As September arrives, so does the annual Grand Prix Season, with the return of the F1 Night Race. Before the weekend of adrenaline-pumping motorsports madness however, the entire island gets in on the F1 fever, and with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board, comes alive with peripheral events and precinct parties to build up the hype and enter into an exhilarating 10-day festival from 8th to 17th September. Anchored across four precincts: Orchard Road, Kampong Gelam, Clarke Quay and Sentosa, both locals and tourists alike are set to fully immerse into all Singapore has to offer, with these race-themed festival offerings organised by events company Foray.

Orchard Road

Over at Singapore’s shopping district, get electrified by a showcase of local design, with the Alpine X Amos Ananda Sports Car Display outside Wisma Atria. Go full throttle and stand to win vouchers when you pose and snap a photo with this boldly designed Alpine A110 by local menswear and unisex high streetwear label Amos Ananda, and be sure to stroll down the street towards Somerset and check out the eclectic selection of pop-up stores, curated by Invade.

Featuring a line-up of local brands and F1 themed merchandise, you’ll find everything from locally-designed jewelry to clothing, to collectibles from D. atlas studio or quirky, modern Asian board games from Origame. Local drinks brand Clumzy Plumzy, known for their signature sour plum vodka, has also set up shop, and in collaboration with local label Dirty Manners, pushes for sustainability in production with upcycled clothing and of course, plenty of drinks.

Along the way, you’ll find other vendors hawking their uniquely Singaporean wares, as well as F1 pop-up shops selling Grand Prix-related clothing and accessories. With the weather so hot, grab yourself a drink from the Heineken Silver Smooooth Pit Stop (just snap a selfie and upload it to social media to score a free can) and various racing simulators along the way, including the Teleios Race Sims Experience outside Mandarin Gallery Singapore – you could even win an OSIM uThrone S Gaming Massage Chair if you cross the finish line in record time!

End off your Orchard Road Grand Prix adventure at Design Orchard, a space dedicated to showcasing and incubating Singaporean and Singapore-based design and lifestyle brands. Beyond supporting local and discovering new labels, you can even pick up limited edition GPSS merchandise, featuring winning designs for a competition surrounding designing outfits for GPSS staff to don during the festival. Runner ups The Marshmallo and Joannalsm will have unique t-shirts available for purchase, while winners Foto Phactory have an entire collection on sale, from scarves to t-shirts, to coasters and bottles, perfect for wearing to the track next weekend.

Kampong Glam

The open air carpark at Pahang Street at Kampong Glam has been transformed into the GPSS Food Park for the duration of the festival, featuring both traditional and modern pasar malam faves, from vadai to otak-otak, to mango floats to fusion food such as ‘Padangton’ – combining Rendang Padang with Beef Wellington. Hang out in the area as a pit stop while exploring the other cultural and heritage highlights, and entertain yourself with the arcade games available onsite, or stick around for live music from local acts set to rock the district.

For something a little quieter but introspective, head on over to the Singapore Stories: Miniatures of the Past exhibition at 45 Sultan Gate. Handcrafted by former commando Wildfred Cheah while referencing photos on Google, each of these miniatures are a labour of love and showcase a stunning attention to detail, from goods sold in mama shops, to the sheer variety of people playing at a playground. For this exhibition, you’ll even get to see a 1:100 scale model of National Gallery Singapore, commissioned specifically for GPSS, that was created in just 2 months.

Against the nostalgia, one also looks towards the future. Considering how Kampong Glam is essentially a melting pot, showcasing Malay-Muslim businesses and culture but welcoming to all races and all nationalities, you’ll also find an exhibition showcasing the Kampong Gelam Place Plan (2023-2028), establishing the vision for the historic area for the next six years and how placemaking and activations are planned. Be sure to also stop by on 9th and 16th September between 4 to 530pm to listen to ex-NMP Faizah Jamal share her stories of growing up in the district and its journey through time.

Sentosa

It’s party central at Sentosa’s Siloso Beach, with a bazaar by the road selling trinkets and collectibles, as well as the GPSS Beach Feastable out on the sand, where you can purchase a veritable selection of gourmet food and drinks from the likes of TAP Craft Beer, Komma, rosti from Wado, or wagyu beef from Gyushi.

Not feeling like a beer? There’s a few interesting options available at the Tuck Lee Ice booth, who has collaborated with innovative coffee solution brand @once to showcase a new way of drinking your coffee. Having already sold over 50 million units of their product in China since launching over 2 years ago, @once now makes its debut in Singapore, as a new type of ‘coffee stick’ that compresses a solution with nitrogen into a slim, portable cannister. All you have to do is press gently on the button, and the compressed contents will be streamed into your cup of water, for an instant coffee fix. Given an A rating by the Health Promotion Board, these sticks come in a variety of flavours, from a standard Espresso to Mocha, to a ‘Yuanyang’ coffee-tea mix, to even a unique red bean drink, all available exclusively at this booth. You can even purchase some of their delicious, creamy Pols ice cream from Latvia and squeeze an espresso stick over it to create your very own affogato.

Finally, you can also enjoy the festivities at the newly opened Tipsy Unicorn beach club. Decked out in pastel pink a with a distinctly tropical, tongue-in-cheek vibe, Tipsy Unicorn will be playing host to a Grand Prix Beach Party between 10am to 10pm on both 8th and 9th September, where it’s all about spending time in the pool, or dancing to heart-pumping rhythms from local DJs and live bands, or race-themed events to win Heineken Beer and attractive prizes. Be sure to follow them, because they’re slated to be the next big thing, with a rumoured line-up of huge international DJs coming their way and other exciting events once they aunch into their full glory come October and beyond.

Clarke Quay

Hanging around near the CBD and want to end your night with drinks and good music? Head on down to Clarke Quay central, the heart and home of Singapore’s commercial nightlife, and catch Music Matters Live 2023, featuring a line-up of talented emerging and established artists set to take the world by storm with their infectious beats and soulful lyrics, with sets throughout the night from 7 to past 11.

From local acts such as rising songstress shazza, who’s just released her debut album, to the likes of heartthrobs Benjamin Kheng (of The Sam Willows), Sezairi and Nathan Hartono, or international acts from further abroad, with Indonesian, Hong Kong, Taiwanese, Korean, Malaysian and Australian pop darlings, come discover some new songs to add to your next playlist and show your friends your classy taste in music. Be sure to grab a beer from the nearby Harry’s, or Heineken Silver Beer Garden as well.

Whether it’s retail therapy, indulging in cultural heritage, enjoying time by the beach or bopping out to music, there’s no shortage of peripheral events to take part in over the week to usher in Grand Prix Season in style, with GPSS precinct parties taking place across the island. Don’t miss out.

Grand Prix Season Singapore runs from 8th to 17th September 2023. More information available here

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