With the always-popular Singapore Night Festival hitting its 10th edition this year, it’s celebrating by shining the spotlight on homegrown artists. Kicking off on Aug 18 with the annual showcase of light art installations, the outdoor event will feature three evenings of merrymaking (Aug 24-26), with performances of everything from dance to music.
In a special homecoming of sorts, the fest welcomes back ten local talents that have captured audiences’ attention over the years. Check ’em out below.
Bloco Singapura
Aug 25-26, 7.30pm-8.15pm at Main Stage, Armenian Street
Making waves at the festival’s debut in 2008, this music collective is all about high-energy samba and batucada beats. Having grown from a troupe of 80 performers to its current count of 200 members, the group will heat up the stage at the Armenian Street block party.
Flamenco Sin Fronteras, Nawaz & Friends
Aug 24-25, 8pm-8.30pm & 10.30pm-11pm at The Pit, SMU Campus Green
This dance performance blends kathak, an Indian classical dance form, with the Spanish flamenco dance, alongside live music from Nawaz and Friends.
Grapple Max Dojo
Aug 24-25, 7pm-7.30pm & 9.15pm-9.45pm at The Pit, SMU Campus Green
Any pro wrestling fans in the house? This interactive ‘fight club’ takes you up close and personal with a blend of combat sport and acrobatics.
Homemade
Aug 24-26, 10pm-10.45pm at Main Stage, Armenian Street
Three different acts will perform across three evenings, starting with MOTUS, a group of vocalists and instrumentalists who love samba grooves. Next up is Raw Earth’s old school throwback to lindy hop, followed by Instigator Afrobeat Orchestra’s collab with rapper MAS1A.
Mind Magic Mistress & Paul Brook
Aug 24-26, 8pm & 9.30pm at National Museum of Singapore, The Salon, Level 1
You may not be so sure of your reality after spending 45 minutes with mentalists Ning Cai and Paul Brook, who will invite you into mind-bending experiences like a hypno-dungeon and an unreal ‘toy’ shop.
Peranakan Sayang
Aug 24-26, 8.30pm-9.15pm at Main Stage, Armenian Street
Sing along to a medley of melodies, including Peranakan songs with a contemporary twist, old school goodies, tongue-in-cheek parodies and upbeat party tunes.
Starlight Alchemy
Aug 18-26, 7.30pm-midnight at Stamford Green
‘The Flower of Life and the Infinite Self’ is an installation by the multidisciplinary performance arts collective, consisting of a geodesic bamboo dome with a tessellated fabric roof and interior walls fixed with geometrically arranged convex mirrors.
The Brass Barre
Aug 18-19 & 24-26, 8.30pm & 10pm at The Brass Barre
Step into the pole dance studio to watch its students and instructors — as well as cancer survivor group The Rose Diamonds — take the stage.
Timbre Music
Aug 24, 7.30pm-8.15pm & 9.30pm-10pm at Armenian Street
Timbre Music presents the New Stream Brass Band, a Singapore-based New Orleans-style outfit that does a great mix of jazz, funk and hip hop.
ZingO Festival Drum Group
Aug 24 & 26, 7pm-7.30pm & 10pm-10.30pm; Aug 25, 8pm-8.30pm & 10pm-10.30pm at 8Q @ SAM
The drum troupe, which takes inspiration from the influence of the sun and moon in modern Singapore, has been putting up rousing performances since 1998.
Singapore Night Festival 2017 is on from Aug 18-26, 7.30pm-midnight at Bras Basah & Bugis areas. Performances nights on Aug 24-26. Free.
