5 things to expect at the nationwide Wellness Festival from Jun 3 to 12
Featuring activities at attractions like Gardens by the Bay, Jewel Changi Airport and Sentosa, the festival is Singapore’s first nationwide effort to promote holistic well-being.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has planned a nationwide Wellness Festival from Jun 3 to 12 to promote holistic well-being, as part of its efforts to rejuvenate the tourism sector after two years of COVID-19 travel restrictions.
The festival will offer over 120 physical and virtual wellness initiatives from wellness and lifestyle businesses like fitness studios, malls, hotels and attractions. Although some are free, many workshops and curated experiences require a fee.
Here are some initiatives you can expect at the upcoming festival.
Wellness Sensorium
Hosted at Gardens by the Bay, this pop-up has six zones each designed to promote wellness through sensory experiences.
These include a Stone Ritual, which utilises stone stacking to heighten spatial awareness, and a Light and Sound Bath, which induces calm with slow-moving lights in a darkened environment.
Visitors to the sensorium can also participate in free yoga and barre classes organised by ClassPass. There are also workshops on improving well-being such as a slow-stitching meditation workshop by textile artist Agatha Lee.
The sensorium will take place from 2.30pm – 9.30pm on Jun 3, and 9.30am to 9.30pm from Jun 4 to 12.
Zentosa Fest
A play on Sentosa’s name, the Zentosa Fest will transform Sentosa into a wellness island retreat as part of Sentosa’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
Wellness lifestyle offerings such as curated wellness-themed staycation programmes and beach activities will be held across Sentosa from Jun 1 to 30, leveraging the island’s scenic environment to help guests relax and rejuvenate away from urban stressors.
Palawan Green, for instance, will host the Zentosa Festival Village, featuring masterclasses, sports workshops, and outdoor performances.
Arts experiences
To harness the power of the arts in nurturing social, emotional and mental well-being, the Wellness Festival will provide islandwide arts experiences in the heartlands and city centre.
For instance, there are visual and performance art workshops hosted by various locations for visitors to pick up skills such as Chinese percussion and Latin dance.
There are also offerings for all ages that families can participate in – like the Sound Bath experience by the National Gallery Singapore, which is recommended for 10 to 14-year-olds to listen to soothing music created by everyday objects.
Fitness and physical well-being activities
Jewel Changi Airport will host free fitness and health classes at the Shiseido Forest Valley for the weekend of Jun 11 and 12. One of the notable offerings is a mass Taichi workout led by 2015 SEA Games Wushu gold medallist Lee Tze Yuan.
Other cultural experiences include VegThisCity hosting a guided walking tour around Little India that will introduce participants to Ayurvedic practices, and a healthy Thai cooking class taught by Chef Donnapa of Greenhouse at Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore.
Those who don’t mind a little splurge can also indulge in a lunch or dinner cruise (from $225) aboard the Royal Albatross, a luxury tall ship at Sentosa. Wellness activities such as yoga, pilates, massages and singing bowl classes are available on board at extra cost.
Retail and food offerings
Crane at Arab Street will host a pop-up marketplace on Jun 4 and 5, featuring seven Made With Passion brands for health and wellness. Festival goers can also expect brand-led workshops such as Starter Culture’s kombucha workshop.
Wellness food tours will also be available – they include the TCM in Food tour, which introduces traditional Chinese medicine’s applications in food, and Family Farm Adventure, an outdoor tour of Kampung Kampis by Earth Adventures.
Capitaland will also hold a series of wellness programming and retail promotions across its malls through its Live it Up! initiative.
As the wellness industry is estimated to be a US$1.5 trillion (S$2.08 trillion) industry in the Asia-Pacific, STB said the Wellness Festival is central to its push for Singapore to be an urban wellness destination.
“As we emerge from the pandemic, we hope locals and visitors can rest and rejuvenate in Singapore, while discovering more of what our city has to offer,” said Ms Ong Ling Lee, STB’s Executive Director of Sports and Wellness.
More details on the festival schedule and offerings can be found on the Wellness Festival website.
