Amanda Parer's installation, Intrude, on the Padang during the Civic District Outdoor Festival
singapore event civic district outdoor festival
August is shaping up to be the month of events, what with an even greater plethora of happenings representing what inhabitants of the Lion City love the most: Hearty local fare, kopi, and public showcases of creativity—from the big screen to museum facades.
Get your fix at the Singapore Coffee Festival
4-6 August at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre
Talk about a caffeine convention—the Singapore Coffee Festival is the country's only coffee-centric festival that's housing top cafes and specialty coffee makers under one roof. Java junkies can look forward to partaking in a vast variety of brews while learning more about the beans, techniques and machines used to create them.
Related article: 6 Must-Try Coffee Drinks at the Singapore Coffee Festival 2017
Buy and sell local at Singapasar
4-6 August at National Design Centre
Taking inspiration from the distinctively Singaporean pasar madam, Singapasar has transformed the National Design Centre into a bustling marketplace filled with stalls celebrating locally designed or made products from home décor to trinkets inspired by some of your most loved dishes.
Watch Poetic Justice: Personalising Politics on Screen
4-6 August at The Arts House
Screening a series of contemporary fictional films from Southeast Asia, Poetic Justice: Personalising Politics on Screen presents a cinematic dialogue between movie makers and real-life political events; and the relationships between the real, the hypothetical, and the ideal world.
Run the night at the Civic District Outdoor Festival
4-5 and 11-12 August around the City Hall district
Revolving around the theme "When Time Stood Still", the inaugural Civic District Outdoor Festival will breathe life into Singapore's Civic District come sundown, with art installations, live music performances, roving acts and buzzing food and arts markets. Museum enthusiasts will be glad to know that the National Gallery, The Arts House, Asian Civilisations Museum and Victoria Theatre & Victoria Concert Hall will be opening their doors for all till midnight—just follow Hemera's Dream, an outdoor projection trail that beams kaleidoscopic images on all of these four participating institutions.
Watch Army Daze 2 on stage
4-20 August at Drama Centre Theatre
We’re calling it—it is your duty as a Singaporean to catch Michael Chiang's Army Daze 2 on stage. There will be characters you feel you’ve known your entire life, catchy songs that will have everyone singing in unison, hilarious local jokes—so leave all pretentiousness at the door—and a bunch of heart-warming personal stories that will hit close to home.
Be one of the first to catch the Singapore International Festival of Arts
5 August-9 September across various locations from Victoria Theatre to Aliwal Street
Focusing on the notion of an antidote against populism, alienation and excessive control, this year's SIFA is themed "Enchantment", boasting a myriad of lively, uplifting and awakening showcases of art. Guests can expect to immerse themselves in highly-interactive installations and performances across nine venues in the heart of the island's Arts and Heritage District.
Eat like a queen at Marina Bay Sands' Epicurean Market
11-13 August at Marina Bay Sands
Marina Bay Sands' Epicurean Market is back for its 5th run, and as expected—it is as luxurious as it is delicious than ever. Where else can you food hop from celebrity chef restaurant to Michelin-starred restaurant, savouring a stellar dish or two (or three) from each while meeting the noted chefs behind these joints? Couple that with masterclasses; pop-up bars with some of the finest whisky, cocktails and artisan spirits, like smooth, creamy Black Cow Pure Milk Vodka; and a Farmer’s Market, where you can get everything from seasonal vegetables to the ultimate oozy grilled cheese sandwich from Mozza’s second booth.
Spend the night under the stars at Films At The Fort
3-20 August at Fort Canning Park
Award-winning film? Check. Gourmet snacks? check. Starry night? Check. Movie nights are extra special at Films At The Fort, Singapore's premier open-air cinema event at the natural amphitheatre of Fort Canning Park. Just take your pick from the good ol' classics like "Top Gun" and "Greece" to the winner of this year's Winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture, "Moonlight".