Everything warrants a festival these days—even bacteria, believe it or not. Coming to Singapore May 12-13, then, is the first ever fermentation festival in Asia, dedicated to all things bacteria-induced. And before you go running for the hills in disgust, don’t forget: Fermented foods encompass everything from yogurt to soya sauce, to sambal belacan and of course, beer.
Funk’d Fest celebrates all these great foods and more, in a two-day festival organized by hip bottle shop Temple Cellars at UE Square. The main objective here is to strip away all the scary notions people have of fermentation, and shine a spotlight instead on the process as a part of natural food processing, plus the flavor and health benefits that can come from it.
You’ll get to taste from 16 retail vendors hawking all sorts of artisanal and craft beers, wines, sakes and spirits, three food vendors, and Temple Cellars’ own Pop Up Bar. In addition, the festival will be hosting two competitions—now-annual homebrew competition The Great Singapore Brew-Off (GSBO), and the first ever Kombucha Brew-Off (FYI, kombucha is a fermented tea also known as “tea fungus”). It’s a unique opportunity to taste some truly local home-brewed beers, given that it’s legally prohibited to sell home brews in Singapore. For serious hopheads, various trade figures will be hosting workshops too, which you can pre-register for at a fee here.
Otherwise, admission and your newfound respect for funky food are free.
Funk’d Fest is happening May 12-13 at UE Square. More information here.
