled with drinks, food and plain good vibes. Nov 24-25
FILM
The island’s undisputed film event of the year, the Singapore International Film Festival, returns with another 100 or so critically acclaimed films—including Singapore’s own A Land Imagined by local filmmaker Yeo Siew Hua, which won the top prize at Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival 2018. Nov 28-Dec 9
MUSIC
Barely a year after their Eternal Asia Tour, dashing Danish pop-rock trio Michael Learns to Rock is back in Singapore, this time with their Still Asian Tour (cute). Expect to rock out to all the well-loved MLTR classics, including “25 minutes”, “Sleeping Child”, and “Out of the Blue”, as well as hits from their 9th and newest album Still. Nov 29
MARKET
Sentosa’s inaugural Christmas fair will kick off your Christmas shopping in style. Hawking a solid medley of Christmas gifts and trinkets, there will be a careful curation of over 30 vendors gathering at W Hotel offering bubbly, tea, jewellery, art, fashion, bags and even furniture. Santa may even pop in for a surprise. Nov 29
DRINK/PARTY
Asia’s premier gin festival, the East Imperial Gin Jubilee, will be making its triumphant return to Singapore. For nine days, bartenders from participating bars will be concocting their best versions of G&Ts, where you then get to vote via social media which one is most deserving to be crowned the best. We’re most looking forward to the real highlight of the annual festival, Gin Lane, where gin brands and bars will banding together for a pop-up street party along one of Singapore’s alleyways. Nov 30-Dec 8
EXHIBITION
Local artist John Toh is showcasing watercolour pieces of iconic Singapore landmarks old and new, such as Temple Street, Keong Saik and the Supertrees, in a new solo exhibition titeld Cityscapes, Ancient and Present. Held at Pan Pacific Singapore’s public art space. Through Jan 28, 2019
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, 2019
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, 2019
