Frankenstein isn't your typical polished gallery show. It's a look at what happens when makers just build with whatever's lying around. Pulling its name from Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, the exhibition treats repurposed and discarded materials the way Victor Frankenstein treated spare parts: stapled, sewn, nailed, bound, screwed, occasionally electrocuted into life. The works here explore the process of repair and assembly rather than craftsmanship in the traditional sense, and like Shelley's creature, each piece ends up stranger and more alive than its maker probably intended.
When: 12 September to 3 October 2026, from 12 to 7pm
Where: Tokonoma, 16 Shaw Road #3-10, 367954
Book a slot here
Boat Quay, Clarke Quay, and Robertson Quay are all uniting under the Quay Collective banner to bring a full spread of immersive experiences, live performances, interactive installations, gamified adventures, and a heritage tour. Wander around the area and stumble on back-alley projections, roving performers, a motion-tracking sound-and-light experience, acrobatics, an outdoor movie screening, a riverside market, and even a matcha-themed pop-up if that's your vice. Each quay's got its own flavour: Boat Quay leans into the Entertainment Zone, Clarke Quay's your spot for the Expression Zone, and Robertson Quay slows it down with Lifestyle & Wellness.
When: 11 to 20 September 2026
Where: Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay
Objects.re is teaming up with a handful of local brands for Something Old, Something New, a weekend market that's worth the visit if you're into hunting for genuine items rather than commercial clutter. Masa House shows up with secondhand watches and rare timepieces from brands like Fossil, Seiko, and Guess. And if your place is looking a little dull, Woven Root's got rugs, mugs, and other homeware pulled from crafters in Palestine, Pakistan, and Sudan. Visit their Instagram profile for the full list of handpicked vendors.
When: 12 to 13 September 2026, from 10am to 6pm
Where: Objects.re, #08-01, 51 Tannery Ln, Singapore 347798
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
