If you’ve ever thought, “arts festivals aren’t for me,” the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) might just change your mind. SIFA returns from 16th May-1st June 2025, and this year’s edition is bigger and more inclusive than ever. The theme is “More Than Ever”, a nod to how the arts can reflect, connect, and challenge us in ways we might not expect. You’ll find 15 newly commissioned local works, the most in the festival’s history, alongside 4 showcases by acclaimed artists from around the world.
You’ll still catch performances at iconic venues like Victoria Theatre and Drama Centre Theatre at the National Library, but new this year is the SIFA Pavilion at Bedok Town Square. The latter brings the magic of the arts right into the heartlands, and entry is free. Read on for 6 shows to check out, whether you’re a curious first-timer or seasoned arts festival-goer.
Dance and movement can tell a story – sometimes, even more powerfully than words. Told By My Mother by Lebanese choreographer Ali Chahrour does exactly that. It’s a heart-wrenching dance ode to the everyday heroines in our lives: mothers. Drawing from his own family’s history and a fractured Lebanon, Chahrour brings to life the fierce, infinite love between mothers and sons. All that set against a backdrop of war, loss, and longing.
At the centre of this performance are the stories of 2 women: Leila, who tries to shield her son from martyrdom, and Fatmeh, who never stops searching for her missing child. Their stories are told through movement, song, and music rooted in Arab culture and modern urban landscapes.
Told By My Mother blends contemporary dance and traditional storytelling, performed alongside acclaimed actress Hala Omran and live musicians from Two or The Dragon. This beautiful meditation on the bond between parent and child is one that spans generations and transcends borders.
Admission: From $38
Date & time: 16th May, 8pm | 17th May, 4pm & 8pm
Venue: Victoria Theatre
Book tickets for Told By My Mother by Ali Chahrour.
Step into a tenement on the edge of a restless city, where fear brews, walls divide, and neighbours live parallel lives, disconnected. This is Colony – A True Colors Project, a bold dance-theatre work directed by Singapore theatre veteran Remesh Panicker, featuring 13 diverse dancers from Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Japan.
The piece brings together live performance and raw behind-the-scenes footage, showing what it truly means to build a community across differences. Each dancer brings their personal stories, challenges, and hopes to the stage – some with visible disabilities, all pushing past what society defines as “normal.” Together, they form an imagined colony who are intertwined, moving in unison, breaking, reforming, and daring to belong.
What results is an emotionally charged, multi-sensory performance of pain, prejudice, transformation, and healing. Colony is a mirror held up to society, asking: what does it mean to truly connect, beyond comfort zones and assumptions?
Admission: $38, $48
Date & time: 30th May, 8pm | 31st May, 8pm | 1st June, 3pm
Venue: National Library, Drama Centre Theatre
Book tickets for Colony – A True Colors Project.
Bats, burnout, and the bite of capitalism. Vampyr is anything but your average theatre production. Presented as a darkly funny mockumentary, this bold piece by Chilean playwright Manuela Infante reimagines the myth of the European vampire through the lens of Chile’s wind turbine fields, where disoriented bats – and overworked humans – struggle to survive.
Set in a fictional world inhabited by half-dead, half-alive creatures who defy neat categories, Vampyr unpacks the contradictions of “green energy” with a sharp, satirical bite. It draws parallels between the blood-sucking folklore we know and the real-life fate of hematophagous bats dying en masse due to wind turbines.
Vampyr is a clever, critical exploration of environmental exhaustion, labour, and how even the cleanest energy can come with a hidden cost.
Admission: $38, $48
Date & time: 23rd May, 8pm | 24th May, 8pm | 25th May, 2.30pm
Venue: National Library, Drama Centre Theatre
Book tickets for Vampyr by Manuela Infante.
If you’ve ever thought about what truly makes a house a home, this performance might just leave you questioning. HOME by Geoff Sobelle is a genre-bending piece of theatrical work that brings a house to life on stage, literally. Built from scratch in front of your eyes, the house becomes a living, breathing space where past, present, and future residents co-exist in surreal harmony.
Through a mix of illusion, choreography, music, and inventive staging, Sobelle turns the mundane, everyday events into something poetic and profound. The performance captures the fleeting and messy yet beautiful moments that make a space feel lived in.
Expect a deeply immersive experience, with elements of audience interaction that blur the lines between theatre and memory. Plus, you shouldn’t miss the post-show talk with the artists on 23rd May.
Admission: $48, $68
Date & time: 22nd May, 8pm | 23rd May, 8pm | 24th May, 2pm & 8pm | 25th May, 2pm
Venue: Victoria Theatre
Book tickets for HOME by Geoff Sobelle.
Most Singaporean students would remember slogging through Animal Farm in Lit class, annotating every line for allegory and alliteration. George Orwell’s classic gets a glow-up at SIFA 2025, reimagined by local theatre company The Finger Players, known for their incredible puppetry work.
In this 30-minute adaptation, Orwell’s iconic characters come alive with a darker and wittier take that blends powerful performance with stunning visuals. Directed by Oliver Chong, this version strips down the text and leans into the themes of power, propaganda, and betrayal. It might just hit a little too close to home in today’s world.
You’ll meet Napoleon the pig, Snowball, and the rest of the farm animals as they attempt to build a utopia, only to fall into a spiral of tyranny. There are 2 ways to catch it: the full theatrical production at SOTA Drama Theatre, or a free outdoor variation at Empress Lawn as part of Little SIFA, the festival’s family-friendly weekend series.
However, do note that the theatrical production is suitable for kids aged 13 and above. And if you’re going for the 8pm performances on Friday and Saturday, don’t miss the post-show talk by the artists.
Admission: $68/person for Cat 1 Standard, $54.40/person if you book for a party of 4 | $48/person for Cat 2 Standard
Date & time: 16th May, 8pm | 17th May, 4pm & 8pm | 18th May, 4pm
Venue: National Library, Drama Centre Theatre
Book tickets for Animal Farm by The Finger Players.
You might’ve caught a glimpse of it at SIFA 2024’s Tomorrow and tomorrow, but Waiting for Audience by Nine Years Theatre is back. And this time, it’s fully realised. This locally-commissioned production, helmed by power duo Nelson Chia and Mia Chee, pays homage to theatre itself: its power, its struggle, and its pulse in a rapidly digitising world.
Follow 2 actors, A and O, as they find themselves on stage for what might be their final performance in an ageing theatre. Watch them argue, banter, perform, and reflect, as they wait… and wait… for the audience to show up. Expect physical theatre, clowning, absurdist humour, and Chinese crosstalk all woven in. The result is a cheeky yet heartfelt take on why theatre still matters.
Your role in this play is to be part of the moment and complete the story. Stick around after each show for a post-show talk with the artists.
Note: The play is performed in Chinese, but English subtitles will be available.
Admission: $48, $68
Date & time: 30th May, 8pm | 31st May, 3pm & 8pm
Venue: SOTA Drama Theatre
Book tickets for Waiting For Audience by Nine Years Theatre.
Naysayers who say “Singapore is boring” definitely haven’t been to art festivals like SIFA. Besides the 6 standout productions we’ve spotlighted, there’s plenty more in store – like The House Between the Winds, a whimsical, family-friendly show by local artist Yang Jie, or The Sea and the Neighbourhood, a multidisciplinary work that pays tribute to Bedok’s coastal roots and evolving identity. Plus, these programmes are free.
As Singapore marks its 60th year of independence, SIFA 2025 has become a full-on showcase of who we are and who we’re becoming. With its biggest-ever line-up of homegrown talent, community-first programming, and venues in both city halls and heartlands, it’s worth adding SIFA 2025 to your calendar. Whether you’re into deep storytelling or just looking for something different to do this May, you might just walk away seeing the world a little differently.
This post was brought to you by Arts House Limited.
Cover image adapted from: Singapore International Festival of Arts
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