Summer is here! Not that it makes a difference on this sunny island all year round, but let’s count ourselves lucky, as hot weather opens us to the world of outdoor escapades. With half the year over in a flash, there’s just 6 months left to check items off our 2016 bucket lists. If you’re looking for more fun outing ideas, fret not, because a whole wave of exciting events await.
Here’s our special edition of 20 new and fun things to do in Singapore this July!
Old Kallang Airport Source
Now this is something to add to your repertoire of crazy things attempted – partying at an abandoned airport. Part of The O.P.E.N., a prelude to the Singapore International Festival of Arts, Club Malam transforms Singapore’s very first commercial international airport – the Old Kallang Airport – into an explosive arts event where music, digital media, installation and performance collide.
Leap through space and time at this once in a lifetime event inspired by Singapore’s night scenes of the 1940s and 1950s, and you’ll be assured of a night of freedom, adventure, and excitement! Step in, if you’re game.
When: 7 – 9 July 2016, 6:30 pm – 11 pm
Where: Old Kallang Airport, 9 Stadium Link, Singapore 397750
Entry: $10 for O.P.E.N. single entry ticket, get tickets here
Website
The Singapore Food Festival returns this year bigger than ever, bringing along with it the signature STREAT – the pig out event of the year. With an outstanding cast of hawkers and chefs gathering to dish out uniquely Singaporean food, this is the beacon of local cuisine for everyone to indulge in. Expect top-notch flavours, great prices and a contented belly.
This is one of the culinary highlights that shouldn’t be missed. If you consider yourself as a Singaporean, live up to your national identity a.k.a foodie and be sure to check out this pop-up event of the year!
When: 15 – 16 July 2016, 5 pm – 10:30 pm
Where: Clifford Square, Fullerton Bay, 1 Fullerton Road, Singapore 049213
Entry: Free admission
Website
With July comes Singapore’s iconic outdoor event, Ballet Under The Stars, which reaches its 21st edition this year. If you haven’t taken the chance to check it out, this is the year to tick it off your list, as Singapore Dance Theatre will be presenting a spectacular medley of contemporary and classical ballets over two weekends.
Don’t worry about being unable to appreciate the elegance and poise of the ballerinas, as it’ll be a memorable evening simply to lay on the luscious grass of Fort Canning Green and enjoy a sumptuous picnic spread with your loved ones.
When: 1 – 3, 8 – 10 July 2016, 7:30 pm
Where: Fort Canning Green, River Valley Road, Singapore 179037
Entry: $30, get it here
Website
Ever complained about Singapore being invaded by high-rise buildings and expressways? Well, whine no more and see our garden city in full bloom at the Singapore Garden Festival 2016!
This year’s festival promises a magical world of alternative garden designs and exquisite floral creations. One of the highlights is the Orchid Extravaganza at the Flower Dome, which brings the region’s most vibrant and colourful orchids to delight your senses. Visit the Balcony Gardens for fresh ideas and be inspired to spruce up your own homes with some greenery.
When: 23 – 31 July 2016, 9 am – 10 pm
Where: Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marine Gardens Drive, Singapore 018953
Entry: $6 – $23, get it here
Website
More and more brave Singaporean souls are climbing out of their shells and setting up their own unique businesses today! We ought to be proud.
Superlife Co. and Hotel Jen Tanglin Singapore bring together 15 local start-ups with a Superlife Affair, featuring the most natural, healthy and well-made products. There’ll be superfoods, freshly roasted coffee, henna painting, skincare products, and clothes designers amongst others.
Growing local brands like Box Green and Hook Coffee take their businesses to a socially sustainable level as they try to make a difference in the lives of others. You’ll be inspired by not only their creativity but their dedication to helping people in need. Plus, you’ll be in for a treat with lots of free samples to take home!
When: 1 – 2 July 2016, 10 am – 5 pm
Where: Jen’s Kitchen On-the-Go, Lobby Level, Hotel Jen Tanglin Singapore, 1A Cuscaden Road, Singapore 249716
Entry: Free admission
Website
For those who miss growing up with the “best contractor in Singapore, JB and some say Batam”, you’ll be pleased to know that the funniest guy in town is back to tickle your funny bone!
Gurmit Singh will be appearing as alter ego Hero Singh in the Malaysian comedy production Laugh Die You – The Karaoke, which opens its stage to Singapore in July. The event, a perfect blend of song, dance and comedy, will also feature well-known local comedian Kumar and Malaysian comedienne Joanne Kam. With such hilarious characters uniting on a single stage, the show promises a night of non-stop laughter that will leave your abs sore.
When: 9 – 10 July, 7:30 pm
Where: Resorts World Theatre, Resorts World Sentosa
Entry: $68 – $350, book it here
Website
Let’s be real. Sometimes outdoor affairs and party events take too much out of our tired bodies and we just want a place to wind down!
Disco Hue Source
Luckily for us, the people behind Chill AF understand such feels, and have come up with an arts fest that’s a lepak affair. In the day, you’ll find an art market offering a variety of artisan products from trinkets, to clothing and even fortune telling. Come night time, the chill carries on as you can lay back with a bottle of craft beer in hand and listen to acoustic sets by local bands Disco Hue, TakeOff and Ellipsis.
This one-day market event will be held at Red Baron at Gillman Barracks, so you can look forward to gastronomical treats to keep your tummy satisfied while having an eargasmic time.
When: 23 July 2016, 3pm – late
Where: Red Baron at Gillman Barracks, 45 Malan Road, Singapore 109455
Entry: Free admission
Website
Hotel Source
Arts lovers rejoice as the 5th installation of Singapore Theatre Festival will be kicking off soon! Presented by W!LD RICE, this month-long event celebrating local playwrights will feature 8 ambitious and thought-provoking new productions written in and about today’s Singapore.
Grandmother Tongue Source
Local plays always amaze me with their top-quality acting and witty scripts, and I’m sure this one will be no different. Productions range from an epic award-winning show that spans 100 years of our history through the lens of a single hotel room, to a heart-wrenching tale about a grandson’s struggle to connect with his Teochew-speaking grandmother. With such diverse genres, you’ll surely find something that caters to your taste. Go local and grab a few friends to catch a show!
When: 30 June – 24 July 2016
Where: LASALLE College of the Arts, 9 Winstedt Road, Singapore 227976
Entry: $35 – $130, get it here
Website
The biggest youth festival to celebrate young talents in Singapore is back! It will be hitting the streets of Orchard Road and there’ll be something for everyone. With special performances by world-class musicians like Jay Park, ShiGGA Shay, Gentle Bones, and Charlie Lim, along with our best local breakdance crew Radikal Forze, modern art creations, and even an outdoor film screening of 7 Letters, you won’t want to miss out on this event.
Still need convincing? Check out our 10 reasons why you should visit SHINE Festival.
When: 1 – 3 July 2016, 6 pm – 10 pm
Where: Orchard Road, from *SCAPE to ION Orchard
Entry: Free admission
Website
Take Heart and Stay, as The Sam Willows bring you to an All Time High as they take the stage at the Coliseum this month!
July 22 will mark their first full concert of the Take Heart tour, and they’ll be the first local act to perform to a crowd of more than 3,000 at The Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel. Expect a show full of surprises and captivating sounds as they promise never-before heard songs and a creative performance outside of their comfort zones!
When: 22 July 2016, 7 pm
Where: The Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel Singapore, 1 Garden Avenue, Singapore 099621
Entry: $58, get it here
Website
Jurong East Swimming Complex
The best way to beat the heat on our little island this summer – getting wet by having a splash at these funky swimming pools right in the middle of the heartlands!
Wild Wild Wet
Let go of all your worries and soak in the sun at these unbelievable swimming spots – they’re open to the public and with fees from less than $1. Not your typical lap pool, these water playgrounds are decked with colourful slides, wading pools, giant buckets of tsunami water and lazy rivers that will reignite the kid in you.
Unfortunately, there are no long weekend holidays in July to swipe out those passports and zoom out of the country. But how are you going to keep up with your perfected Instafeed without any worthy sights to show for it?
Well, we’ve hunted down unassuming locations in Singapore where you can fake it till you make it.
What looks like a picturesque landscape amidst an active volcano in Mount Bromo is in fact an unattended construction site in the godforsaken wasteland that is Tuas. Check out other total troll photographs here!
Crispy Pork Belly Burger from Hambaobao Source
Wagyu Rump & Iberico Pork Combo Bento from The Burning Oak Source
Can you believe that the mouthwatering Crispy Pork Belly Burger above can be found at a hawker centre and costs only $5?! Cool hawker centre dates are the way to go this July as the time has come for atas food on a budget – and all while donning your old T-shirt and FBTs.
Check out other fancy pants hawker finds!
We all reminisce about the time when we were about the size of a minion and we stared in awe at the array of biscuit tins stacked up for us to wallow in. These biscuit shops are hard to find nowadays with many closing down, and following them are our fondest memories of our childhood. Thankfully, some shops of our parents’ past still exist today – think back alley barber and old-school game stores.
Make it a family trip as you revisit some of the surviving shops that will transport you back to the 1980s and bring you on a walk down memory lane back to the good ol’ days!
Many people assume you have to go all out of the country to Australia or the Phillipines to see these natural wonders, but Singapore is actually home to its own stretch of beautiful coral reefs and brightly coloured fishes – including Nemo the world-famous clownfish. The next time you’re looking for a dose of adventure, head off the beaten track and discover the wondrous secrets under Keppel Bay Marina.
And as if coral reefs aren’t bewildering enough, discover other super secret sides of Singapore including a mystical tree house and ruins of what used to be a grand Japanese shrine.
Dogs are truly man’s best friend – and these cute furkids deserve to be pampered every once in a while. Look no further and treat them with an outdoor adventure to Petgamart, one of the biggest pet stores in town. They have ALL you can think your pets can want, from delectable treats to pet cologne, plush toys, and even a dedicated room to hold bags of cat litter!
Spoil them furry kids and let them have a splash of their own at the doggie pool
This pet market is among many other things you never knew you could do around Jalan Kayu. Check them out here!
South Bronx opens until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays Source
This is truly a first-world problem. But it’s also a serious one in Singapore. Despite how times have changed and how we’ve progressed to have our own happening nightlife scene, we still seem to face the constant problem of finding good food late into the wee hours of the night.
Besides McDonald’s, we’ve tracked down a ton of supper spots around town that won’t waste that precious stomach space of yours. From brunch fare to ramen, you can say goodbye to midnight hunger pangs.
The Ramen Stall opens till 6 am every day Source
See the full list of 30 late night foodie spots!
Every 90s kid will remember Timezone. Those after-school days, or even during school hours for the naughty ones who ponteng classes, arcades used to be a favourite among teens looking for some indoor fun and excitement – like a theme park, only more affordable and within our weekly allowance.
Feel your stomach drop 20 stories in this STATIONARY virtual reality roller-coaster ride
Believe it or not, Timezone continues to exist today and it’s definitely not a thing of the past! Along with old-school bumper cars that are a must at every arcade, it has a whole new slew of fun games that tap of technology like a virtual reality roller-coaster ride. It’s time to revisit.
It’s the season of the Great Singapore Sale once again where you have every reason to shop till you drop. Impossible to resist the SALE signs diligently pasted across every shop around town, the urge to let your credit run wild and free is real.
To make the most out of your shopping experience, there are some must-have membership cards to reward you for every cent that you pay. Of course, not all cards are worth signing up for. But places like IKEA offer free instant membership that there is really nothing to lose! Make the most out of your dollars with the best membership cards your inner aunty needs to pledge her loyalty to.
We think that Lazarus is the new Coney Island – the perfect beach getaway within 15 minutes of Singapore’s shores. What we absolutely love about the place is that it remains to be a relatively undiscovered beach. While throngs of locals and tourists flood to Sentosa and East Coast Park, you can picnic and work on your tan in the comfort of a private island – almost.
It can even be your new pre-wedding shoot location
With the hustle and bustle of the city life, it can be difficult to slow down those footsteps and take a breather. Press pause on the rush hour and check out this sanctuary where you can relish in nature’s serenity. Find out more in our Lazarus island guide.
This month is squeezed with chances for exhilarating adventures to live life to the fullest. Don’t let the clock tick past and make every minute count! With a chain of events for the hungry, the restless, the artsy folk and even those under the spell of wanderlust, there’s something in store for everyone to partake in.
Have a blast this summer!
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