Thank the heavens if you’ve been blessed with enough red packets this Chinese New Year to splurge on the annual commercial event that is Valentine’s Day. But even if you’re no longer on the receiving end when it comes to ang baos, take heart that you don’t need to splurge to impress your date; there are more ways than one to have a good time this week.
FOOD/DRINK
It’s gonna be a Japanese invasion over at Wine RVLT as Chef Shigeru Nakaminato and his team from Tokyo’s Bunon take over the kitchen to create a six-course omakase menu, while guest sommelier Akio Matsumoto pairs it up with wines and sakes from Japan. Feb 11-12
SHOPPING
Need a last-minute gift for your V Day date? Head to WeWork on Robinson Road and shop at their Maker’s Market that’ll be filled with kiosks offering uniquely crafted items. Or just bring your SO along and enjoy the music, live poetry writing and food. Feb 13
FOOD
Habitat by Honestbee is choosing this apt day to launch all-new dining series Date Night Thursdays, where every fourth day of the week after 5.30pm, several F&B stores will band together to offer course menus with beverage pairings that ends with a sweet surprise. Feb 14
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
For more unique Valentine’s Day date ideas, head here.
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
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 14, 16, 22-23
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
DRINK
Looking to taste before you buy? The Straits Wine Company is throwing a TGIF Tasting at Tai Seng for three consecutive Fridays at their Leong Huat Building warehouse, where different wines will be up for sips every evening. Time to put those ang bao monies to good use. Feb 15, 22 and Mar 1
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. Through Feb 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
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
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
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
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
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
