700 years ago, the Bugis were among the first settlers to arrive in Singapore to trade which established the street as Bugis Town. Since its founding years, Bugis Town has been extended to the present Bras Basah.Bugis (BBB) precinct which will soon come alive with tales and histories of the past at the Singapore Night Festival (SNF) 2023 connecting stories of Singapore’s beginnings as a trading port with contemporary experiences for visitors today. 

The 14th edition of SNF returns from 18 to 26 August 2023, connecting diverse stakeholders, partners and artists to light up BBB, and inviting festival-goers to discover new perspectives of local heritage. Organised by the National Heritage Board, and presented by Samsung, this year’s festival theme Singapore, the Great Port City sheds light on Singapore’s evolution from a vital port city to today’s dynamic modern metropolis. Visitors can look forward to traversing 700 years of Singapore’s history through a robust line-up of multicultural festival offerings that showcase the rich sights, smells, tastes and stories of BBB. These include new festival offerings, unique artist co-creations and noteworthy collaborations between the local and international arts community, all of which embody the practice of trade and exchange at the port city and showcase the talents of the local art scene. 

Festival Director David Chew said, “We look forward to transforming the BBB precinct into a celebration of Singapore’s history as an international port city, through vivid experiences, memorable performances and immersive activities rooted in the rich stories of trade and exchange at BBB, but also celebrating the home it is to the communities and their respective historical sites of worship in the precinct today. Many may not be aware that BBB has been featured quite prominently through Singapore’s 700 years as a port city, and we hope to pay homage to the vital role it played through SNF’s programmes, while encouraging everyone to explore the iconic cultural institutions and museums across the precinct. In the spirit of exchange, this is the first time that we will be having a presenting sponsor and we are excited to have Samsung onboard, alongside our many festival partners and stakeholders, who will be further enlivening the festival with their invaluable contributions.”

At this year’s SNF, festival-goers can look forward to four projection mapping works, one of which takes on a theatrical narrative and approach for the first time; the festival’s highlight act Time is a Black Circle by local artist Dawn Ng housed at the National Museum of Singapore, which marks the first time the highlight programme is housed within a museum; 12 Night Lights installations; two roving performance locations; two experiential programmes; one stage performance; nine partner programmes, as well as three Festival Villages that will be bustling with a wide offering of performances, and food and beverage experiences. 

SNF invites visitors of all ages to delight in the history and heritage of BBB with its first dedicated family zone. Concentrated around Fort Canning Rise, families can look forward to children’s programmes at Children’s Museum Singapore, a roving performance by Sweet Tooth and light installations with specially designed interactive elements for young children. 

NHB recently announced Our SG Heritage Plan 2.0 in May, the second edition of the heritage master plan to guide the museum and heritage sector from 2023 to 2027. Through the plan, NHB seeks to contribute to the vibrancy of Singapore’s cultural calendar, cultivate a heritage ecosystem through collaborations with stakeholders and partners, as well as adopt fresh ways to transform the way people interact and appreciate heritage. SNF contributes to the plan’s strategic pillars of Heritage X Identity – through encouraging a layered understanding of the Singaporean identity and our connection to the region and the world; Heritage X Community – in bringing diverse audiences to celebrate our shared heritage together, and strengthening community capabilities; Heritage X Industry – through its placemaking efforts in engaging the BBB precinct; and Heritage X Innovation – where heritage interactions are enhanced through cutting edge technology.  

The well-loved projection mapping installations return this SNF with four enthralling works that will illuminate the facades of cultural buildings in the BBB precinct. Festival-goers can gather on the lawn in front of the National Museum and enjoy the visual treat tracing Singapore’s early years with 700 Years, presented by Samsung. Spot some treasures from Singapore’s national collection in this collaborative project by illustrator Muhammad Izdi, playwright Zizi Majid and digital artist Jérémie Bellot (AV Extended). For the first time in Singapore, theatre, visual arts and digital media come together to give this projection mapping a theatrical twist that takes viewers on a timelapse through the vast connectivity of Singapore as a trading hub, from the 14th century until today. 

CHIJMES will also be adorned with works by artists Chris Chai (Cosmicchai), Sadiq Mansor (249.png) and Ashley YK Yeo. As part of the festival’s intention to provide local artists with a platform to expand their craft and present their works, the trio were specially selected to attend a masterclass conducted by Filamen, a Malaysia-based new media art collective that specialises in projection mapping. This marks the festival’s first collaboration with an international arts group. Singapore becomes a portal of connectivity through the ebb and flow of water portrayed in Port(al) City by Chris Chai (Cosmicchai), and a celebration of the BBB precinct’s unique cultural diversity and traditional performances staged there are captured in Evolution of Bras Basah Entertainment Scene by Sadiq Mansor (249.png). Birth in Bloom by Ashley YK Yeo shows local flora and fauna as a representation of Singapore’s transformation, as a star blooms into a magnificent flower.

Get a pair of roller skates on and roll into the Singapore of yesteryears, from the roaring sixties and seventies. Dawn Ng reimagines the lively disco scene of the BBB precinct at the National Museum as she pays tribute to the nostalgic era and the discothèques which used to be in the area with Time is a Black Circle. Set in a psychedelic rotunda of warm blooming colours unique to the era gone by, an indoor roller skating rink will bring festival-goers back to the energising nightlife scene as they groove, jive and skate to famous hits of the past. 

Night Lights will continue to transform everyday spaces around the BBB precinct with 12 luminous installations. Festival-goers can look forward to the glowing spectacle along these spaces at night as they make their way around the precinct to experience the vast retelling of stories from Singapore’s extensive journey as a trading port. The light installations will brighten up the perimeters of the precinct, from the Banyan Tree located at the National Museum with A Stone’s Throw (Away) by WY-TO Group, inspired by legendary tale of Badang, to the Farquhar Garden at Canning Rise with Rimbun by Shakir a.k.a Grasshopper which showcases colourful motifs inspired by traditional wood carving, batik and songket being projected onto the many plants in the garden. A Stone’s Throw (Away) is co-presented by the National Library Board, to inspire discovery of hidden stories and facets of Singapore’s past from the National Library and the National Archives of Singapore collections.

 The City in a Garden will come to life with vivid and colourful interpretations of Singapore’s rich flora and fauna through artists’ perspectives of the natural environment that beautified the port city in its early days.

These Night Lights include X O X (two kisses and a hug) by Critical Craft Collective located outside Stamford Arts Centre; Preserving Paradise by Teo Huey Ling at Armenian Street, an experimental garden with a futuristic spin that references Singapore’s first experimental botanical garden; and an inflatable periwinkle flower installation, titled Florescence by Kristal Melson, co-presented by Bugis Street, wrapped around the side of the eye-catching red building that is Bugis Street’s multi-storey car park.

The National Design Centre’s GIFFEST III: IMPERFECT by EYEYAH! comes together in collaboration with SNF to reimagine the festival’s theme on port cities. The installations at the National Design Centre and National Museum present imperfection through design, and reflect on the dynamic, contemporary nature of cities today as focal points of interconnectedness, confluences of cultures, and the ever-evolving identities within our globalised world as it fuses with digital technology. 

Festival-goers will be treated to a diverse line-up of performances across both festival weekends, where unique interpretations of Singapore, the Great Port City by local artists, bands and theatre companies will be staged at three locations within the precinct. #WaterlooStKakis – the first collective led by BBB stakeholders in collaboration with neighbouring organisations homed along Waterloo Street – celebrates Waterloo Street Stories with a showcase of outdoor music, audio plays, movement responses and exhibition. We’ll weather the weather, whatever the weather, until we cannot  by Sweet Tooth invites visitors to participate in a theatrical procession which debuts three fantastical characters in striking hues inspired by meteorological maps, symbolising the region’s tempestuous weather patterns and reflecting Singapore’s place as a safe haven.

Capitol Singapore will stage a vibrant celebration of jazz with an Asian twist at Jazz’in @ Capitol Singapore – A Night in Asia, as artists give a unique spin on the vibrant heritage of BBB. Taking the stage on both festival weekends, tunes by eight acts such as The Jazz Djogets and Shanghai Jazz Club embrace the cultural exchange and influences on Singapore as a port city, by incorporating elements of their respective heritage into their music.

 In addition to these offerings, the festival will also present programmes such as guided tours, film screenings and storytelling sessions presented by stakeholders within the precinct. At Fort Canning Rise, families can embark on a mystical adventure at Children’s Museum Singapore, where they can explore the museum after hours and hang out with interesting characters at After Dark, or listen to the enthralling tales of Bukit Larangan or Forbidden Hill at the storytelling session The Bird, the Squirrel and the Sambar Deer of Bukit Larangan. Over at the Stamford Arts Centre, festival-goers can also look forward to the annual A Date with Tradition 2023, and enjoy a showcase of Singapore’s traditional art practices with a series of music and dance performances, workshops, art installations and more. Other partners of the precinct presenting programmes in conjunction with SNF include Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, National Design Centre, National Library Board and more.

Festival-goers can experience Waterloo Street through their own lens as part of the NightFest Photo Walk by Objectifs Centre Limited. This walk will bring participants around the vast street lined with temples, art spaces and markets to capture the mesmerising spots where new and old coexist. Those keen on a tipple can also enjoy flavours from port cities of the world via Middle Road with Port Cities Food: A Culinary Pairing Journey down Middle Road by Indie Singapore Tours. 

In celebration of arts talents in Singapore, SNF collaborates with Singapore Management University (SMU) Arts Festival, The Social Post, for the first time to present the Main Festival Village @ SMU Campus Green, bringing together schools around the BBB precinct, such as LASALLE College of the Arts, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, School of the Arts and SMU. Main Festival Village @ SMU Campus Green showcases works by young art talents with live performances, as well as SNF-exclusive food and beverage stalls for visitors to soak in the buzzing atmosphere of the night-time festival. Festival-goers who conclude their evening at other parts of the BBB precinct can also enter two satellite Festival Villages – Festival Village @ Armenian Street and Festival Village @ CHIJMES – which present Night Lights, projection mappings, performances and an eclectic set up of food experiences to look out for.  

Presenting Sponsor Samsung will be activating experiences to showcase stories on the evolution of culture and innovation, with a projection mapping on the facade of the National Museum at the centre of this partnership. Visitors to SNF can also capture moments with the latest Galaxy devices at selected installations. Across the festival footprint, it will also be hosting a variety of activations like esports, fashion shows and exclusive giveaways, and present its Galaxy Studio at the Main Festival Village @ SMU Green. Powered by Galaxy devices, visitors can interact and learn more about the latest range of Galaxy smartphones, tablets and wearables, personalise their device and also take home a memento of their experience at the festival. Spotlighting the artists of SNF, Samsung will be releasing limited edition Casetify designs for its latest Galaxy smartphones designed by participating artists. 

Ronnie Ng, Head of Mobile Experience, Samsung Electronics Singapore, said, “As Presenting Sponsor for this year’s SNF, we are delighted to deliver an iconic experience for visitors and Galaxy fans. Just like how Singapore has evolved to become a global port city where communities meet, collaborate and innovate, Samsung is a global brand that has continuously innovated to deliver new technologies that bring people together. Our foldables are one example of how we’ve flipped the narrative on mobile technologies, enabling consumers to use their smartphones flexibly which complements their lifestyle. With that in mind, we are excited to showcase the limitless possibilities of our devices that will enable users to create moments of connections that journals the rich stories told during the festival, and even beyond.”

This year, visitors will also be able to enjoy an enhanced festival experience via Night Walk, the festival’s first gamified web app. A simple check in at 10 select checkpoints across the festival’s footprint will unlock bonus audio and digital stories on the location and artwork. Visitors who log their arrival at all 10 stops will also stand to win a grand prize at the end of SNF 2023.

Singapore Night Festival 2023 runs from 18th to 26th August 2023. More information available here