Singapore is one of those places you think you know but beyond the picture perfect skyline and the bustling city centre, there is so much more for visitors to explore. This green, spirited city is constantly evolving, reinventing and reimagining itself. Around every corner, incredible experiences are being crafted, cooked, painted, designed, grown or built by locals who share a common trait: passion.
FOODIE NEWS
Swoon over top chefs at The GREAT Food Festival
21 – 24 September. This is Singapore’s largest food festival and is primed to be the gastronomic event of the year. A collaboration between Resorts World™ Sentosa and Savour Events, this foodie spectacle will showcase chefs from local and international Michelin-starred restaurants, cooking up a storm. Whether you have sweet or savoury taste buds, there will plenty for everyone to savour at this culinary extravaganza. Dessert lovers will want to make a beeline for the most delicious cakes, pastries and treats at Asia’s largest dessert fair. Those with a savoury tooth can stroll down Heritage Lane and try traditional cuisines from over 50 local chefs as they rustle up native dishes inspired by the culinary heritage of Thailand, Spain and Mexico, among other nations.
More information: https://www.tgff.com.sg/
Acclaimed London based restaurateur Alan Yau opens Madame Fan Famed “restaurateur” Alan Yau – the man behind Wagamama and Hakkasan – has opened his very first Southeast Asian venture in Singapore, Madame Fan. The doors opened on 23rd April and the 222-seater restaurant will showcase a playful but authentic take on Chinese cuisine. Acclaimed for giving Chinese cuisine a place among the upper echelons of the food world, Alan Yau lends his signature flair for balancing tradition with progression and challenges perceptions of what Southeast Asia dining should be.
More information: www.madamefan.sg
Singapore’s iconic NCO Club re-opens
The launch of Madame Fan is one of four eclectic concepts marking the re-opening of Singapore’s iconic NCO Club as the city’s fanciest multi-concept lifestyle destination. NCO Club venues will also include:
Fish Pool: An electrifying champagne, caviar and oyster bar in collaboration with Louis Roederer, embellished with a diving pool showpiece. With captivating performances to turn the energy up a notch, Fish Pool aims to become the rendez-vous for the city’s most glamourous events. www.fishpool.sg
Stags’ Room: An intimate wine room featuring a reserve of vintage and exclusive wines from America and Australia in partnership with Stags’ Leap and Penfolds. The lush lounge recreates a private estate experience, reflecting the tradition of grand hospitality from the estate founders at Stags’ Leap. www.stagsroom.sg
Cool Cats: A live music venue and speakeasy concept that will refresh Singapore’s cocktail scene with an edge of entertainment, with guest acts from both local and international music circuits. Cool Cats will open in early June.
More information: www.thencoclub.com
EXPLORER NEWS
Singapore Zoo celebrates 45 wild years with Rainforest Lumina
1 July 2018 – 19 February 2019. In July, Singapore Zoo will be unveiling Rainforest Lumina – an immersive rainforest night walk as part of its 45th anniversary celebrations this year. A first for South East Asia, Rainforest Lumina will invite adventure seekers to explore a 1km stretch of Singapore Zoo’s tropical rainforest at night that will integrate all the best sights and sounds of the jungle. The multisensory experience has been created by entertainment studio, Moment Factory, and will bring explorers into a lush and luminous universe as they discover the rainforest at night, when the animals are sleeping. Book early to secure your preferred dates.
For more information: https://rainforestlumina.wrs.com.sg/
The world’s first city Six Senses opens in Singapore
Bangkok-based Six Senses Group recently opened its world’s first urban Six Senses in Singapore on 15th April, joining a string of hotel openings in the city. A joint venture between the ultra-luxe hotel brand and Garcha Hotels (the brand behind the city’s Hotel Vagabond Club), Six Senses Singapore is split across two heritage buildings in the eclectic heart of Chinatown: Six Senses Duxton (now open) and Six Senses Maxwell (opening in October 2018) – both of them within walking distance of each other.
Located in Tanjong Pagar (Chinatown), Six Senses Duxton unites a row of heritage shop houses that have been sustainably restored by acclaimed British designer, Anouska Hempel. She has given each of the 49 guestrooms and suites a unique individuality so that no two are exactly the same. Six Senses Duxton is also home to Yellow Pot Restaurant, featuring traditional Chinese recipes with a contemporary approach, and Yellow Pot Bar, offering the hotel’s signature cocktail: Tanqueray gin and chrysanthemum cordial.
More information: www.sixsenses.com/locations/singapore/destination
ACTION SEEKER NEWS
Grand Prix Season Singapore returns with stellar entertainment line-up
7 – 16 September. Race fans, party goers, cultural connoisseurs, shopaholics and foodies will be able to enjoy more than a hundred exhilarating party, cultural, shopping and dining experiences across the island when Grand Prix Season kicks off in September. Held annually since 2008, this 10 day festival has distinguished itself as one that is not just about the race, but one complemented by a star-studded line-up of concerts, entertainment and lifestyle offerings both within the circuit park and throughout the city – the parties are bigger, the restaurants serve special menus and the city promises a wealth of exciting experiences beyond the racing event. 2018’s event marks the Grand Prix’s 10th edition in Singapore and will feature artists The Killers, Liam Gallagher, Dua Lipa, Simply Red and Martin Garrix to name a few. Book now, tickets just released.
For more information: www.singaporegp.sg
CULTURE SHAPER NEWS
Expect to be dazzled at the 2018 Singapore Night Festival
17 – 25 August. Art and culture will spill onto the streets when dusk falls at the Singapore Night Festival. The signature highlight of this nocturnal extravaganza will be the interactive light installations that turn the facades of the Singapore Art Museum and the National Museum of Singapore into works of wonder. Late night owls will enjoy the many events held late into the night and if you’re in town, don’t miss your chance to see Singapore’s heritage, arts and culture in an entirely different light.
For more information: http://nightfestival.sg/
Feast on mooncakes at the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival
24 September. Occurring every September, this festival marks the end of the autumn harvest. When night falls, families gather in places like Chinatown and Chinese Garden to feast on mooncakes, a traditional pastry which comes in a variety of flavours. Legend has it that they helped to free Yuan China from Mongol rule, after rebels organised an uprising by passing messages hidden in these seasonal sweets. During this festival, children carry and parade their lanterns with their families and friends. Since the Mid-Autumn Festival is about lunar appreciation, celebrations go into full swing once the sun goes down.
