It might be the school holidays but it’s worth going back for ECA – Extra Curious Activities, that is – at New Bahru from Dec 6 to 8.
Since opening in June, the lifestyle destination has hosted a packed line-up of design-forward events and pop-ups such as School of Tomorrow, Singapore Design Week and the largest edition of Green-House. It has now debuted its first instalment of ECA in partnership with boutique event curator Whytespace, a series of themed design-led fairs where visitors can try new things, discover new labels, and connect with a like-minded community.
The first edition, Merry Market, happens just in time for the festive season, and will showcase an exciting line-up of over 30 emerging brands across beauty, fashion, food, home goods and pet care.
Notably, there will be exclusively online brands making a physical appearance for a limited time. They include Romi Beauty (homegrown cult beauty brand by Yoyo Cao, Lin Ting and Arissa Cheo); Saltrain (an uber-cool South Korean daily essentials brand making its South East Asia debut in Singapore); Avant Culture Club (an independent one-stop “e-bodega” for vinyl records and pop culture rarities), and streetwear apparel brand Wacky Wears.
Also check out local brands who emphasise sustainability and craftsmanship: T-shirt brand Daily; sourdough specialist Kobashi; sustainable clothing brand Fin Crafted Goods; personal care brand Postcard and paper atelier Print N Matters.
Visitors can also get Extra Curious with hands-on festive workshops in the School Hall and in stores. Craft a beautiful snow globe garden with Soilboy ($149); make your own copper bowl with Baremetal ($85) for a quirky keepsake; or learn to make special cocktails at Morning’s Coffee Cocktail Workshop ($20) with La Saigon. Roku Gin will be serving special cocktails from its pop-up bar in the School Hall with four-hands shifts by local guest bartenders.
The Merry Market edition takes place from Dec 6 to 8, and is open from 12pm to 8pm on Friday and 10am to 7pm on the weekend. For more information, visit newbahru.com/eca-merrymarket.
