It’s gonna be a great week for literature and design aficionados alike, with biggie events Singapore Design Week and #BuySingLit returning for their 2019 editions. There’re lots going on, but remember to give your creative juices a break once you’ve had your fill of the various experiences, then check out the couple of foodie things happening during the week too.
National Design Centre
FESTIVAL
It’s the start of Singapore Design Week 2019—that actually takes place over two weeks—and this mighty sixth edition once again brings the various design industries and public sector organisations together to advance the use of design for good. There are lots happening for the public, from exhibitions big and small to talks and fairs and even a block party. Mar 4-17
HEALTH
Go on a walk co-created with celebrity fitness trainer Jeanette Jenkins and Apple’s Jay Blahnik to discover how small changes can make a big impact on daily fitness. You’ll learn how to reach attainable goals, track your progress using an Apple Watch, and establish fun and healthy habits to stay motivated. Bring your own device. Mar 4
MUSIC
Hot on the heels of their recent album Politics of Living, Irish quartet Kodaline will be coming to town for yet another spectacular show. Fans are guaranteed to have a memorable night rocking out to iconic anthems like ‘The One’ and ‘Honest’, as well as newer tracks like ‘Brother’ and ‘Follow Your Fire’. Mar 5
DRINK
In celebration of the coming of Lent in Germany, Brotzeit is bringing to Singapore fresh Sion Kolsch beer, the light and crisp traditional brew best drank in true Cologne fashion—tapped into a 200ml cylindrical glass. Come Mar 2, Brotzeit’s Raffles City outlet will also be throwing a carnival, featuring live music, games and of course, plenty of German beer and grub. Through Mar 5
FOOD
Wanna be among the first in Singapore to try Impossible Foods? At local favourite Lau Pa Sat, some of Singapore’s chefs will be banding together to roll out dishes using “meat” made purely from plants. Find out for yourself if the famed meat substitute is truly as yummy as they say. Mar 6
PARTY
Had lotsa fun at Nineteen80’s previous Street Fighter video game competition? The retro arcade bar is back with their next edition of Fight For Your Right, but this time, it’s bubble bursting time with Puzzle Bobble the game to beat. Winners get free bottles of booze! Mar 7
MUSIC
Get ready to dance the night away with Maroon 5 at their Red Pill Blues Tour in Singapore. Set to be their biggest show yet on our stomping grounds, expect to be swept away by the energy of frontman Adam Levine as he brings the band’s chart-topping discography to life. Mar 7
FOOD/DRINK
In celebration of International Women’s Day, four renowned female chefs and mixologists in the Singapore scene are taking over the kitchen and bar of Publico Ristorante, dishing out a eight-hands, four-course dinner menu complete with suitably Italian aperitivo and digestivo pairings. Mar 7-8
FESTIVAL
The nation’s biggest ground-up literary movement #BuySingLit returns, and with it the second edition of Textures, The Arts House’s own mini festival of arts. This year, themed ‘Love and Loss (and some things in between)’, Textures 2019 offers a bumper crop of more than 40 text-based programmes sure to impress. Mar 7-10
DRAG
Success looks good on Bianca Del Rio. Less than two years after her first show here back in 2017, the RuPaul’s Drag Race superstar is back for another comedy show—as part of her ‘It’s Jester Joke’ tour. She must really like us! Mar 8
ART/PARTY
Keong Saik’s equally happening sister street, Bukit Pasoh Road, will be turning into a lane filled with installations, activities and music at the inaugural Street of Clans, a block party of sorts with the many clan houses along the road opening up their usually closed doors to the public. Part of Singapore Design Week 2019. Mar 8-10
THEATRE
Co-presented by Centre 42 and Malaysia’s Five Arts Centre, Are You Game, Sau(dara)? is an original double bill of two works sure to pile on the nostalgia. Both plays were created as an artistic response to Malaysian playwright Leow Puay Tin’s seminal work Three Children on childhood and memory. Mar 8-10
MARKET
Whether you’re a vintage purveyor or a casual flea-goer, the Katong Square Lifestyle & Vintage Market that runs every second weekend of the month is for you. You’ll be sure to find a horde of booths lining Katong Square, hawking all things vintage—haute couture, home decor, keepsakes, jewellery, vinyl records and more. Mar 8-10
BOOK/FESTIVAL
#BuySingLit 2019 is here, with this third edition bumped up to take place over two weekends. From kopi sessions with local authors to interactive storytelling, the line-up of more than 50 programmes is set to make SingLit more accessible than ever. Start stockpiling your GrabRewards points too—you’ll be able to use them to redeem local lit titles at partner bookstores as part of the festival. Mar 8-17
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. Through Mar 17
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
What do national service, shamans and an apocalyptic Singapore have in common? They’re all tied to some form of mythic tradition—and are each explored in this year’s edition of Stories That Matter. Look out for the highlight of the programme—four feature-length documentaries from Brazil to Singapore that interrogate the role both traditional and contemporary myths play in our lives today. Through Apr 14
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
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. Through Apr 28
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
