Free cultural activities, live performances, guided tours: What to expect at Racial Harmony Day Open House held from Jul 22 to 23

Members of the public can look forward to a variety of workshops, activities and guided tours at the Racial Harmony Day Open House held on Jul 22 and 23.

Hosted at the Indian Heritage Centre and Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, this year’s theme is Let’s Walk – Celebrating Harmony, where visitors are invited to “walk in another person’s shoes” to understand and appreciate another’s culture.

Free activities, live performances and a guided tour will be held across both days from 10am to 6pm at the Indian Heritage Centre.

One of such activities is a Perfumed Hanging Shoe Craft session where participants can create their own unique perfumed hanging shoe inspired by the designs of traditional Indian, Malay and Chinese footwear.

There will also be an ethnic attire dress-up station where visitors can try on cultural clothing. Visitors can also drop by the Traditional Games and Free Snacks booth to enjoy childhood games and snacks.

Those interested in learning more about Indian history and culture can join the free Permanent Galleries Guided Tour from 2pm to 3pm. Participants can discover star artefacts such as the late 19th-century Chettinad Doorway and the tiled Multan façade. The tour is free and will be available on both days.

For live shows, a total of six multi-racial cultural performances will be staged from 10am to 4.30pm on the first day. These include a Malay Cultural Dance by Sri Warisan, a Multi-ethnic Music Performance by yIN Harmony, and a Bharatanatyam Dance by Soo Mei Fei.

The Eurasian Association will stage the only Cultural Performance on the second day at 3.30pm.

Only available on Jul 22 is a multi-sensory journey to explore Singapore’s diverse religious landscape – the Soundscapes of Religions in Singapore. Visitors will encounter a variety of religious sounds such as the Christian hymns and Sikh kirtan, and learn about the cultural and religious significance behind them.

Admission to the tour is free with a refundable deposit of $10. Those interested can reserve their tickets via Peatix.

On the second day, a Harmony Afternoon Tea session will be conducted from 11am and 2pm. Visitors can enjoy Indian, Malay, Chinese and Eurasian cuisines while discovering the stories and traditions behind each dish.

The session will be conducted in English. Tickets for the programme can be purchased at $15 per pax.

Specially curated events will also be held at the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall throughout both days from 10am to 6pm.

Visitors can partake in free activities on both days. Some of these include decorating their own paper fans and trying out traditional games and snacks.

There will also be a live traditional music performance organised by KAUM Collective. The performance, titled Titik Temu (meeting point), brings together a collective of Minang Malay body percussionists and traditional Chinese and Indian musicians to create a new repertoire of sound and movement that is uniquely Singapore.

The performance is free to watch from 5pm to 5.30pm. It will feature performers such as Chinese musicians Garrett Ng on the pipa and Wee Dee on the dizi, traditional Indian musicians Raghavendran Rajasekaran on Indian classical flute, and Lalit Kumar on the tabla.

An escape game titled Lost in Time: The Case of the Missing Researcher will also be held on both days.

In groups of four to five, participants will be tasked to investigate the disappearance of a renowned researcher who has vanished while studying a mysterious 19th century artefact.

Tickets for the escape game cost $8 per pax. The session will be held from 11.30am to 1pm, 2.30pm to 4pm, and 4pm to 5.30pm on the first day. Slots on the second day will be available from 10am to 11.30am, and 1pm to 2.30pm. 

Visitors can opt to join the Permanent Galleries Guided Tour which will be available on both days. Through this tour, participants can gain insights into the impact of the 1911 Revolution on Singapore, as well as Singapore’s contributions to the Revolution.

The first session from 2.30pm to 3.30pm will be conducted in Mandarin, whereas the second session from 3pm to 4pm will be conducted in English. The tour is free with limited slots.

Only on the first day, there will be a Peranakan Beading Introductory Workshop from 2pm to 3.30pm, as well as from 4pm to 5.30pm. In this workshop, participants can learn about the Peranakan culture, gain basic knowledge and hands-on experience of Nyonya beading work. 

All the materials required will be provided for the workshop.

Organised by NHB Heritage Volunteers and the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Photography Club, a Balestier Multicultural and Architecture Photography Trail will also be held on the first day from 10am to 12pm. 

Participants will get to discover what makes the Balestier precinct unique such as its Malay road names, Burmese influences, and diverse architectural styles and elements that can be found there.

The trail is open to all regardless of photography experience. Admission to the trail is priced at $15 per pax. Members from Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s Photography Club will also share tips and tricks on photography during the session.

Additionally, a Special Exhibition Guided Tour will take place only on the second day. The 10.30am and 1.30pm sessions will be conducted in Mandarin and English respectively.

Named Connections Across Oceans: Early Chinese Mutual Aid Organisations, visitors can find out how the early Chinese mutual aid organisations played an important role to the early Chinese migrant community.

Further updates on the two-day event will be available on the social media pages of the Indian Heritage Centre, Malay Heritage Centre, and Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall.