Singapore Night Festival 2023 to be held Aug 18-26; features indoor roller skating rink, installations, experiential programmes

The annual Singapore Night Festival (SNF) will return for its 14th edition at the Bras Basah.Bugis (BBB) precinct from Aug 18 to 26 from 7.30pm to 12am every night. 

This year’s festival, themed Singapore, the Great Port City, aims to highlight Singapore’s evolution from a port city to today’s modern metropolis.

Visitors can explore four projection mapping works, 12 Night Lights installations, two roving performances, two experiential programmes, one stage performance, nine partner programmes, as well as three Festival Villages that will offer performances and F&B experiences.

Illuminating the cultural buildings in the BBB precinct are the four projection mapping installations by local and international artists. Festival-goers can gather on the lawn in front of the National Museum and marvel at the collaborative project 700 Years by illustrator Muhammed Izdi, playwright Zizi Majid, and French digital artist Jérémie Bellot.

Historic building CHIJMES will also be adorned with works including Birth in Bloom by Ashley Yeo, Port(al) City by Chris Chai, and Evolution of Bras Basah Entertainment Scene by Sadiq Mansor.

The highlight act this year is titled Time is a Black Circle. The space, which takes the form of an indoor roller skating rink at the National Museum, aims to “reimagine the lively disco scene of the BBB precinct”.

Curated by visual artist Dawn Ng, visitors can skate along to famous songs by popular artists in the past such as The Silver Strings and Rita Chao.

The act also pays tribute to the nostalgic era and the discothèques which used to be in the area.

The programme will be held from Aug 19 to 27 from 7.30pm to 11.30pm with the last entry at 11pm. Early bird tickets are priced at $22 from Jul 18 to Aug 17.

A total of 12 Night Lights will illuminate the areas around the BBB precinct throughout the festival. Through them, visitors can learn about Singapore’s extensive journey as a trading port.

One of the installations A Stone’s Throw (Away) by WY-TO Group – located at the Banyan Tree at the National Museum – is inspired by the legendary southeast asian tale of Badang. Another installation is Rimbun by Shakir a.k.a Grasshopper, which features colourful motifs inspired by traditional wood carving, batik, and songket being projected onto the plants at Farquhar Garden.

Other Night Lights include the #SGNIGHTFEST by Pan United Corporation Landscape, A Global Bugis Phisi by Tay Swee Siong, “Flowing Water Road” shrine by Mindflyer Landscape, SeaScape Symphony by 27June Studio Landscape, The Island at the End by Wong Lip Chin, X O X (two kisses and a hug) by Critical Craft Collective located outside Stamford Arts Centre, Preserving Paradise by Teo Huey Ling at Armenian Street, and Floresecence by Krisal Melson at Bugis Street’s multi-story car park.

Also part of the Night Lights installation is Asia’s largest GIF showcase GIFFEST III: IMPERFECT by EYEYAH!. In collaboration with SNF and The National Design Centre, the showcase is meant to “reimagine the festival’s theme on port cities”. 

It will be held throughout the duration of the festival from 7.30pm to 12am at the LED Wall outside SUPERMAMA. Admission to the showcase is free.

Apart from the many installations, festival-goers can look forward to a line-up of performances across both festival weekends. Different interpretations of Singapore, the Great Port City by local artists, bands, and theatre companies will be staged at three locations within the BBB precinct.

Capitol Singapore will stage a jazz performance with “an Asian twist” at Jazz’in at Capitol Singapore – A Night in Asia. A total of eight acts including The Jazz Djogets, The Sugar Bees, and Shanghai Jazz Club will perform on both festival weekends.

The #WaterlooStKakis collective will showcase Waterloo Street Stories through outdoor music, audio plays, movement responses, and exhibition.

Those interested in watching the performances can do so for free. The full event timings and dates can be found here.

Event-goers can also explore Waterloo Street as part of the NightFest Photo Walk by Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film.

This walk will bring participants around the street to discover the hidden facets of its temples, art spaces, and markets. No photography experience is required for the walk and participants are allowed to bring any camera that they are comfortable with.

The sessions will be held across the two weekends. Session 1 will be held on Aug 18 and 19 from 7.30pm to 8.30pm, and Session 2 will be held on Aug 26 and 27 from 8.30pm to 9.30pm. Tickets for the walk are priced at $22 per pax.

F&B stalls and live performances can be found at the Main Festival Village at Singapore Management University Campus Green. This initiative is in collaboration with SNF and the Singapore Management University Arts Festival and The Social Post.

The festival will see schools from around the BBB precinct such as LASALLE College of the Arts, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, School of the Arts, and SMU. Additionally, there will also be two satellite Festival Villages accompanying the main one; Festival Village at Armenian Street and Festival Village at CHIJMES.

More information about the full event programmes will be released in the coming weeks on SNF’s website.