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Despite its ultra-modern, futuristic façade, culture and religion remain entwined in Singapore, far more than in the West. Throughout the year, a constant stream of festivals and celebrations in the streets and temples reflect the diverse beliefs and backgrounds of this multicultural society, comprising of Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Sikhs. The Chinese calendar dominates and the Chinese New Year is the biggest festival of all, where everything shuts for several days. The city's art scene reflects the flavours of the region, with Malay, Chinese and Indian performances, art and music. Mainstream performing arts are also well represented, culminating in the Singapore Arts Festival (website: www.singaporeartsfest.com) held every June, which attracts international dance, theatre and music groups. Performers from overseas tend to be heavily oversubscribed and tickets should be booked well in advance; local performers are easier to see. Popular events also include local productions of Broadway hits. Free musical and theatrical performances are held regularly in local parks. Singapore is a good place to view and purchase local and Asian art and its cultural diversity means that local artists cover a broad palette of themes and styles. Notable galleries include the Singapore Art Museum, Bras Basah Road (tel: 6332 3222; website: www.nhb.gov.sg) and Artfolio, Raffles Hotel (tel: 6334 4677; website: www.artfolio.com.sg). Art2 at The Substation, Armenian Street (tel: 6337 7535; website: www.substation.org) specialises in contemporary works and the ARTrium, the galleries on the ground floor of the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts, MICA Building, 140 Hill Street (tel: 6270 7988; website: www.mica.gov.sg) is also worth a visit. A full list of independent and commercial art galleries is available from the Art Galleries Association (tel: 6235 4113; website: www.agas.org.sg) and from their member galleries. Local newspapers (the biggest English-language paper is the Straits Times) carry lists of daily events, and I-S Magazine is a free publication with good listings and reviews for exhibitions, dance, art and music. Additional information can be obtained from the National Arts Council (tel: 6746 4622; website: www.nac.gov.sg) or through the Singapore Tourism Board. Tickets can be booked through Sistic (tel: 6348 5555; website: www.sistic.com.sg) or Ticketcharge (tel: 6296 2929; website: www.ticketcharge.com.sg). |
Music: The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (tel: 6338 1230; website: www.sso.org.sg) gives regular performances including every Friday, Saturday and some Sundays at the Victoria Concert Hall, Empress Place (tel: 6338 6125; website: www.vch.org.sg), and at its home, the Esplanade Concert Hall (tel: 6828 8222; website: www.esplanade.com/) as well as open-air concerts.
Theatre: Local groups are extremely energetic in producing contemporary theatre with an Asian flavour, reflecting Singapore's ethnic diversity.
Dance: Ecnad Project (tel: 6226 6772; website: www.ecnad.org), is a young professional performing arts group going strong for over a decade, renowned for its cutting-edge, dynamic performances. Its base is at the Telok Ayer Performing Arts Centre, 182 Cecil Street.
Film: The annual Singapore International Film Festival in April (website: www.filmfest.org.sg) features documentaries and films from around the globe, in addition to other foreign film festivals throughout the year. The Starlight Cinema festival (website: www.starlightcinema.com) is a one-month season of outdoor screenings in Fort Canning Green, from mid-June.
Literary Notes: 'When in Singapore, feed at Raffles.' It was a good piece of marketing for the hotel by Rudyard Kipling, who came to Singapore after leaving India in 1889. In fact, Kipling spoke of 'a place called Raffles Hotel, where the food is as excellent as the rooms are bad'.