SGIFF kicks off this weekend with more than 100 films from over 50 countries, and a healthy dose of Singaporean and Southeast Asian cinema right at the centre of it. The real draw, though, might be the panel conversations, where some serious heavyweights will be talking shop: Aamir Khan, Hirokazu Kore-eda (the director of Shoplifters), Anthony Wong, and a fun curveball, Cole Sprouse. Spots are open for sign-up, so grab them and prepare to have yourself a heady weekend of cinema.
When: 21 October to 1 November 2026
Where: Across various locations
Get your tickets here
Poster Projects is back this Saturday at Filmhouse, and this round is themed around the one person you haven’t fully gotten over. Whether you’re looking to grind an object of memory, grieve, or finally forgive, there’s something here for you: a lineup of local and regional short films, plus live sets from internet sensations shazza and eujune. There’s also merch, installations, and a few activities that promise to patch up the sore spots. It’s non-ticketed and pay-as-you-wish, though they suggest a $10 minimum at the door, which is still cheaper than therapy.
When: 24 October 2026, from 7:30pm
Where: Filmhouse, 6001 Beach Rd, #05-00, Singapore 199589
Save a spot here
Side A offers a good excuse to close Spotify and go digging the old-fashioned way. There are 37 vendors in total, so you’ll have plenty to flip through: rare and pre-loved vinyl, CDs, cassettes, posters, merch, and assorted music memorabilia. Vinyl DJ sets will run through the day, with live acoustic performances from musicians in Singapore and around the region keeping things easy in the background. If you’d rather look than buy, there are also listening sessions, turntable and speaker demos, and displays from private collectors.
When: 24 October 2026, from 11:30am to 7:30pm
Where: Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, Level 3, Rooms 324 – 326, Singapore 039593
In the Ether returns for its third edition, and this year’s theme, “sanctuary technologies,” is less about hiding from tech than about using it to give people more choice and a bit more say in how things work. The festival mixes art, installations, talks, and workshops which cover everything from the tech we already live with to research-driven projects and open-source microchips. Keep an eye out for Mimus, a giant robot arm built from repurposed factory machinery by roboticist-artist Dr Madeline Gannon. It can’t actually see you, but it knows you’re there, and if it takes a liking to you, it might lean in for a closer look. There are also hands-on workshops where you can make your own microchip, put together a small digital archive, or get a peek at how modern AI really works.
When: From now till 6 December 2026
Where: ArtScience Museum Marina Bay Sands, 6 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore, 018974
An exclusive pop-up exhibition, "Challenging Chronographs", marks A. Lange & Söhne's long-standing stake in watchmaking artistry and automobiles. The manufacturer's expertise lies in chonographs, its heritage beginning with the 1999 launch of the Datograph, a courtesy to the chonograph movement which raised the bar for the category. In the following years, A. Lange & Söhne introduced the succeeding complications, the Double Split and the Triple Split, eventually reaching to a total of 13 models, which represents more than 25 years of chonograph refinement.
The exhibition celebrates the legacy and its chronograph story with visitors up close, allowing them to experience the intricate one-of-a-kind, hand-executed crafting and engraving of the watch by a master watchmaker and engraver.
When: 18 to 30 October 2026, from 10am to 9pm daily
Where: ION Orchard, Level 1 Atrium, 2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801
Get your tickets here
Ultraman and Kamen Rider fans, your time is now. Jakarta-based illustrator Ardhira Putra—who's done work for Apple, Vice, MTV and the Las Vegas Sphere—is taking over Heartware Store & Gallery with Atomic Daydream for a technicolour mashup of superheroes, kaiju and mecha that remixes 90s nostalgia through an Asian retro-pop lens. Expect a fresh batch of illustrations and limited-edition prints, five one-of-a-kind originals, and the debut of HeartwaveRobo, Ardhira's first sofubi vinyl toy, made with the Heartware crew.
When: 3 October to 22 November 2026, from 12 to 7pm
Where: Heartware Store & Gallery, 350B Joo Chiat Road, Singapore 427598
Birkenstock is engulfing New Bahru for the next four weeks. Dubbed 'Walk Naturally', the neighbourhood-wide takeover threads the brand's whole natural-movement, foot-health, good-craftsmanship ethos into installations, workshops, and collabs scattered across the Main and Factory Blocks. Think an immersive setup at The Lawn, plus team-ups with the likes of Soilboy, PPP Coffee, Crafune, Off Duty Pilates, Hideaway, and Woods in the Books, each putting their own twist on the theme.
When: 18 September to 26 October 2026
Where: New Bahru, 46 Kim Yam Road New Bahru, School Block, Singapore 239351
Vacation season's creeping up again, which means it's time to review your winter wardrobe and find it inadequate all over again. Enter Winter Time's expo, a good excuse to sort your wardrobe out without blowing the budget. Being a local label, the prices skip the usual import tax, but don't mistake affordable for thin on options: ski wear, luggage, trench coats, heat-tech layers, gloves, the works. The new Muscovy Down parkas are the headliner, prided on their ultra-lightweight, stain-resistant, and breathable qualities. Throw in discounts up to 80% across the board, and you've got yourself a rare window to knock out winter shopping for years to come.
When: 10 to 13 September 2026 (Hall 5A), 24 to 27 September 2026 (Hall 6B), 1 to 4 October 2026 (Hall 6B), 28 October to 1 November 2026 (Hall 6B)
Where: Singapore EXPO, 1 Expo Drive, Singapore 486150
Somewhere between the 4th and 14th centuries, a bunch of monks, merchants, and wandering pilgrims turned the city of Dunhuang into one of the great crossroads of the ancient world. This history was carved into the walls of the Mogao Caves to preserve a record of life in the city. The Asian Civilisations Museum is bringing that history home in a way it never has before: life-size cave reconstructions, centuries-old paintings and sculpture, plus manuscripts and textiles that trace how goods and ideas moved along the Silk Road.
When: 25 September 2026 to 7 March 2027
Where: Asian Civilisations Museum, 1 Empress Place, Singapore 179555
Tucked up on the third floor of a shophouse on Lorong Telok, Lifted Trax is the type of record store that’s worth a proper visit. It's got secondhand records, rare grooves, and fresh pressings from artists across Asia for all your crate-digging needs. But the real draw is the listening stations scattered around the shop, built for actually sitting with a record instead of just flipping past it. Throw in the incense, the zines, the vinyl care kits for the gear-obsessed, and you've got a solid, unhurried way to spend a Saturday afternoon in Boat Quay.
When: Daily, except Mondays and Tuesdays
Where: 25 Lor Telok, #03-01, Singapore 049037
PREVIOUSLY
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
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
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
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
