20 Dec 2018
Singapore is a must visit destination in 2019 as it commemorates its Bicentennial year. Singapore's Bicentennial is a commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Sir Stamford Raffles landing in Singapore, which was one of the key turning points in Singapore's 700 year history. Expect 2019 to be filled with events, festivals and innovation to mark the big milestone.
CULTURE SHAPERS NEWS
Singapore Art Week (19 - 27 January 2019)
Singapore Art Week is an annual celebration of visual arts that transforms the city into a feast for the senses every January. Cultural connoisseurs, street art lovers and the art community across the region all come together in the city-state for a week-long festival with dozens of exhibitions, walking tours, talks, art fairs and after-parties. As the city comes alive with the arts, visitors can look forward to discovering special commissions and exhibitions featuring up-and-coming home-grown artists and curators.
https://www.visitsingapore.com/festivals-events-singapore/annual-highlights/singapore-art-week/
i Light Singapore (28 January – 24 February 2019)
i Light Marina Bay is more than just a celebration of sustainability: this light art festival showcases visionary installations by artists from Singapore and across the globe. Held annually since 2010, this visual extravaganza features interactive works set around one of Singapore's most iconic waterfront destinations – the breath-taking Marina Bay. In 2019, the festival will kick off on 28 January in conjunction with the Singapore Bicentennial commemoration, with over 30 sustainable light art installations complemented by exciting programmes.
https://www.visitsingapore.com/festivals-events-singapore/annual-highlights/i-light-marina-bay/
Special exhibition: “Raffles in Southeast Asia” (1 February – 28 April 2019)
Singapore's Asian Civilisations Museum will be hosting a temporary exhibition as part of the Bicentennial commemorations in 2019. The display will explore the Southeast journey of Sir Stamford Raffles, considered the founder of modern Singapore. The exhibition will present a multi-layered picture of Raffles, and illustrate that his legacy is more complex than often understood. The Asian Civilisations Museum is the only museum in the region devoted to exploring the artistic heritage of Asia, especially the ancestral cultures of Singaporeans.
https://www.acm.org.sg/whats-on/exhibitions/raffles-in-southeast-asia
Chingay Parade (15 – 16 February 2019)
If a single event could capture the essence of Singapore's unique multicultural personality, it would be the Chingay Parade – an annual marvel of dazzling floats, dancing dragons and stilt walkers. Chingay is the largest street performance and float parade in Asia, bringing together people and performances from across the spectrum of Singaporean culture: celebrated by Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians alike. From the original F1 Pit Building to the heartlands of the country, this street extravaganza epitomises the dynamism of Singapore's vibrant and multicultural society. Chingay Parade 2019 will open with three large scale paintings tracing the “Past, Present and Future of Singapore” to commemorate Singapore' Bicentennial.
Singapore Night Festival (16-24 August 2019)
The Singapore Night Festival is the largest outdoor performing arts festival held in the heart of the Bras Basah / Bugis heritage district, turning the area into a midsummer's celebration of sorts. The signature highlight of the festival are the interactive light installations that turn the facades of the Singapore Art Museum and the National Museum of Singapore into ephemeral works of wonder. Night owls enjoy the many events held late into the night at cultural institutions including the National Museum of Singapore, the Peranakan Museum, Singapore Philatelic Museum, Singapore Art Museum, The Substation and more.
FOODIE NEWS
Singapore to host The World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards in 2019 (Date TBC)
The World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards will make its debut in Singapore in 2019, marking the first time the renowned global restaurant awards will take place in Asia. This is part of a three-year partnership between The World's 50 Best Restaurants and Singapore Tourism Board, which will also see Singapore hosting The World's 50 Best Bars awards in 2021 and Asia's 50 Best Bars in 2019 and 2020.
The World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards is an annual list celebrating the diversity of the world's culinary landscape, judged by a panel of more than 1,000 culinary experts.
New Celebrity Chef Restaurant, table65, opening in Resorts World™ Sentosa
One of Singapore's integrated resorts, Resorts World™ Sentosa will introduce a fresh, modern take on fine-dining with the upcoming opening of its brand new Celebrity Chef restaurant later on this month. Helmed by famous Dutch Chef Richard van Oostenbrugge, table65 – a fitting reference to the familiar country code for Singapore – will pare back the traditional formalities of fine-dining and place the focus on the core flavours of quality ingredients to entice international foodies.
Chef van Oostenbrugge's critically acclaimed contemporary European cuisine with international influences will be literally brought to the forefront amidst an upbeat setting. Guests can expect to enjoy a full view of the culinary action while seated at long chef's tables surrounding the entire kitchen which dominates the restaurant's main dining area. The distinctive restaurant layout reflects the vision for table65's dining experience – one that is engaging, fun and relaxed where the spotlight is on the food and the chefs at work.
www.rwsentosa.com/en/restaurants/table65
SOCIALISER NEWS
Night club Marquee Singapore coming in 2019
One of the biggest nightclub brands in the world, Marquee, will make its Asia debut at Singapore's Marina Bay Sands next year. Offering a club experience like no other, Marquee Singapore will be a perfect blend of design, technology and cutting-edge sound that will span across three different floors. The club's crowning glory is the massive Ferris wheel located right inside, with its eight pods offering a vantage point from 70 feet up in the air.
EXPLORER NEWS
Singapore Experience Lab now featuring exhibitions and workshops
Located at level 2 of the Singapore Visitor Centre @orchardgateway, the Singapore Experience Lab is an immersive showcase of Singapore's hidden gems and must-dos for visitors. Besides useful tourist information, this one-stop location now features art installations, events and immersive technologies that showcase Singapore's cultural neighbourhoods, food and heritage.
Visitors can watch video clips that highlight hidden gems and use a tablet to learn more about the city's best attractions. They can also enjoy digital wall projections, new installations such as a “time tunnel” that depicts Singapore's evolution over the decades, and educational activity sheets that will keep the young ones engaged.
Daily tours begin at 10.30am, 11.30am and 4pm.
Raffles Hotel reopening in mid-2019
The iconic Raffles Hotel is currently under refurbishment and will re-open its doors in mid-2019. The upcoming re-opening will see new suite categories, new lifestyle experiences and refreshed dining concepts. The restoration will update the hotel's distinctive suites with new amenities and technology while maintaining the sense of space and colonial ambience. Opened in 1887, Raffles Hotel Singapore is the flagship property of Raffles Hotels & Resorts and is one of the few remaining great 19th century hotels in the world.
ACTION SEEKERS NEWS
Dragon Boat Festival (7 June 2019)
Celebrated annually, the Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the story of Qu Yuan, an incorruptible minister of state during the Warring States era of China, who threw himself into the river due to political intrigue. Today, the festival is an exciting water sport event that sees 22-member crews from around the world rowing to the beat of the drums and competing in an exciting competition.
The races take part at Bedok Reservoir, Kallang River and DBS Marina Regatta. Visitors who witness the traditional boat racing festival will also see the people throwing rice dumplings wrapped in banana leaves or silk into the water, an act to appease the river gods – and can only be witnessed in Singapore.
https://www.visitsingapore.com/festivals-events-singapore/cultural-festivals/dragon-boat-festival/
OTHER NEWS
Singapore is the second most affordable city for public transport, according to a study comparing trends in public transport fares across 12 major cities. The study, conducted by the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), compared trends in public transport fares across these cities. Singapore came in second after San Francisco in terms of fare affordability, with an index score of 4.8, compared with San Francisco's score of 4.1.
https://www.visitsingapore.com/travel-guide-tips/getting-around/
Singapore takes the eighth place in the best cities in the world 2019, in a ranking of the globe's 100 best performing cities by consultancy company Resonance. Factors taken into account include quality of the arts, culture, restaurants and nightlife; diversity of people; job opportunities; attractions and infrastructure, amongst others. London took the first place in the raking.
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About the Singapore Tourism Board
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is the lead development agency for tourism, one of Singapore's key economic sectors. Together with industry partners and the community, they shape a dynamic Singapore tourism landscape. They bring the 'Passion Made Possible' brand to life by differentiating Singapore as a vibrant destination that inspires people to share and deepen their passions.
For further information, please contact the Singapore team at Four Travel: SingaporeTeam@fourcommunications.com / 020 3697 4200
