Wonder World - The Machine Of Nostalgia, located at Cathay Green, is the highlight act for Singapore Night Festival. SINGAPORE – Singapore Night Festival (SNF) has made its 15th edition bigger and better, extending its run to three weekends and adding a fourth festival village. Festival director David Chew says: “People tell us that they hear about the festival only when it is about to end, so we decided to extend it by one more weekend.
” Themed Art Of Play, SNF – which takes place in the Bras Basah-Bugis district from Aug 23 to Sept 7 – looks back at memories of childhood and play. The area was home to some of the first schools in Singapore, including Convent Of The Holy Infant Jesus, St Joseph’s Institution and Tao Nan School. Mr Chew says: “The feedback over the last two years is that the focus on heritage is a lot stronger and comes across more seriously.
” Keeping the feedback in mind, the festival team looked for artists who would revive a sense of childhood playfulness through their installations and programmes. The highlight of SNF 2024 is Wonder World – The Machine Of Nostalgia, inspired by the amusement parks that were popular in 1950s Singapore. Created by contemporary artist Sam Lo, better known as SKL0, the amusement park on Cathay Green is home to game stalls, rides and live performances.
Tickets are required for entry to Wonder World and can be bought for $25 via Klook or the SNF website to be redeemed on-site. Each ticket comes with 10 preloaded tokens, which can be topped up in $10 increments, to be used for rides and games. In addition to the usual festival villages at the Singapore Management University Campus Green, Chijmes and Armenian Street that close at 11pm, the latest addition is Twilight Playground @ GR.
iD. Aimed at young adult festivalgoers, it will be open until midnight for those seeking an afterparty of sorts. Most festivalgoers fall between the ages of 20 and 39, according to SNF’s past surveys.
Though the festival hopes to attract a wider demographic, Mr Chew says the older crowd could be better suited to the Singapore HeritageFest, organised by the National Heritage Board. He says: “What we really want to focus on is engaging audiences who typically do not step foot in museums. My hope is that they’ll be attracted by the light installations or festival villages, but then walk over to Objectifs or the National Museum of Singapore and step inside for the first time.
” SNF’s most accessible draws are the plethora of projection mapping works on the facades of buildings. The festival has turned this annual tradition into an upskilling opportunity by offering an intensive training programme, taught by Malaysian light artist Abdul Shakir, to four artists a year. Mr Chew says: “The good thing is that it’s definitely opened up this whole field to artists who formerly did only paper, murals or other physical artworks.
“However, sometimes it can be a lot for them, because they might need crash courses on Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator before they can begin the projection mapping part.” Scents Of Being is the second collaboration between Singapore Night Festival and lifestyle brand Aesop. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM Besides the projection mapping, the light installations have also become an Instagram staple over the years.
Luxury cosmetic brand Aesop has returned for its second collaboration after its first outing in 2017. Titled Scents Of Being, the bamboo-like forest at the National Design Centre is a quiet space for visitors to reflect on the connections between scent and self. Aesop creative director Ai Kato tells The Straits Times via e-mail: “We have created a setting in a dim, metaphorical forest where the unknown invokes intrigue – inviting exploration into the unknown and encouraging visitors to reconnect with their sense of wonder and curiosity, discovering the self.
” Mr Chew hopes this diverse range of offerings will prove a winning formula for visitors. “It’s a fine balance. We want to focus on the direction and topic of Singapore and the precinct’s history.
But we also mustn’t forget that SNF has quite a party vibe and should be fun.” Book it / Singapore Night Festival Where: Various locations When: Aug 23 to Sept 7 Admission: Free and paid Info: nightfestival.gov.
sg 5 other highlights With more than 50 programmes across three weekends, there is something for everyone. Here are some of ST’s top picks. The #WaterlooStKakis return to SNF with this second collaboration between Centre 42, Objectifs, P7:1SMA, Singapore Management University’s Arts and Culture Management Centre and The Theatre Practice.
From performances to photo exhibitions to a preview of food artist Kuah Kai Wen’s new menu, the wide-ranging programme will bring this heritage street to vibrant life. Where: Waterloo Street When: Aug 23 to Sept 7, various times Admission: Free and paid Info: str.sg/pXkr Throw away the memories of schoolday challenges and heal your inner child at a gym space filled with stuffed animals and a disco bus that becomes a portal to fun, as well as Affirmation Steps that lift your spirits.
Where: Bugis Street Art Lane, 92 Arab Street When: Aug 23 to Sept 7, 7.30pm to midnight daily Admission: Free Info: str.sg/6c6S Settle down for a night of board games, food and drinks under a moonlit sky with friends and family.
Where: Sundeck Level 3, National Museum of Singapore, 93 Stamford Road When: Aug 23, 24, 30, 31 and Sept 6 and 7, 7pm to midnight Admission: Paid on site; no pre-registration Info: str.sg/3Hdyk Discover the darker side of Singapore’s heritage as told through stories of ghostly encounters and the lore behind the hauntings. The programme is organised by Supernatural Confessions.
Where: Begins at Peranakan Museum, 39 Armenian Street When: Aug 23, 29, 30, 31 and Sept 6 at 6.30, 8, 9 and 10.30pm Admission: $35 Info: str.
sg/tjyQ In this sequel to the 2023 production The Bird, The Squirrel And The Sambar Deer Of Bukit Larangan, a young camper and animals race against one another to search for the truth about a sacred tree. Where: Fort Canning Rise near Registry of Marriages, 7 Canning Rise When: Aug 23, 24, 30, 31 and Sept 6 and 7 at 8.30pm Admission: Free Info: str.
sg/v9Re Rumble with rhyme and rhythm Get ready to watch a battle of epic proportions in a wrestling ring. But, rather than MMA sportsmen, poets will take to the mat. Presented by Spoke & Bird, Poetry Fight Night –a monthly poetry reading and performance series – involves poets squaring off in battles that pit different styles and generations against one another.
This verbal sparring is part of Wonder World – The Machine Of Nostalgia, the highlight act for Singapore Night Festival, which takes the form of an old amusement park located on Cathay Green. READ MORE HERE Play with an interactive installation inspired by Peranakan beadwork Make music and interact with a light installation at the Peranakan Museum. At the Between Threads light projection on the facade of the museum visitors can change the images on the windows by pressing one of 14 interactive buttons.
The buttons, which will be cleaned daily, correspond to different notes, creating a musical element to the installation. READ MORE HERE Pedal to relive heyday of Chinese street opera Hop on a tricycle and pedal away to recreate the sights and sounds of Chinese opera. Opera In Motion at the National Design Centre harks back to the days when opera shows were a common sight.
Stacked high with tarpaulin-covered boxes as if packed up by an opera troupe heading to their next show, the tricycle is also a seldom used form of transport in Singapore these days. READ MORE HERE Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel now.
