Culture
Welcome to the region’s foremost cultural venue, where tradition and the modern arts meet!
The vibrant cultural scene here sees more than 5,000 ticketed performances annually, with an exhilarating variety of high-class international acts and mega world premieres. In 2010, you can expect even more of the best with the highly anticipated opening of the two integrated resorts, home to some major performance arenas.
International Festivals
In Singapore, you can explore the wide range art forms from music and dance, to theatre and the visual art in what is arguably the region’s busiest cultural calendar.
Singapore plays host to several major festivals throughout the year. The Singapore Arts Festival is the biggest of these, with artists from more than 20 countries and over 400 activities lined up during its four-week run. Characterised by newly-commissioned works by local, Asian and international artists which transcend cultural and geographical boundaries, its extraordinary core productions are supplemented by a host of free outdoor performances held islandwide.
Music
Billed as Singapore’s most eclectic music festival, Mosaic is a celebration of great international music which cuts across all genres. Hosted by the world-class Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, the annual affair has drawn many top acts over the years that will enthrall you.
Our state-of-the art facilities have also attracted many leading musicians, from Dianne Reeves to Youssou N’Dour, and international pop acts like Keane and Lady Gaga.
Visual Art
Prominent on the arts calendar is the Singapore Biennale, Singapore’s largest international biennale of contemporary art, reaching out to over 505,000 visitors through a concurrent series of thought-provoking exhibitions and programmes.
Something spectacular you can look forward to is the opening of the National Art Gallery in 2013, after a major transformation of two historic buildings in Singapore. The Gallery will house the nation’s 8,000-strong collection, comprising mainly Singaporean and Southeast Asian pieces. In the meanwhile, the Singapore Art Museum, the National University of Singapore Museum, and a good number of private galleries are worth checking out.
Museums
Museum enthusiasts will love the quality and diversity of Singapore’s over 40 museums. Ranging from the eminent National Museum and Asian Civilisations Museum to niche collections at the Peranakan Museum, Philatelic Museum, and the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, these institutions showcase the best of our local and regional heritage.
Film and Theatre
Singapore’s first-rate staging facilities have paved the way for many world-class theatrical performances. Audiences here have been moved by the Royal Shakespeare Company’s King Lear, and been stirred over musicals such as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera and Cats.
Local theatre also affords afficionados outstanding performances and stunning sets, occasionally even over a picnic at the Fort Canning Park, as with recent productions by the Singapore Repertory Theatre. You can also celebrate the best of homegrown productions with companies such as WildRice and Toy Factory.
Film buffs will enjoy the annual Singapore International Film Festival as well as niche events such as the French and German Film Festivals.
Literature
The Singapore Writers Festival is one of very few multilingual literary fests in the world. Its programme often weaves English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil literature together with other art forms like music, theatre and film.
Ticketing
Getting tickets is a breeze through SISTIC, Singapore’s largest ticketing service provider, either online or from its many outlets. Not just a ticket seller, SISTIC an informative comprehensive synopsis of coming events via its website. Other ticketing agents for sports and entertainment are tickets.com and Gatecrash.