Nocturnal Extravaganza in Night Festival, Singapore

We were fortunate to attend the 9th edition of Night Festival in Singapore. For 2 consecutive weeks every August, SG Night Fest transforms the Bras Basah street into a nocturnal extravaganza.

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The 5 zones across Armenian Street, National Museum of Singapore, Singapore Art Museum, Cathay Green & Singapore Management University are swamped with night owls.

Free Things to Do During Night Festival

1. The Armenian street is blocked for pedestrians to enjoy the live street and music performances from various renowned artists. Year over year, the light and sound show at  Singapore Art Museum & National Museum of Singapore exceeds the expectations of the crowd.

2. This year, Close Act, a street theater company, rocked the stage combining various arts forms include dance, music and stunts. Close Act was established in early 1990s and are renowned for their magical and hypnotic performances.                         Their performance was best suited to engage the hyper-excited crowd as they featured massive mobile creatures and extraordinary air objects. These gigantic animals emerged from anywhere in the crowd pumping the adrenaline up as they passed through.

Their costumes were so vibrant and their appearances were very distinctive. There were fire performers and drummers in silver costumes with scintillating makeup that captured my attention every now and then.                          3. Another attraction is the Peranakan Museum that has a free entrance during this fest. Here, one can see Singapore’s art, heritage and culture in a very different light. Long ago, given the geographic location, Southeast Asia attracted traders from all over the world who eventually married the locals and settled here giving rise to the Peranakan culture.

This museum is one of its kinds and represents the Peranakan culture in its true form. The museum has 9 galleries that cut across the weddings, language, lifestyle, rituals, food and festivity and pretty much everything you would crave to know about the Peranakans. I loved the prints and vibrancy of their clothing. Something very hard to find now.

4. Two blocks away, the street opens into Singapore Management University (SMU), which has lots stalls of authentic local cuisines and a lot of beer counters for a perfect evening!  We ended our day with sumptuous dinner and some cheerful music!

The street and music performances by local and international artists mesmerize the people. The joy of sitting on bean bags and enjoying live music under the sky is an incredible experience.

What’s interesting about the Night Festival is that both consecutive weekends have very distinct performances. To my sadness, we could go only on one weekend. Next time around, I would love to attend all four days. What a lovely end to an amazing experience!

Have you attended any carnivals or night festivals. Share them with us.