If you walk around Singapore's streets for long enough, you're likely to come across some sort of streetside cultural event , most usually a wayang , or Chinese opera, played out on tumbledown outdoor stages that spring up overnight next to temples and markets, or just at the side of the road. Wayangs are highly dramatic and stylized affairs, in which garishly made-up and costumed characters enact popular Chinese legends to the accompaniment of the crashes of cymbals and gongs. Wayangs take place throughout the year, but the best time to catch one is during the Festival of the Hungry Ghosts , when they are held to entertain passing spooks, or during the Festival of the Nine Emperor Gods. The STB may also be able to help you track down a wayang, and as usual the local press is worth checking, or you could pop along to the Chinese Opera Teahouse, 5 Smith St (tel 323 4862), where S$15 buys you Chinese tea and an opera performance with English subtitles. Another fascinating traditional performance, lion dancing , takes to the streets during Chinese New Year, as do puppet theatres.