5 events to look out for at Somerfest 2022 in Somerset

Somerfest 2022 will run from Nov 25 to Dec 18 along the Somerset area, featuring 23 ground-up projects led by youths. 

Organised by the Somerset Belt and the National Youth Council, it aims to celebrate the aspirations of youths who are shaping Somerset Belt into a vibrant communal space.

The projects are from the Realise Your Somerset Project (RYSP) open call from April to May, as well as Sandbox Somerset. They cover various topics, ranging from mental well-being to sports and arts programmes. 

Here are five projects you can look forward to:

Tunes of Somerset Belt is a concert produced by renowned flautist, Niranjan Pandian, and performed by Indo-ASEAN contemporary ensemble Brahmastra and singers Izat Ibrahim, Krysta Joy, Dita Jacob, Rebekah Sangeetha Dorai and Jazima.

The concert tells the stories of five individuals who have been actively contributing to the landscape of Somerset Belt through original music pieces inspired by their stories. 

Ilina Hats and Krysta Joy were the lyricists for some of these pieces.

The concert will be held on Nov 27, 7.30pm at the Somerset Youth Park and admission is free.

This project will feature competitions, performances, workshops, and challenges for all fitness levels to provide an accessible and safe space for youths to discover and explore parkour. 

Participants will also learn how to engage in high-intensity sports like parkour with safety in mind.

Parkour @ The Belt is organised by Parkour Singapore, a registered society managed by pioneer practitioners of the sport. The society has previously organised the Asian Parkour Championships and local monthly gatherings for Singapore practitioners.

Further details on upcoming sessions and performances can be found on their Instagram, and the registration link for activities including the beginner workshops can be found here.

Green Arena 2.0 aims to bring people together physically through new experiences. It is organised by Green Drumming, the leading recycled drumming group in Singapore. They aim to ignite creative ideas through music, arts and sustainability. 

Through the process of making rhythm with repurposed materials, participants get to explore their creative talents in a fun, unique way, and form new memories.

This activity also reduces waste by turning everyday objects or junk materials into instruments.

There will be an exhibition from Dec 6 to 18 at Somerset Youth Park, and a workshop on Dec 18 with up to 120 participants in three groups at Somerset Youth Park and Somerset Skate Park.

Project Re:ground is an initiative by Youth Corps Singapore in collaboration with the Health Promotion Board that advocates for the importance of mental well-being and peer support as a life skill.

There are two parts to the project, starting with Re:ground @ Dungeon, a space where youth can take a break and ground themselves through activities that can support them in regulating their emotions and mental well-being.

Re:ground @ Dungeon runs every Thursday night from 6.30pm to 9.30pm at The Red Box.

The second part is the Community Peer Supporter Programme, where peer supporters champion mental wellness through serving in the Programme.

The phrase gotong royong refers to the spirit of volunteerism where people work together for the benefits of the others in the community. 

This project aims to encourage bonding regardless of racial and cultural backgrounds. It integrates aspects of Malay culture into new technology with dance challenges, traditional games and arts and crafts.

The exhibition consists of three parts, namely Shared Hardships, which will tap on Malay music, Reflection, which will showcase Malay motifs and batik, and Stronger Together, a dikir barat performance.

The project is organised by a dedicated group of youths from the National University of Singapore and National Technological University. They were brought together by a shared vision of rekindling the spirit and revolution of gotong royong through Malay culture.

There will be a teaser for the project from Nov 24 to 26, with the main showcase happening from Dec 26 to Jan 2 at Somerset Youth Park. Admission is free.