Ah, what better way to usher in June than with a full weekend of parties, film screenings and workshops? It’s the first time this year we’re kicking off the new month on a Friday, which means you gotta let loose once the clock hits 6pm (or 5pm, or whatever time you get off from work). Leave all your inhibitions and worries in the office and indulge in some unapologetic leisure time this weekend. Also, it’s the start of the school holidays, which means more space on public transport if you’re commuting between 6-7am. Monday blues? What Monday blues?
Friday, Jun 1
Adrian Wee & Cats on Crack for Modern Love at Tuff Club. Photo credit: Tuff Club’s Facebook page
PARTY
Let Adrian Wee and Cats On Crack whip you into shape with their regime of house, indie disco and electronica at Modern Love, happening at Tuff Club. Jun 1
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. Jun 1
PARTY
Singapore’s coolest parking lot bar, The Great Escape, will be popping off with a delicious cauldron of classic funk, soul groove, jazz, afro, hip-hop, house and disco music, freshly prepared and dished out by the likes of MC SWTLKR and DJs Ramesh, Daryl C and more at this edition of Kampong Boogie. Jun 1
MARKET
Bazaar people LalooLalang (whose name translates loosely to “passing by” in Malay) are holding a special Raya bazaar. Look forward to six zones of trend food, local street eats, fashion, furniture and plants, and pretty trinkets. Everyone’s invited to come buka puasa together after sundown—plus share in the festive atmosphere of Eid. Jun 1-3
FESTIVAL
At StoryFest 2018, construction and entrepreneurial company Big Tiny takes the need for escape and builds on it, literally—to create an actual constructed space to escape to for your dose of storytelling. Called Story House, the outdoor project will see a six-meter long mobile home converted into an intimate space, where visitors can enter and engage with performers, puppets and books for 20 minutes at a time; free-of-charge. Jun 1-3
MARKET
Rejoice or recoil—Bangkok’s legendary Artbox Singapore is back, with a self-proclaimed line-up that’s “three times bigger than last year”. Head down to the Bayfront event space to shop the 400 regional vendors selling everything from food to trinkets to Instagrammable moments. We can’t promise that crowd control will be any better than last year, but 400 booths at the island’s largest creative market does sound enticing. Jun 1-3
FILM
The Italian Film Festival, brought to you by the Embassy of Italy of Singapore, boasts some of the best of Italian contemporary cinema; some of which have been featured at top film festivals like Cannes and Berlin this year. This edition also has a segment dedicated solely to film director Luca Guadagnino (remember Call Me By Your Name?). Check out our picks here. Jun 1-9
THEATER
Head down to the Esplanade to catch Urashima Taro, just one of the many performances lined up for Flipside, a 10-day festival showcasing works by artists who dissect conventional ideas of art and performances to present a more refreshing and current iteration of their chosen subject. This particular show is a contemporary take on the Japanese myth about a fisherman who abandons his duty at home for a life of eternal pleasure, told through a talented performer and her animated co-star, video projection and shadow play. Through Jun 3
PERFORMANCE
Catch the latest performance masterpiece by traveling theatrical and performance troupe Cirque du Soleil, Toruk – The First Flight, based on James Cameron’s 2009 sci-fi epic, Avatar. Through Jun 3
THEATER
Pangdemonium’s 2017 sold-out original production Dragonflies returns for an extended run, with Adrian Pang, Tan Kheng Hua, Fanny Kee and Frances Lee reprising their roles, performing alongside new additions Benjamin Chow, Elizabeth Morse and Matt Grey joining the cast. The show is set in 2021, in a xenophobic post-Brexit world. The England-based protagonist Leslie Chen is deported back to Singapore after the death of his wife in the UK. He now has to relearn and reintegrate into the country he left in his youth. Through Jun 3
MARKET
The Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) turns 80 this year. And to celebrate, they’re throwing an eight-week arts festival to showcase the school’s diverse talents. As part of the festival, a series of festival markets will take place each weekend, featuring craft-makers and jewellers, local fashion labels, original artworks and vintage collectibles. You can even be part of the excitement and book a booth here. Through Jun 3
Saturday, Jun 2
I Hate Models
PARTY
While he rarely shows his face, he lets his music tell his story. French producer I Hate Models is the latest DJ to take over the cage at Headquarters, bringing partygoers his aggressive brand of hard-hitting techno laced with melancholic tunes, stomping drums and lots of energy. Jun 2
TALK
Trying to get over a creative block? Sign up for The Naysayers Book Club, a special gathering of some of the people who were featured in the book of the same name. This talk is hosted by the book’s author Simon Vincent, and will see playwrights, conservationists, academics, community workers, inter-faith champions, filmmakers and more share their thoughts about what it means to be different. Jun 2
MARKET
The island’s eco-friendly 100% free market is back in a different part of Yishun from its last edition. Centered on the concept of building community through sharing resources, this edition of Singapore Really Really Free Market will be happening as part of a larger sustainability carnival. The free-for-all extends from items like books, CDs, toys and clothes, to skills like tarot card reading and poetry writing; and of course the good vibes. Jun 2
DANCE
Dress up and make sure whatever you’re wearing is salsa-friendly as Post Bar is going to have an electric Latino Night. Have a boozy-fuelled night of mojitos, classic margaritas and, if you’re a go-getter, tequila shots. Jun 2
WELLNESS
Now that the Prudential Marina Bay Carnival is over, the scenic space along Bayfront will be taken up by the seventh edition of DBS Marina Regatta. Headlining it is Battle Bay Extreme, which has been touted as the largest land and water obstacle course in Southeast Asia. Jun 2-3
EXHIBITION
Human Version is an introspective exhibition filled with photographic and videographic works designed to explore the nascent relationship between humans and robots. Held at Alliance Francaise de Singapour’s La Galerie, the all-encompassing exhibition will give you a rare insight into research labs often kept away from the public eye. Through Jun 2
THEATER
After sold-out success in London, Los Angeles, New York and Hong Kong, UK-based theater company Secret Theatre Project is finally coming to Singapore, bringing to locals their unique style of interactive theater. The experience essentially takes audience members on a high-budget theatrical production that can include anything from deciding a central character’s fate to journeying through a full-blown haunted house adventure. Through Jun 10
MARKET
TGIF Bazaars returns to OneKM Mall for their third Ramadan Flea, where you’ll be able to splurge on accessories, apparel, essential oils, home decor items, antiques and collectibles, and of course, food. Through Jun 14
EXHIBITION
Singapore-based Taiwanese indie pop art illustrator and designer Billy Ma will be showcasing pieces from his Sexy Sin City series at casual French dining eatery Merci Marcel, as part of the restaurant’s first-ever art exhibition. Each piece presents an otherwise provocative history of familiar Singapore neighborhoods juxtaposed against seemingly unassuming and less charming modern structures. Through Jun 15
EXHIBITION
Kult’s newest exhibition Word will interpret written text in visual forms through artworks. Specifically, the artists involved were invited to interpret traditional scripts such as Arabic, Braille and Urdu. Through Jun 20
EXHIBITION/FESTIVAL
Angkor: Exploring Cambodia’s Sacred City. Masterpieces of the Musee national des arts asiatiques-Guimet showcases more than 140 sculptures, watercolors, drawings, and historic memorabilia from the museum in France, for a detailed look into the magnificent history of Angkor. Through Jul 22
EXHIBITION
The eighth edition of Singapore Art Museum’s annual family-friendly contemporary art exhibition explores the concept of time. Ten artists and art collectives from around the world have taken over SAM at 8Q for Imaginarium: Into the Space of Time, presenting immersive and interactive installations exploring the tales and theories that shape our memories and future. Through Aug 26
Sunday, Jun 3
Amek Gambar: Peranakans and Photography – Tan Kim Ching and family. Photo credit: Peranakan Museum, gift of Mr and Mrs Lee Kip Lee
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
BOOK/DRINK/FOOD
Ever loved a restaurant so much you wished they’d share recipes with you? Well, Hong Kong’s undisputed modern izakaya Yardbird is doing just that. They’re launching their cookbook Chicken and Charcoal over at Meatsmith, and yes, there will be food, booze and all that good stuff. Jun 3
FILM
BluJaz will be screening cult classic The Breakfast Club, a story about five high school students from very different backgrounds sharing a day of detention under the supervision of a power-hungry principal. Their exchanges then make them realize new things about themselves. Jun 3
WORKSHOP
Don’t get rid of clothes you don’t wear anymore. Instead, bring them down to Sing Lit Station where prolific drag performer Becca D’Bus will run you through how to make something new with the garments you already have. Jun 3
FILM
Catch the perennial favorite Fight Club, which tells the story of the unnamed narrator (Edward Norton) who finds himself in an underground fight club and soap making business with a man he meets on a plane (Brad Pitt), over at Hood Bar and Cafe. Jun 3
EXHIBITION
You’d think a traveling exhibition from the London Natural History Museum would be hard to top, but ArtScience Museum’s current shtick traces 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 features the works of the world’s top street artists, such as Banksy, Shepard Fairey and more. Through Jun 3
EXHIBITION
Chinese New Year may be long over, but this new exhibition looks at the Chinese zodiac through the eyes of European artists. The internationally renowned Mazel Galerie from Brussels has commissioned The Great Race, a new exhibition that takes source material from the traditional Chinese zodiac. Through Jun 30
FOOD
Goodwood Park Hotel’s annual durian festival returns with all-time favorites like durian puffs, crepes, strudels, ice cream and more. Through Jul 22
