comma Creative Arts Festival 2025

It seems like only yesterday when we clinked glasses under the fireworks-lit night sky during the many New Year’s countdown parties happening all over Singapore. Unfortunately, our 9-5s beckon once again while we sober up from the bustling holiday season, but that doesn’t mean the festivities have to halt once we cross over to 2025.

That’s because the comma Creative Arts Festival has graced the Somerset Belt as we speak. This January, visitors to the Somerset precinct will be able to catch a whole host of dazzling performances and activities when they swing by the fringes of the town. Here’s what to expect, in case you’re looking for some respite after clocking out to tide you through the month.

What is comma Creative Arts Festival?

Image credit: *SCAPE

comma is a creative arts festival organised by *SCAPE and Somerset Youth Park, to celebrate emerging local artists while highlighting Singapore’s budding creative scene at the Somerset Belt. It’s happening from now till 26th January 2025, at various locations within *SCAPE in Somerset.

Visitors can head to the comma Creative Arts Festival website for the full list of showcases and performances, and to register and buy tickets for ones they’d like to catch. Some activities you can sign up for include hands-on workshops, along with various dance spectacles, dance films, and intriguing art installations to marvel at.

1. Somerset Threads

Interactive theatrical experience, pretty murals & a guided tour of Somerset

For a deep dive into the surrounding Somerset precinct, sit in for the Somerset Threads live-action theatrical experience. However, you won’t stay snugly seated on your bums for this one, as the experience will bring onlookers all around the Somerset Belt to learn about its various quirks.

Image credit: *SCAPE

You’ll be accompanied by a duo of charismatic hosts as they invite you to take part in The Greater Somerset Simulation: Somerset Threads Live Theatrical Experience. Highlights include viewing the street art peppered around the neighbourhood, fun games to partake in, and interactive and relatable segments such as a heated housing auction war.

The working hands NOW and THEN by ANTZ is another playful mural that’ll definitely catch your eye.
Image credit: *SCAPE

Some of the pretty murals you’ll get to appreciate include Flash-C by Eunice Hannah Lim. Their work cheekily draws inspiration from the “flash” phenomena; think the flash floods of Orchards and the flashy subculture kids of the past.

Additionally, you can go on even more field trips in the area with their Somerset Threads: Out with The Researcher activity. Participants will be given a disposable camera to snap away with, as theatre professional and researcher Khoo Ee Hoon takes you on an educational tour of the Somerset Belt and its many landmarks.

The Greater Somerset Simulation: Somerset Threads Live Theatrical Experience
Admission: From $25
Location: Around the Somerset Belt district, registration at Somerset Skate Park
Date: 17th, 18th, 24th & 25th January 2025
Time: 7.30pm-9pm
Contact: The Greater Somerset Simulation: Somerset Threads Live Theatrical Experience website

Somerset Threads: Out with The Researcher!
Admission: Free, registration required
Location: Around the Somerset Belt district, registration at *SCAPE Level 5
Date: 18th January 2025
Time: 10am-12pm
Contact: Somerset Threads: Out with The Researcher! website

2. Lost Arts Found

Try your hand at workshops such as bleach painting & rangoli making

For those with a creative mind of their own, look no further than the Lost Arts Found project. It’s a residency devoted to preserving and rediscovering Singapore’s vanishing trades, by inviting the public to try their hands at a couple of under-appreciated cultural crafts.

Image credit: *SCAPE

Some of the workshops you can immerse yourself in include bleach painting, rangoli making, and kueh making. For a breather, there’ll also be performances inspired by traditions of yesteryear to sit in for too. By the way, these workshops and performances are completely FOC; you just have to book a slot via the Lost Arts Found page.

Admission: Free
Location: *SCAPE Level 5, #05-02
Date: 4th-26th January 2025
Time:
Workshops – Fri-Sun 4pm-5.30pm, 5.30pm-7pm
Performances – Fri-Sat 8pm-10pm

3. HOMEGROUND

Catch explosive street dance showcases

Image credit: *SCAPE

Dance enthusiasts are in luck, as dance performances are aplenty at comma Creative Arts Festival. HOMEGROUND is a street dance showcase that serves as a stage for Singapore’s budding dancers to strut their stuff, while bringing the local community together to foster a sense of unity and collaboration.

Image credit: *SCAPE

Even if you can’t quite bust a groove yourself, just watching the talented crews do their thing on the dance floor can be mighty entertaining too. Feast your eyes on stunning moves of diverse styles during the HOMEGROUND – School’s Out showcase, featuring students from the likes of NUS, NTU, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, and ITE Central.

Later in the day, other names to look out for include dancers from *SCAPE’s Break the Frame residency programme, as well as crews like Limited Edition, Lion City Lockers, and Artistate Hip Hop Youth Crew.

HOMEGROUND – School’s Out!
Admission: $5
Location: *SCAPE Level 2, The Ground Theatre
Date: 25th January 2025
Time: 2.30pm-4pm

HOMEGROUND – Choreographers & Dance Crew Showcase, Exhibition Battle and Dance Block Party
Admission: $5
Location: *SCAPE Level 2, The Ground Theatre
Date: 25th January 2025
Time: 7.30pm-9pm

4. VarsiBeats

Sing along to tunes from talented local musicians

Image credit: *SCAPE

On the other hand, swing by the festival’s highly-anticipated VarsiBeats for a medley of tunes that will have you unconsciously clapping and humming along. It’s a huge inter-varsity jam that brings together various student bands from all over the Little Red Dot to belt out a variety of hits that span a wide range of genres.

From infectious singalongs to soulful ballads and electrifying riffs, expect to call for an encore when the spotlight shines on these aspiring musicians. Some names to get you all excited include SUTD Bands, SMU SoundFoundry, NYP Crew Studio, and NUS Amplified.

Admission: From $17
Location: *SCAPE Level 5, The TreeTop
Date: 25th January 2025
Time: 6pm-10pm

5. MOV:MENT Lab Exhibition

Enjoy thought-provoking dance films

Movie dates aren’t off the table too at comma Creative Arts Festival, as you can catch a couple of flicks during your visit. However, these aren’t your typical blockbusters; as part of the MOV:MENT Lab Exhibition, there are 5 dance films for you to pick from, and all of them are equally thought-provoking so there’ll be no shortage of post-movie discourse here.

Image credit: *SCAPE

For instance, SOUTHWEST CORNER is an aptly-timed tale about a divorced mother-turned-feng shui master who decides to blend movement, songs, and rituals to help her son find a wife during the CNY period.

Image credit: *SCAPE

For a more visual affair, tune in to SING ME A SONG WHILE I SLEEP, which follows a woman with a disability who seeks immortality by tapping into the myth of Chang’e and the raw energy of krumping.

Admission: Free
Location: *SCAPE Level 3, #03-02
Date: Now till 26th January 2025
Time: 1pm-9pm

Swing by comma Creative Arts Festival 2025 this festive period

If you need a reason to get out of the house before you’re swamped with the upcoming CNY celebrations, pay a visit to the comma Creative Arts Festival. Whether you’re a dance fanatic or a film buff, there’ll be something artsy to get up to this January at the Somerset Belt.

Learn more about comma Creative Arts Festival 2025

This post was brought to you by the National Youth Council, *SCAPE, and the Somerset precinct.
Cover image adapted from: *SCAPE