Singapore Night Festival 2022 Is Here With Stunning Projections, An Immersive Theatre Performance & More
Tip: Wear comfortable shoes
By Michelle Lee SM -
After a two-year hiatus, the Singapore Night Festival is back for its 13th edition, themed Rebirth, and buzzing with a line-up of 55 dazzling events. Come evening time from Aug 19 to 27, 2022 (7.30pm to 12am), watch as the Bras Basah-Bugis precinct comes alive, with a focus on the heritage and culture surrounding the area.
Apart from a highlight act at Cathay Green by local art collective Vertical Submarine, you can wander and discover six projection mapping installations, 15 Night Lights installations, five performance locations, five experiential programmes (including an SG Night Fest Food Tour), and a Festival Village bustling with an array of music performances and F&B experiences.
We took a tour, and here are some of the installations and experiences to catch. For a full list of installations, performances and programmes as well as timings, visit Singapore Night Festival's website.
Where: Cathay Green
What: The highlight of the festival is an immersive theatre performance by local art collective Vertical Submarine, and which takes places inside a recreation of the historical Cathay complex.
Be swept into the world of the Cathay Hotel, where you'll be unravelling the mystery of a curse from six decades ago that separated two lovers, and changed the ending of the Cathay film Lion City (1960), which inspires this production. You'll also encounter the inhabitants of Cathay Hotel, including Mat Bond, Orang Minyak, Pontianak, Mambo Girl and ASP Latiff. The duration of the performance is one hour.
When: Aug 19, 20, 24, 25, 26 & 27, 2022
Time: 7.30pm and 8.45pm, with additional show at 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays
Admission is at $33 per person or $112 for bundle of four (inclusive of 10 per cent booking fee and 7 per cent GST). Tickets can be purchased here.
Where: National Design Centre
What: Step into a futuristic garden landscape at the Terrarium, an installation within the National Design Centre that ponders future possibilities for nature, and how technology blurs the lines between what's living and what's truly alive.
Colour-changing botanical structures take centre stage, while animated projections light up the interiors of the building with vibrant imagery.
'Terrarium' by Aux Media Group, Binary Style, Papersynthesis and Bios: Living NFTs.
Catch a dance performance and botanical sculptures at Waterloo Centre
Where: Waterloo Centre
What: Festival-goers can also look forward to an exciting line-up of performances at five
different locations across both weekends during the festival. One of them's a roving performance at the Waterloo Centre, or rather, the 'Discoloo Centre' that recalls the vibrant nightlife of the precinct.
Further ahead, look out for the two plant-covered sculptures and captured in the midst of a conversation.
'Discoloo Centre' by P7:1SMA, and 'Nocturne: Conversations with Waterloo' by Nhawfal Juma'at.
Where: National Musuem of Singapore
What: One of the highlights each year is the projections on the iconic facade of the National Museum of Singapore. This year, the projections take inspiration from Singapore's mythical origins dating back to the 14th century, showcasing significant historical locations like the wall carvings and royal bath at Fort Canning Park, as well as the legend of Badang.
'Stories from Forbidden Hill' by Maxin10sity.
Get in the party mood at Armenian Street, which will be buzzing with a line-up of performances, including dance performances (from hip hop to traditional), as well as musical acts, a juggling act by a circus artist and even Chinese opera. And if you're feeling peckish, there'll be an array of F&B booths, too. Click here for the dates and timeslots.
Plus, catch the Palimpsest (which means a manuscript page) installation while you're there, which combines digital images, text and sounds that pay homage to the pulsating energy and history of the now-pedestrianised Armenian Street.
'Palimpsest' by William Chan and Brandon Tay
Where: Stamford Clock Tower
What: The Stamford Clock Tower located at a busy intersection will be emblazoned with several digital projections by different artists. This includes Glitches of You by visual artist Amanda Tan, which pairs manipulated video footage of the Bras Basah area and archival material with soundscapes composed by local musician Intriguant.
There's also The Melting Pot by Adeline Tan and Benedict Teo, an ode to the multicultural communities who lived and around the Bras Basah area.
Last but not least, there's Madeleine by Lueur, which showcases Singapore's historical landmarks and cultural milestones in vivid pop art-style imagery.
Where: SMU Green
What: Bras Basah (or beras basa) means "wet rice", and this interactive installation with glowing inflatable structures invites visitors to build a rice plant, or construct their own creations - and of course, makes for lots of fun photo ops.
Fecundus, by Twardzik Ching Chor Leng
Where: Outside Raffles City
What: Taking inspiration from lighthouses that are representative of being beacons of hope, this structure by artist Speak Cryptic comprises five figures stacked on one another's shoulders. At the top, there's a roof of a traditional kampung house, which signifies shelter and safety as we slowly transition into "the new normal".
'An Ocean Without The Anchor', by Speak Cryptic.
Where: Stamford Arts Centre
What: Traditional Eastern figures meet modern elements with this tongue-in-cheek light installation by local visual artist and designer Justin Lee, which you can find right in front of the Stamford Arts Centre.
'Celebration of Life+Style' by Justin Lee.