Anthony Chen is closing out his growing-up trilogy (i.e. Ilo Ilo and Wet Season) this weekend with We Are All Strangers. Having made the rounds at the Berlin and Hong Kong International Film Festivals, Chen’s love letter to Singapore is finally coming home. The film follows a modest hokkien mee hawker and his lazy son as they navigate unexpected life shifts. The son faces impending fatherhood with his girlfriend, while the father falls for a gritty beer auntie. Both generations marry and crowd into a single HDB flat, setting the stage for the film to explore individual growth and class tension.
When: From 20 August 2026
Where: At various cinemas
Three of the neighbourhood's best indie haunts in Tai Seng—Raghouse, Open Door Store, and Tokonoma—are teaming up for a two-day shopping crawl. Wander between thrift racks, art prints, and live embroidery stations while vibing to live DJ sets and drinks. Expect a solid lineup of local names—Loncho Factory, Hello Friend, Prostate Latte, Triple Platinum, Lelnd, Urth & Phire, Phyot, Boujee Botanicals, Drink Clumzy. The best part is because all three spots are in proximity to each other, you can drift between them and easily spend a whole day there.
When: 22 to 23 August 2026, from 1 to 7pm
Where: Raghouse, Kapo Factory Lobby A, #04-03, Tokonoma, 16 Shaw Road #03-10, and Open Door Store, Kapo Factory Block B, #01-16
Right in the thick of the arts district awaits tactile pleasures of analogue photography, courtesy of Objectifs’ Saturdate. Once the sun's down, there'll be hands-on workshops and darkroom chats to dig into. Learn the cellophane-and-cutting trick that turns your old photos into glowing little artworks, or geek out over black-and-white film printing alongside a showcase from past workshop alumni. Around all that, a community market pulls in zine makers, vintage camera hoarders, and local hobbyists selling handmade oddities. Plus, an artbook swap to refresh your bookshelves without any cost.
When: 22 August 2026, from 4 to 9:30pm
Where: Objectifs, 155 Middle Rd, Singapore 188977
For 16 days, Bras Basah.Bugis will turn into a playground for the Singapore Night Festival, and this first weekend is leaning hard into "Myths and Legends". Think local folklore beamed across the National Museum's facade in sprawling projection mapping, with light installations weaving through the surrounding lanes. Beyond the usual light shows, there's real substance to dig into. Fort Canning turns into a 70-minute nighttime trail called The Forbidden Hill, complete with live traditional Malay dance drifting through the trees, while the Asian Film Archive is dusting off vintage Southeast Asian horror flicks over at Oldham Theatre.
When: 21 August to 5 September 2026
Where: Bras Basah.Bugis precinct
Learn more here
Thanks to Monkey Shoulder LIVE—a month-long music series which brings international artists to some of Singapore's most exciting venues—Detroit’s Moodymann will be making his Singapore debut. Taman RASA is taking the party offsite for the first time and into the lovely old bones of Foo Chow Building. There’ll be a live curation of music, live roller disco skating performances and other surprises. The tunes spinning will range from Detroit to 3 Chairs, Mahogani Music and his devotion to Prince and the MPC. Soul, jazz, funk, disco, house, R&B—all of it is getting played.
When: 22 August 2026, from 4:30 to 10:30pm
Where: Foo Chow Hall, 21 Tyrwhitt Rd, #04-00, Singapore 207530
If you've ever wanted to strap on a headset and wander through someone else's memories, this is your weekend. Eight artists who came up through the Arts x Tech Lab mentorship programme are putting their experimental XR work on show, mixing VR, mixed reality, sound and live performance to turn old memories, family histories and vanishing places into something you can actually walk through. There's a live XR performance element too, plus an online symposium and an XR Open Jam if you want to see how the whole thing gets made rather than just the finished product.
When: 14 to 21 August 2026
Where: Arts x Tech Lab @ Aliwal Arts Centre, 28 Aliwal Street, #02-05, Singapore 199918
Learn more here
Oh, you haven’t heard of a dinner theatre before? We haven’t either. The people behind The Dim Sum Dollies and Broadway Beng are back at it with Choo's Masquerade Party. The premise: the Choo family's plastics empire has a new CEO, and she's throwing a masquerade to celebrate. Expect Sebastian Tan and Vernetta Lopez to ham it up amid a runway show, with family secrets and chaos to boot, all while you work through a five-star buffet and dessert spread at Capitol Kempinski.
When: From 14 August to 4 October 2026
Where: The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore, 15 Stamford Rd, Singapore 178906
Save a seat here
Lai Foong Moi was a student at Nanyang school, who later taught at her own alma mater, and spent the 1960s quietly painting portraits, still lifes and landscapes that never quite got their due. Crossings is the first time in over 60 years that’ll give the public a real chance to see her work gathered in one place. What makes this a worthy visit is her eye for gender, labour, and a rapidly changing city, which gives you a genuinely sharp read on what Singapore and Malaya felt like in the years around independence.
When: 14 August to 3 October 2026
Where: National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew’s Rd, Singapore 178957
Make a detour to the National Museum this weekend for a photography exhibition shot by migrant workers. Now in its fourth edition, “Our Favourite Haunts” features shots that move between quiet scenes of community and portraits that feel almost otherworldly—all told through the eyes of the people who've quietly helped build this city. There's also a small "Thank You" corner tucked alongside, stacked with postcards from the public for migrant worker visitors to take home.
When: Now till 13 September 2026, from 10am to 6:30pm
Where: National Museum of Singapore, Long Gallery Concourse, 93 Stamford Rd, Singapore 178897
Fresh off its Milan Design Week debut, PROTOTYPE ISLAND is finally returning to ArtScience Museum this weekend after an international tour. The showcase pulls together 15 projects from the city's transdisciplinary design crowd, sorted loosely across three lanes: one on care and cultural continuity, one on the tangled relationship between digital tech and material innovation, and one on the quiet infrastructures. The focus is clear: demonstrate how design can improve the way we live beyond just looking pretty.
When: Now till 20 September 2026, from 10am to 7pm
Where: ArtScience Museum, 6 Bayfront Ave, Singapore 018974
Bugis Street's getting a facelift, turning the shopping strip into its first permanent youth space. It acts as a hub for indie brands and up-and-coming creatives to do their thing. Think 30-plus fashion and lifestyle booths worth actually digging through, plus a DJ corner spinning tunes so browsing turns into more of a hangout. And if you're the type who lives for a good vintage find, they've brought in 15 thrift and vintage labels for the launch.
When: 25 July 2026 onwards, from 1 to 7pm
Where: Bugis Street, Level 2, 3 New Bugis St, Singapore 188867
Gardens by the Bay is playing host to 76 years of Formula 1 history, spread across seven themed rooms that include Sebastian Vettel's championship-winning 2011 Red Bull RB7 and the 2003 BAR Honda that Jenson Button used to drive. Throw in some racing simulators and footage you won't find anywhere else, and it's a solid way to burn an afternoon whether you're a die-hard fan or just F1-curious.
When: Now till 18 October 2026, from 11am to 9pm
Where: Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Dr, Singapore 018953
Get your tickets here
There’s a new library in town, and this one’s loaning out physical media that spins instead of flips. Swee Lee has recently launched Southeast Asia’s first vinyl lending library, allowing members to bring home up to three records at a time with no fixed loan duration. There’ll be listening stations where you can drown out the world by your lonesome, or in pairs.
Spend the day browsing their massive collection of vinyl, take pictures in photobooths, and linger over a cup of coffee from their café corner as you enjoy music the way it was intended.
When: Daily, from 10:30am to 10pm on weekends, and 12 to 9pm on weekdays
Where: Swee Lee Clarke Quay and Swee Lee The Star Vista
More information here
PREVIOUSLY
Swing by local fashion label IN GOOD COMPANY’s first-ever standalone lifestyle spot that folds fashion, food, and community into one very good-looking space. Ground yourself with tea and wagashi at MIURA, the new concept from the Paaru crew, then poke around a curation of local and regional labels worth your attention. On the third level, there's also an attic being saved for future gatherings and creative programming, so keep your eyes peeled.
When: Tuesdays to Sundays, from 11am to 7pm
Where: 316 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore 427567
If you've ever wanted to feel like you're raiding a royal treasury, the Asian Civilisations Museum has you covered. The Louvre is bringing over a hundred pieces from its Islamic art collection to Singapore for the first time. Crosscurrents: Masterpieces of Mughal, Safavid, and Ottoman Art traces the rise and fall of three empires that ran the show across West and Central Asia from the 1500s to the 1700s, through jewels, artifacts, and objects pulled straight from their royal collections.
When: From 19 Jun 2026 to 24 Jan 2027
Where: Asian Civilisations Museum, 1 Empress Pl, Singapore 179555
If you've ever wanted to know what it feels like to drop several thousand metres below the surface, Into the Ocean: Journey Beneath is your weekend sorted. Built around never-before-seen footage from OceanX, the exhibition pulls you through the ocean's shifting depths using footage captured by submersibles that go where cameras rarely follow. It's less of a museum visit, rather than a full sensory immersion, with interactive elements that tie back to actual marine conservation work.
When: 6 June to 1 November 2026
Where: ArtScience Museum, 6 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018974
Save a spot here
Portals is an experience that spread across 13,000 sq ft (roughly the size of 4.5 standard tennis courts). Walk through eight fully built realms drawn from sci-fi, fantasy, and gaming with proper constructed environments, not just mood boards on a wall. The real draw, though, is what's hanging inside them: original Golden Age sci-fi and fantasy book cover paintings, actual oil and acrylic canvases, not prints or reproductions, that shaped an entire generation's visual imagination.
When: Now till 2 September 2026, from 9am to 9pm
Where: Fever Exhibition Hall, 25 Scotts Road, Singapore 228220
Save a spot here
Singapore Art Museum is hosting Form is Emptiness, the first major solo show in Southeast Asia from legendary Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto. Spanning 60-plus works across five decades, the show moves through photography, sculpture, and large-scale installation, loosely framed around the Buddhist concept of the Five Elements. Think meditative seascapes, architectural interventions, and objects that somehow feel both ancient and weightless. It's a rare chance to slow down and spend time genuinely thinking about time, perception, and reality.
When: 29 May to 4 October 2026
Where: Gallery 1 & The Engine Room, Level 1, SAM at Tanjong Pagar Distripark, Singapore 089065
Save a spot here
National Gallery Singapore is turning things up with its first-ever R18 exhibition, Passion is Volcanic: Desire in Southeast Asian Art. Drawing from Liu Kang’s 1953 essay Trip to Bali, the shows treats erotic desire as a catalyst for change—one that shapes how we see, feel, and connect. Expect over 70 works spanning painting, video, print and sculpture, all circling the same pulse: the body, longing, and everything in between.
When: 24 April to 30 August 2026
Where: National Gallery Singapore, Level 4, 1 St Andrew’s Road, Singapore 178957
More information here
If you’re feeling stressed, you may want to consider loosening up and going crazy behind the wheel—responsibly. On the sixth level of Novena Square’s carpark, you’ll be able to drift go-karts inspired by Initial D on a track which takes its cues from the legendary touge mountain roads of Japan. The cars are tuned to be forgiving, meaning you don't need a decade of track time to get drifting down.
When: Daily, from 10am to 9:30pm
Where: Velocity @ Novena Square, Level 6A (carpark, lift only), 238 Thomson Rd, Singapore 307683
Perhaps it’s time to pick up a new hobby that distracts you from the incessant humming of productivity. This beginner-friendly crochet session at KADA is low-stakes, softly paced, and designed for absolute first-timers. Guided by a coach with an interior design background, the session will feel less like a class and more like a laid-back session with patient guidance and a small handmade piece to take home. There’s even a complimentary drink to ease you in.
When: Various dates
Where: The Possible Space, 5 Kadayanallur St, #01-01, Singapore 069183
Save a spot here
After years of living in the digital space, Avant is finally settling down in a brick-and-mortar. Across periodical phases, the space will grow to house over 1000 curated mix of records, compact discs and rarities. But it’s not all just vinyl—there’ll be vintage print items, objects, and books centred around pop culture. The space is designed to feel lived in and curated, making it an ideal spot to listen, vibe, and linger a little longer than you probably should.
When: See @avantcultureclub for opening hours
Where: 195 Pearl's Hill Terrace, #01-60, Singapore 168976
If you’re feeling adventurous, head down to Dopamine Land for a quick hit of multisensory euphoria. Having toured cities from London to Madrid, the Singapore edition will feature nine interactive spaces. You can wage pillow fights at The Cushion Clash or get jiggy with it on the Chromadance floor. But there are also more calming spaces in case things get too overstimulating. Euphoria Grove puts you in a bean-bag filled sanctuary with lighting that changes according to the four seasons, while the Cave of Tactility cocoons you in a room with soft, colourful textural walls.
When: Daily (except Thursdays), from 11am to 9pm
Where: Dopamine Land Singapore, #02-204/205, Weave, Resorts World Sentosa, 26 Sentosa Gateway, Singapore 098269
Get your tickets here
