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Singapore Art Week 2017

Singapore Art Week

Singapore is a city that has been standing out with its art scene for decades. We’ve talked about a lot of art events, festivals, and other locations here, but the simple fact of the matter is that it’s impossible to count them all.

Still, what are we to do but try, and this time we’ll tell you about one of the definite must-sees in Singapore’s art scene – the Singapore Art Week.

Usually celebrated in the middle of January, in 2017 the Singapore Art Week fell on January 11-22. An astonishing visual feast, the Singapore Art Week presented the lucky visitors with over 100 events in the span of those 11 days, including everything from art fairs and gallery openings, to guided art walks around the city. No matter whether you are a devoted art lover or just a casual gallery browser, no matter whether you live in Singapore or are just a tourist, both in 2017, as well as in all previous years, the Singapore Art Week successfully satisfied all artsy tastes and promises to keep doing so in the future.

With so many highlights during Singapore Art Week, it’s really hard to pinpoint one or two events, but if we have to, we’d go with the Art Stage Singapore – the region’s flagship international art fair returned to the Singapore Art Week for its seventh edition. This year the Art Stage paid attention and tribute to the importance of developing a cohesive Southeast Asian art market in Singapore. Presented with a lot of in-depth discussions by global leaders and artists, it brought Asian art to the forefront.

The Singapore Art Week had a lot of other highlights to offer as well, of course – Singapore Biennale, for example, also took place this year. Happening only once every two years, the next Singapore Biennale will be in 2019. One of Southeast Asia’s most prominent contemporary art exhibitions, the Singapore Biennale this year was titled “An Atlas of Mirrors” and featured contemporary artworks from over 60 artists.

Including a lot of others amazing artists and organizations such as the Singapore Tyler Print Institute, ARTWALK Little India, the Art After Dark and Aliwal Urban Art Festival held at the Gillman Barracks and Aliwal Arts Centre, and much, much more.

If you live in Singapore, or you happen to visit the city in next January, try not to miss the next Singapore Art Week – we are certain that it will have a lot to offer once again.

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5 Best Escape Room Games in Singapore

5 Best Escape Room Games in Singapore

Singapore is a city that offers an innumerable amount of great entertainment, whether it’s outdoors, indoors, whether we’re talking about food, festivals, parks, or anything else.

As always, we are trying our best to keep you informed about all the amazing possibilities the city has to offer, but one thing we seem to have missed so far is a worldwide trend that is part of Singapore as well – Escape rooms.

There are a lot of great escape games and escape rooms in Singapore, which can feel overwhelming for people that are new to this sort of entertainment. That’s why we’re going to list the 5 best escape games in Singapore.

In no particular order, here they are:

Forever Young. Finding yourself abducted, you wake up in a strange playroom. You have to use the clues left by previous victims to find a way out of your kidnapper’s grasp, as well as to uncover his or her identity. Rated as one of the hardest escape rooms in Singapore, Forever Young is definitely a place to check out.

The Ouija. Recreating a horrifying incident from 1985, when a student, Judy Lim, was found hanging in one of the school’s toilet cubicles. Suicide was ruled out by investigators and the main homicide suspect was the school cleaner who disappeared after the body was found. In the Ouija escape game, visitors try to find out the truth via connecting with the spirit realm through an Ouija board.

The Hospital. Another great escape room, The Hospital is the “sequel room” of the famed “Apartment”. As such, it requires you to have played the Apartment in order to get the full experience, but it is well worth it. The Hospital tasks you with the challenge of uncovering the mystery of Mrs Fong and her daughters and their disappearance from their HDB flat.

Killer’s Game. You aim to help an investigator catch the Zodiac Killer – a serial killer that’s already left five victims behind him. You go the house of the investigator, Corporal Lee, but as you enter, the door slams and locks behind you and you’re see a timer and a sign that says “You Are Next”, signed by the “Zodiac Killer”. Pressed by time, you need to use all the clues you can find to escape!

Pandora the Haunted. Trapped in an abandoned attic with a jammed door, visitors are tasked to find a way out. They here an eerie child’s voice in the dark – “Are you here to play with me?”, but there’s no one there. And so, the game begins! If you are a fan of mysterious, horror scenarios that ask you to keep your cool and try to think rationally in the face of “true” terrors – Pandora the Haunted can be a great place for you to visit.

Think you’ve run out of things to do in Singapore ? Escape the boredom with these rooms!

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City Square Mall Singapore

This article has been moved over to our original article on City Square Mall

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River Hong Bao 2017

River Hongbao 2017

A key part of Singapore’s festival calendar since 1987, River Hongbao 2017 is an event that you do not want to miss when visiting Singapore.

Held every year as a part of the New Lunar Year celebrations, River Hongbao takes place at the Floating Platform at Marina Bay and enchants both tourists and locals every time it is held.

A festival that offers the full spectrum of the special Chinese cultural experience. Traditional music, beautiful art, giant lanterns, mouth-watering cuisine – River Hongbao has it all.

Not just mere lanterns, the amazing hand-crafted by Chinese masters, the lanterns you can see at River Hongbao depict figures of Chinese myth and legend in a mind-boggling celebration of color and light. Among the crowd-favorite lanterns are the God of Fortune, and of course, the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac.

Are you a fan of fireworks as well? The opening night and the Chinese New Year Eve Countdown Party of River Hongbao will give you exactly what you want – astonishing fireworks displays that dwarf practically anything else in the field of pyrotechnics.

Opera, carnival games, amusement rides, street performances, and a ton of other traditional Chinese activities will make sure that the visitors of River Hongbao leave breathless.

And as for the culinary aficionados, River Hongbao has a lot to offer as well – an endless extravaganza of exotic delicacies and food masterpieces, served at one of the biggest and longest outdoor food streets in the city.

Organized by Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations, Singapore Press Holdings, Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Singapore Tourism Board and People’s Association, River Hongbao is a 10-day festival of epic proportions and has been an integral part of Singapore’s New Lunar Year celebrations for 3 whole decades. Marrying the traditional Chinese culture with modern, futuristic elements and technology, River Hongbao is an event every tourists should witness.

Too see some of the other great outdoor activities in Singapore, check our list here.

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UFC Singapore 2017

UFC  2017 Fight Night in Singapore

Singapore is one of those very few cities around the world that marry the old and the new, the West and the East, in such an amazing way that often leaves us speechless. With a great variety of both outdoors and indoors activities and events to visit, tourists can spend countless days in Singapore and still not manage to see everything the city has to offer.

This alone makes our attempts at listing the best activities and events in Singapore almost futile. However, that doesn’t mean that we won’t keep trying.

And as if to accent the contrast between the eastern cultures that flow through Singapore and the western ones that have also come to stay in the city, one indoors annual event that also attracts an awful lot fans and visitors is the UFC Fight Night.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the world’s leading MMA (mixed martial arts) organization. It has visited Singapore before with UFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs. Lim in 2014. In 2017, however, Singapore will be the first live UFC event in Asia. On June 2017 the Singapore Indoor Stadium will witness some of the most iconic and renowned world mixed martial arts athletes.

In the days leading up to the UFC Fight Night, many of the rising stars of the various Asian MMA organizations will compete against each other – Japan, Korea, China, Indonesia, the Philippines and others – this promises to be a heck of a show as well!

Devout fans will also have the chance to witness the “UFC Experience” – fitness challenges, interviews, meet-and-greets, open training sessions, and other great opportunities for meeting your favourite mixed martial arts star in Singapore. The UFC Experience also allows you to go head-to-head with other fans in a ton of games and activities in the UFC fan village, purchase original UFC merchandise, and much more.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is one of the most famous modern worldwide fighting sports, and for a lot of fan, having the opportunity to witness it live in Singapore is almost a once-in-a-live-time occasion. Regardless of that, however, it’s one of the most spectacular sporting events out there and it is sure keep the city talking!

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Singapore Grand Prix 2017

Singapore Grand Prix 2017

There are countless of great things you can do in Singapore – sightseeing and cuisine aside, the outdoor activities as a whole are innumerable. And while we tried to list the top ones here, it’s virtually impossible to do so.

This becomes especially true when you consider some of the many annual worldwide events that visit Singapore like the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Conducted in Singapore every year since 2008, the Grand Prix of Singapore has quickly become a fan-favourite among Formula 1 fans and is often referred to as the “crown jewel” of the Formula 1 calendar. With a circuit length of 5.065 kilometres and 61 laps, the total distance of the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore is 308.828 kilometres. The fastest lap record belongs to Daniel Ricciardo who managed a time of 1:47.187 in 2016. The Red Bull racer finished second that year, after Nico Rosberg in first place, and in front of Lewis Hamilton in third.

Taking place from September 8 to September 17 in 2017, it’s definitely not a cheap entertainment – tickets vary between ~100€ and ~6000€, depending on the day or days you choose and the zone you would like to be in.

And while the moto show rages on and the fastest cars on the planet fly by the ecstatic viewers, the rest of the city is caught in the Grand Prix craze as well. During the Grand Prix Season in Singapore you can also witness and visit a ton of special shop offers, new dining options, various cultural and party experiences that surround the buzzing hive that is the Marina Bay Street Circuit at the time of the Grand Prix.

Famous events such as Amber Lounge, Podium Lounge, Hotel Vagabond’s dinner theatre experience, or 1-Altitude’s Johnnie Walker Circuit Party, and many others, all easily manage to keep fans and tourists excited and entertained even when the racers are off for the day.

All in all, the Grand Prix Season in Singapore is not only one of the most beloved – if not the most beloved – Formula 1 Grand Prix in the modern history of the race, but it’s also one of the most prestige and amazing outdoor events that happen annually in the city.

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World Gourmet Summit Singapore 2017

As a city of countless attractions, events, festivities, and fascinating places, it’s quite normal for us to have trouble mentioning them all – they are happening almost faster than we can talk about them and you’ll never run out of things to do in Singapore.

One event that we can’t miss, however, is the World Gourmet Summit. Our earlier post covered the Singapore Food Festival, and the World Gourmet Summit is another even that food-enthusiasts simply don’t want to miss!

First organized in 1997, the World Gourmet Summit is having its 20th anniversary this year. Ever since its inception, the WGS,s prime purpose has been to showcase and promote the local dining scene, as well as the Michelin-starred chefs and vintners both from Singapore and from around the globe.

It is organized annually by the A La Carte Productions, which is a division of Peter Knipp Holdings Pte Ltd (PKH). WGS is also actively supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

Whether you are interested in dining, wine, or whiskey, the World Gourmet Summit will present you the best of the best dining professionals and restaurants in Singapore from around the world. During the summit you can witness a great variety of programmes and highlights of the best Michelin-awarded chefs. You can also get close and take part in wine and dine tastings and degustations.

Previous years of the World Gourmet Summit have seen amazing professionals such as:

Jean-François Piège (France – 2 Michelin Stars), hosted by Chef Chris Millar at Stellar@1-Altitude

The famed pastry chef Christian Escriba

Matt Moran (Australia – 3 The Age Good Food Guide Hats), hosted by Chef Dallas Cuddy at The Prime Society

Gabriele Ferron (Italy), hosted by Chef Kentaro Torii at Forlino

The Roca brothers, Jordi and Josep, from three-Michelin-starred El Celler de Can Roca in Spain

Modern-Indonesian cuisine pioneer Petty Elliott

William Ledeuil (France, 1 Michelin Star), hosted by Chef Ken Ling at My Humble House

Yannick Alléno (France, 3 Michelin Stars), hosted by Chef Bruno Ménard at La Cantine by Bruno Ménard

Sanjeev Kapoor (India), hosted by Chef Manjunath Mural at The Song of India

And many, many others!

On WGS’s website – http://www.worldgourmetsummit.com/wgs2017/main.php – you can keep up with the latest from the World Gourmet Summit, as well as with the culinary event itself – it is being held right now – from 20 March to 16 April!

If you’re interested in taking a detailed look at the finest dining offers that Singapore has to offer, the World Gourmet Summit is something that you simply don’t want to miss!

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Neon Lights Music & Art Festival 2017

It’s no secret that Singapore is a city that’s overflowing with music – practically whenever you visit Singapore, there are going to be multiple musical events and festivals. We already covered some of them like Laneway Music Festival Singapore 2017 and Ultra Singapore 2017 , but there are so much more to explore about the musical scene in Singapore that we simple can’t stop here.

Therefore, let’s take a look at another one of Singapore’s amazing events – Neon Lights Music & Art Festival!

Neon Lights is one of the newer music events in Singapore, but immediately became one of the biggest too. First introduced in Singapore in 2015, its third event will take place on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 November, 2017 – a two-day weekend of amazing music and experiences!

Despite its name, Neon Lights is not a festival for only electronic music. No, Neon Lights offers something for absolutely everyone, which makes it so unique. It’s lauded as one of the most comprehensive and eclectic music & art festivals the city of Singapore has ever seen – almost all styles and genres of music, as well as various different art performers, including even stand-up comedians and spoken word poetry, are featured in Neon Lights. This alone makes Neon Lights a must-see for anyone that has any interest in live music and art.

Past participants in Singapore’s Neon Lights include Damien Rice, Flight Facilities, Gentle Bones, Linying, Chairlift, drag revue RIOT!, Crystal Castles, Foals, Rachael Yamagata, Sigur Rós, Cashew Chemists, Comedy Masala, Yuna, and many others.

The line-up for November 18-19, 2017 is still being filled with performers and will continue to expand until May 15 when the applications period closes. On June 15 the full list of participants will be announced, so if you’re interested in keeping up with the news from Neon Lights Music & Art Festival, check out their website here – http://www.neonlights.sg/. And if you’re interested in what exactly does it take to take active part in the festival, check out their conditions here – https://neonlightssg.wufoo.com/forms/m1lvmsv41gfqgub/.

Regardless of whether you join the Neon Lights Music & Art Festival as a performer or a viewer, it’s guaranteed to leave you breathless. A two-day event of gargantuan proportions and unbelievable diversity, Neon Lights is certain to remain a staple of Singapore’s music and art scene for years to come! Before you head down to party, be sure to fill up your stomach with our food suggestions. 

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Laneway Festival Singapore 2017

We already told you about the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Ultra Singapore, so let’s take a look at another one of the many great music events in Singapore – St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival!

An annual festival that takes place each January, St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival is a treat that no music fan would want to miss. It’s one of the biggest “indie” music events in the country, focusing on qualitative independent music, instead of typical pop and mainstream performers and bands. If you are interested in spending a day outside, listening to new and amazing music, instead of the popular “hits” you hear on the radio every day – St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival has got you covered.

Called Laneway for short, this festival began in 2005 in Melbourne, Australia, in Caledonian Lane. Today it’s performed not only across multiple cities in Australia and in Singapore, but also Auckland, New Zealand, and Detroit, United States, making it festival with a well-deserved worldwide fame and status.

Previous headliners in Singapore include performers such as Two Door Cinema Club, Foals, Grimes, Chvrches, Haim and many others. The festival typically continues for full 12 hours and takes place on two separate stages.

All that goodness, combined with the great F&B (Food and Beverages) around the festival, make St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival a pure joy – last year saw culinary masterpieces from The Fabulous Baker Boy, Melt Bar, Common Man Coffee Roasters, and a lot of others.

This year, Laneway tool place on 21 January, 2017 and included gems from performers such as A/K/A Sounds (Attagirl!), Astreal, Claims Casino, KOHH, Gang of Youths, Jagwar Ma, Nao, Nick Murphy (Chet Faker), Sampa the Great, Tash Sultana, T-Rex, Sam Rui, Tourist, Wednesday Campanella, Whitney, Tycho, Stars and Rabbit, Portrait Art (Weelikeme & Kidg), King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Mick Jenkins, Aurora, Bob Moses and a lot of others. Take a look at the full list of performers here – http://singapore.lanewayfestival.com/line-up/

You can follow Singapore’s St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival on their website http://singapore.lanewayfestival.com/ – the festival is active throughout the year and not only in January. Every month various events are organized under Laneway’s cap – parties, compilations and much more.

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ULTRA Singapore 2017

We just talked about the Singapore Symphony Orchestra here, but as we said, there are a ton of different music events in the city, practically every night. So why not jump to something completely different this time and talk about Ultra Singapore!

Ultra Singapore is something fairly new for Singapore – it is an outdoor electronic music festival that was first performed in 2015 as a part of the worldwide Ultra Music Festival.

The Festival itself was first started in 1999 in Miami and ever since then has consistently been setting the bar in the Electronic Dance Music genre (EDM).

In 2015 the Ultra Singapore saw world-famous musicians such as Alesso, Skrillex and Nicky Romero, and in 2016 Kygo, the Far East Movement, Nero, DJ Snake, Marshmello, Jauz, and deadmau5 performed across three different festival stages!

Both previous years the festival took place in September, but in 2017 it will be held on June 10th and 11th. The Live Headliners this year will be KSHMR, Pendulum and Tchami, and they will be supported by a ton of amazing DJ headliners, including Dash Berlin, Don Diablo, Dubfire, Hardwell, Martin Solveig, Nic Fanciulli, Nicki Romero, Showtek, Steve Angelo, Steve Aoki, Tiësto, and many, many others!

The festival will take place in three separate stages – the Ultra Mainstage, the Live Stage, and the Resistance.

To learn more about Ultra Singapore, don’t forget to take a look at the https://ultrasingapore.com/ website!

As a part of the worldwide Ultra Music Festival, Ultra Singapore is something that no electronic music fan would want to miss. The first 1999 festival in Miami was named Ultra after Depeche Mode’s 1997 album Ultra. Since then Ultra events have been regularly taking place in various cities around the globe – Ibiza, Spain; Seoul, Korea; Tokyo, Japan; Hvar and Split, Croatia; Singapore, Singapore; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and many others. The first festival in 1999 had an attendance of the “mere” 10,000 people, and last year’s Miami event was visited by a total of over 165,000 people! The Ultra Singapore 2016 was visited by itself 45,000 people, with 2017’s festival expected to gather an ever larger amount of people.

If you are a fan of Electronic Dance Music, if you want to witness many of the great performers and DJs that will take part in Ultra Singapore 2017, or if you’re just interested in having a blast of a time with something new and interesting while you’re in Singapore – the Ultra Singapore festival is not something that you should miss!

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Singapore Symphony Orchestra

There are a lot of great events that you can visit in Singapore, and music events are certainly a big part of that. The Singapore music scene offers something for everyone’s taste and that doesn’t just include the various types of modern music. Even if you are a classical aficionado, Singapore has got you covered with its world-famous Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO)!

The SSO has events throughout the entire year, on an almost weekly basis. If you’re in Singapore during a weekend, check out the SSO’s schedule – chances are very high that they’ll be entertaining an entire hall full of people – most probably the Esplanade Concert Hall – with their brilliance! Another frequent place where you can see the SSO is the Victoria Concert Hall. Overall, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra performs over 100 times per year!

The SSO was formed back in 1945 by the Scottish composer Erik Chisholm in his capacity as ENSA Music Director for South East Asia. A lot of symphony orchestras were formed during and after the colonial period in Singapore, and the SSO is the most famous of them all. And deservedly so. However, literally all of those symphony orchestras were filled with amateur musicians for several decades. It was 1970 when the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) was instituted, and Choo Hoey was established as its first Resident Conductor. Choo Hoey stepped down in 1996 and Lan Shui became the next music director of the orchestra in 1997 and he’s still at the helm.

Aside from their performances in the Esplanade Concert Hall and the Victoria Concert Hall, you can also sometimes see them give a free performance at the Botanic Gardens and Gardens by the Bay, as well as various schools and colleges around the country. The SSO has also toured the world, with some of its notable concerts including, the New York’s Avery Fisher Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie, The Proms in London, the Beijing’s Poly Theatre, and many others.

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra has a wide repertoire that can satisfy a lot of classical music fans. You can hear them perform Western classical music from the early baroque, as well as contemporary classical music or various Chinese musical works. Are you a fan of the Rossini’s Overture or Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5? Do you want to hear Charles Ives’ The Unanswered Question or the Chinese orchestral piece Dance of the Yao People? Or maybe, you’re interested in any of Alexander Tcherepnin’s six piano concertos and four symphonies? Or perhaps, Rachmaninov or Claude Debussy? The Singapore Symphony Orchestra is eager to entertain you with the best classical music in the world, so don’t hesitate to take a look at their program on https://www.sso.org.sg/ the next time you’re in Singapore – you will not be disappointed!

Of course, if you’re interested in the ton of other activities that await you in Singapore, you can also take a look here for just a sample of all the things you can do!

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Singapore Food Festival 2017

 Singapore is definitely a place with a lot of great places to eat. And few events emphasize this better than the Singapore Food Festival (SFF).

An annual celebration of the amazing cooks and various different culinary tastes of Singapore – both past and present – the Singapore Food Festival is a must-see event that’s organized every year from the end of June until the end of July by the Singapore Tourism Board. Organized ever since 1994, the SFF has been bringing joy to locals and tourists for over two decades.

This month-long celebration of food consists of countless weekly events, culinary workshops, competitions and much more. Are you a fan of street food or of luxury dining places? Of nighttime bars or pop-up cafes? Do you prefer Chicken Rice or Fishball Noodles? The Singapore Food Festival honors all.

At one of the signature events of the festival – STEAT – a party of chefs and hawkers serve a great assortment of culinary creations and crowd favorites. And at great prices, too!

Just like fashion events, the SFF is also a place to explore new ideas – a lot of chefs unfold their innovative genius and prepare new and exciting, never-before-seen dishes to entrance the public. It’s also a time for a lot of classic dishes to be given new, interesting twists – Satay, Chilli Crab, Bak Kut Teh and Laksa, to name a few.

Nostalgia is definitely not forgotten as well – some of the 2016 events of SFF were the Kueh Appreciation Day and the 50 Cents Fest! at Chinatown Food Street. Food-fans were overjoyed to taste some forgotten-by-many classics such as Iceballs, Hainanese Larp and Kok Kok Mee.

As Chef Han Li Guang, owner of the Restaurant Labyrinth, says:

“Not only is the Singapore dining scene fun, vibrant and diverse, it is also exciting, creative and incredibly innovative! Here, customers will be able to satisfy their palettes as well as their curiosity for a wide range of cuisines.”

The festival takes place in various locations around Singapore. Most venues are free to entry and ask for pay only for the food consumed. If you’d like to know more about this great event, email enquiries@singaporefoodfestival.com.sg

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Top 5 Bars in Singapore

We’ve talked about quite a few nice places to eat while you’re in Singapore – there’s a plethora of awesome restaurants, coffee joints, brunch places, and more.

One of the things we haven’t mention so far, however, are bars! So, let’s correct that oversight right now!

Bars are one of the best places to visit as a tourist, regardless of where you are. They give you a great insight into the modern culture of the city, the let you meet the locals in an environment that’s much more open and relaxed than everyday life. Of course, like most other things, the experience one gets in bars is purely subjective – people like different types of music, different ambiance, etc. Still, we’re here to help, so we’ll try our best to list the 5 best bars in Singapore. If we miss some of your favorites, don’t be mad – there are a lot of truly great places here and the best we can all do is to simply enjoy them!

So, in no particular order:

1 – Altitude. Are you feeling a bit tired of all the commotion in Singapore? That’s understandable, it is a place that attracts a lot of people. So why not take a moment and get above all the noise and visit the city’s highest bar? Located at 282 meters above sea level, 1 – Altitude is a great three-in-one place that houses an al fresco bar (or the 1 – Altitude itself), the dance club Altimate, as well as the award-winning restaurant Stellar. All in all, the 1 – Altitude is not just a great bar, it’s one of the coolest places in Singapore! Level 61, 1 Raffles Place

Nearest MRT: Raffles Place

Sum Yi Tai. If you’re looking for something a bit different and want to plunge into the culture of Singapore, check out Sum Yi Tai. It’s fascinating restaurant-bar, located in a heritage shop house that’s based on a 1980s Hong Kong theme. On the first floor of this 3-floor delight you can try some Chinese tapas or an XO carrot cake. On the second floor you’ll find a dining club, and on the third floor – a great reservation-only rooftop bar. 25 Boon Tat Street

Nearest MRT: Telok Ayer

The Beast. Now that sounds like a place to visit, doesn’t it? It certainly is – freshly-baked cornbread, delicious pulled pork hash, cheese and mac burgers, chicken and waffles, and much more – a great selection of Southern treats for any taste. This cool bourbon bar is located in hip Kampong Glam precinct and is even open on Sundays. 17 Jalan Klapa

Nearest MRT: Bugis                                                

The Library. Pssst, do you want to hear a secret? Well, don’t look so uneasy – everyone knows it anyway. The Library is one of the most famous bars not only in Singapore, but in the world as a whole. But that’s not the secret – the secret is that its entrance is a… well… a bookshelf. Yes, it’s an appropriately named bar. To go through the bookshelf you’ll need to speak the password. Don’t worry – you can easily get that from the next-door British-style bistro, The Study. Once you’re inside, you’ll be greeted by a pleasant, subdued and alluring interior and great cocktails. 47 Keong Saik Road

Nearest MRT: Outram Park

House of Dandy. No list of Singapore bars would be complete without the House of Dandy. Built with a fascinating 1920s feel to it, the House of Dandy is a place that will launch you back a whole century, in the times of Wilde, Fitzgerald and Lewis. Whiskey, boutique spirits, cocktails, and cigars – everything to give you one unforgettable evening. 74 Tras Street

Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar

And there you have them – the 5 best (in our humble opinion) bars in Singapore! Enjoy!

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National Museum of Singapore

There are a lot of different types of tourism. Food tourism, beach tourism, sightseeing tourism, etc. They all include different activities and they all drive you to look for different things. However, no matter what kind of tourism you prefer, there are some places that just shouldn’t be missed when you are in a foreign country – the places that show you as much of the country’s history, culture and spirit as possible.

So even if you’re not a fan of museums and even if you intend to spend your vacation enjoying the nightlife, for example, or the countless food places in Singapore (and, boy, does Singapore offer a lot in that regard!), it’s still worth to visit at least one museum to get the feel of the city’s history. And if you want to do that, then the National Museum of Singapore is the one to check out.

The National Museum of Singapore is both the oldest museum in the country, and one of the most modernized museums in the world. Created all the way back in 1887 (or rather, in 1849 as a section of the library of Singapore, before it was moved at Stamford Road and established as a museum in its own right), today this is a museum with massive video screens and projections, immersive sound systems, and impressive presentations.

The building of the museum represents this duality quite perfectly as well – a mixture of beautiful neo-classic architecture and a modern extension of glass and metal. Additionally, it recently went through a 3-and-a-half year renovation, which finished with the reopening of the museum on December 2, 2006. Just 6 days later, on December 8, 2006, the Singapore History Gallery opened as well.

In past years, the museum used to focus quite a lot on a collection of zoological items, but those were later transferred to the National University of Singapore (NUS) and various other museums across the Commonwealth. Today, there are eleven major artefacts that are housed in the National Museum of Singapore, along with its hundreds of other exhibits:

The Singapore Stone – a fragment of a large sandstone slab from the mouth of the Singapore River.

The Gold Ornaments of the Sacred Hill from East Java

Dagguerreotype of Singapore Town which was one of the earliest photographs of Singapore

The will of Munshi Abdullah

The portrait of Frank Athelstane Swettenham

The hearse of Tan Jiak Kim

A Peranakan coffin cover

The mace of the City of Singapore commemorating King George VI’s raising of the island’s status to a city in 1951

The Xin Sai Le puppet stage

William Farquhar’s drawings of flora and fauna

The portrait of Shenton Thomas, who was the former governor of Singapore. Rocks from the nearby Fort Canning Hill were used to create two sculptures commissioned from Cultural Medallion-winner Han Sai Por.

All this, and much more awaits in in the National Museum of Singapore!

Or, if you’d rather check another museum while you’re here, see our list of the Top 5 Museums to Visit in Singapore.

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Budget Shopping in Singapore

We did already show you the Top 5 Shopping Areas in Singapore, however, there we mainly accented on the shopping areas as… well, as landmarks. Here, we thought we should mention some of the budget shopping places in Singapore. After all, traveling is not a cheap exercise, plus for the shopping maniacs out there, budget shopping simply has a very specific thrill to it, doesn’t it? Whether it is clothes, electronics, souvenirs, or anything else – a nice bargain just feels nice.

Also, keep in mind that a couple of items on this list might be the same as on the previous article. Nevertheless, there will be quite a few new additions here as well, so prepare for the shopping fiesta to commence!

Flea Markets

There are quite a few flea markets in Singapore and most of them are perfectly equipped to satiate your desire for cool and budget-friendly goods. For example, check out the SCAPE Marketplace in the very heart of the city. It’s the biggest flea market in Singapore and is an absolute weekend festival of amazing goods, fashion clothes and makeover, as well as handcrafted souvenirs and much more. It takes place every Friday and Saturday between 12 pm and 10 pm, giving you plenty of time to enjoy all of its colors and glory. Live music by a vast array of new, young and talented musicians will also make sure that you have the best possible time.

Bugis Street and Haji Lane

Yes, we already mentioned Bugis street and Haji lane in our previous article, but they are not just great shopping places, but amazing budget shopping options as well. Both Bugis street with its seemingly endless fashion shops and Haji lane’s indie shops and lifestyle boutiques are something that you just want to check out.

Mustafa Center

Another great place we mentioned before, the Mustafa Center in Little India is a place that simply has everything – DVDs and CDs, jewelry, kids’ toys, electronics, souvenirs, and much more. Open 168 hours a week, the Mustafa Center is a great place for any shopping fan.

City Plaza

City Plaza is a shopping mall, but don’t let this confuse you – it’s also the best place for you to find high-quality blogshop-sold items at half the price. How can that be, you might ask? Quite simple – the shops in the City Plaza are the same shops that supply Singapore’s blogshops as well!

IMM

With over 80 outlet stores, the IMM at Jurong is ideal for any outlet-lover. There you can find anything from huge international fashion labels like COACH or DKNY, to a great amont of midrange brands.

Of course, there are also a ton of other great shopping places in Singapore – after all, it wouldn’t be the tourist paradise it is, if this wasn’t so.

[rubyeyvankirkxo]

World War 2 sites in Singapore – Part 2

World War 2 sites in Singapore – Part 2

In an earlier post, we had recommended some well known World War 2 museums and memorials. However, there are other lesser known sites scattered around the island, some of which are marked only with a plaque. Here’s some other sites you should explore.

Bukit Batok Park Memorials

The Bukit Batok Memorials were 2 memorials built by the Australian prisoners of war during the Japanese occupation. The memorial for the Japanese war dead (Syonan Chureito) was a tall tower while a shorter cross was erected in the memory of the Allied was dead. Both of these memorials were built at the top of Bukit Batok hill and a series of steps led to the top. Unfortunately, during the impending defeat of the Japanese, the memorials were destroyed to prevent them from being desecrated by allied soldiers. Today, all that is left are the steps up the hill and a marker by the NHB marking the spot. The memorial is close to the Bukit Batok nature park, where you can enjoy a nice walk. Alternatively, you can also check out the former Ford Motor Factory nearby.

Old Ford Factory

The former Ford Motors Factory, located along Bukit Timah Road, was an important motorcar plant in its heydays. However, it is famous today for being the place where on 15 February 1942, the British armed forces in Singapore formally surrendered to the invading Japanese. The board room in which the surrender took place is currently preserved. During the war, the factory was used by the Japanese army for producing vehicles for their use. It was later operated again as a manufacturing plant till 1980, after which it was converted into a museum. Today it contains maps, oral history accounts and documents about the life during the occupation. The garden of the building shows the common crops grown by residents at that time.

War Memorial Park and Esplanade Park

The War Memorial Park in the city area contains the civilian war memorial. It was built to honour the civilian victims of the World War 2. The structure consists of 4 tall pillars (which look like chopsticks) pointing at the sky. Together, these four pillars represent the major communities in Singapore affected by the war. At a walking distance from this park is the Esplanade park which contains other world war memorials such as the Cenotaph (dedicated to British soldiers for their service in both wars) and the Lim Bo Seng memorial (dedicated to Lim Bo Seng, a prominent Hokkien businessman who was instrumental in building a network to gather intelligence about the Japanese forces).

The Battle Box

Want to experience an underground military complex? Check out the Battle Box, which is an underground bunker in Fort Canning. During the Battle of Singapore, it was used as a command centre by the besieged British forces and it was here that the decision to surrender was taken. Today it has been converted to a museum and offers an authentic experience of the fateful days of 1942. Please note that visits are by guided tours only and it is helpful to book the tours in advance to avoid disappointment!

War history not your thing and you prefer something else? Check out our other suggestions!

[rubyeyvankirkxo]

World War 2 Sites in Singapore – Part 1

World War 2 sites in Singapore – Part 1

Did you know that Singapore suffered a lot during the World War 2? At the start of the World War 2, Singapore was an important British military base in Southeast Asia. It was considered heavily fortified and was termed as an “impregnable fortress”. However, once the Japanese began the Malayan campaign in December 1941, the situation rapidly deteriorated. By February 1942, despite heroic efforts to defend it, Singapore fell to the Japanese. The next few years under Japanese occupation were hard and many residents had to endure hardships, before Singapore was finally liberated. The war years are documented in multiple museums, memorials and parks spread across the island. Take a break from the usual things to do in Singapore and explore some of the sites we think are worth visiting.

Changi Chapel and Museum

The Changi Chapel and museum commemorates the allied prisoners of war at the Changi Prison. The storyboards in the gallery contains information about life during the occupation. Artefacts from the occupation are also displayed. One of the highlights is the Changi Murals – a set of paintings originally painted during the war years which was later rediscovered. Outside the museum is a replica of the actual chapel built by the allied soldiers after being taken prisoner. There is guided tour available for those who want to learn about the occupation years in detail.

Reflections at Bukit Chandu

Housed in colonial era bungalow, the Reflections at Bukit Chandu is a museum dedicated to the Battle of Pasir Panjang. Located close to the actual battle site, it tells the story of the Malay Regiment which continued to fight despite being heavily outnumbered. The story of Adnan bin Saidi, who led the regiment, is particularly inspirational. The audiovisual shows retelling the history are worth experiencing! You can also explore the grounds of the bungalow which is home to a beautiful curated garden.

Kranji War Memorial

Located in Northern Singapore, the Kranji War Memorial is dedicated to the allied soldiers who lost their lives while defending Singapore. This solemn monument consists of a Commonwealth War Cemetery and 4 hilltop memorials. The largest of these is the Singapore memorial containing the names of those who died while fighting in Southeast Asia. Every year on Remembrance Sunday, a memorial service is held in honour of them. Also located nearby are the Kranji Military Cemetery and the State Cemetery where the first 2 presidents of Singapore are buried.

Fort Siloso

Located on the island of Sentosa, Fort Siloso was one of the original forts guarding Singapore’s harbour. Built in the 1880s, it housed coastal gun batteries intended to defend against an attack from the sea. During the world war 2 however, Japanese forces attacked from the north and the guns had to be turned and used inland against the invading forces. In recent years, it has been converted to a museum and various other coastal guns are also displayed here. For the history buffs, there are special guided tours available. Do checkout the Fort Siloso Skywalk and enjoy a walk among the treetops!