I will be highlighting events and activities to do in Singapore next week that is absolutely free. We do not have to spend money to enjoy ourselves. I will focus on physical activities as there are already many things to do online.
Please check the respective websites to check for the latest details and availability.
I am looking for sources of free events and activities, including volunteering, in Singapore. Do drop me an email at consumelesslife@gmail.com if you know of any of these free events and activities. Thanks!
For free stuff to do this week, check out last week’s post here.
Here is a list of free stuff to do in Singapore next week from 21 March 2022 to 27 March 2022.
Monday – 21 March 2022
Inconvenience of Minor Parts
Description: Inconvenience of Minor Parts is a contemporary opera about an ageing television actress who prepares for an upcoming interview. She laments bitterly about how she had to sacrifice her relationship with her daughter over 30 years to get to where she is today—only to end up playing minor parts.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1900 – 1930 | 2000 – 2030
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Tuesday – 22 March 2022
Cuttings: from The Orchid Folios
Description: In Mok Zining’s The Orchid Folios, words bloom into floral arrangements alive with history. Plant lives become inextricably tied to human lives and personal memory. In this spoken word performance, local sustainable florist This Humid House brings to life the story of Mok’s elusive orchid and her florist with their tropic fever dream of floral arrangements. Using unique materials that pay homage to our tropical island and our national flower, This Humid House will present a spectacle of arrangements while Mok Zining performs scenes from her book.
Category: Theatre
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1900 – 1930 | 2000 – 2030
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Wednesday – 23 March 2022
Sounds Like A Buzz
Description: Join Marc Nair as he performs poems from his upcoming full-length spoken word album Sounds Like A Buzz. This acoustic adaptation reflects the strength and versatility of spoken word as a performance medium. Marc will be backed on guitars by music producer James Lye and Eugene Soh of Bakers in Space.
Category: Theatre
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1900 – 1930 | 2000 – 2030
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Internet of Things – What is it?
Description: This session will give you an overview of how these devices exchange information between them and transmit data to other devices and systems. It can be about objects to which they are attached or the environment they are in. Everything you need to know about the Internet of Things. Participants will learn how to make use of existing technology to control your devices.
Category: Talk
Location: Toa Payoh Public Library
Time: 1830 – 2030
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Kampong Gelam Heritage Walking Tour
Description: Friends of the Museums together with the Malay Heritage Foundation walking tour of Kampong Gelam historic precinct.
Category: Guided Tour
Location: Malay Heritage Centre
Time: 1030 – 1200
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Thursday – 24 March 2022
General Lee/Speaking: Singaporeana
Description: A musical and spoken word performance focused on telling Singapore stories, featuring original songs by General Lee from the band’s debut album and poetry written by Laremy Lee. This interdisciplinary collaboration brings together music and literary arts to imagine (or reimagine) Singaporeana—Singapore stories of our country’s history, myths and legends, and to tell (or retell) them through word and song.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1900 – 1930 | 2000 – 2030
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Friday – 25 March 2022
Candomblé – CANTOS AOS ANCESTRAIS
Description: Candomblé – CANTOS AOS ANCESTRAIS (Chants to the Ancestors) is an intercultural project between master drummer Dudu Tucci (Sao Paulo and Berlin) and Bloco Singapura. Come and listen to the songs and rhythms of the Afro-Brazilian religions of Candomblé and Umbanda.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Outdoor Theatre
Time: 1900 – 1930 | 2000 – 2030
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Kirtans: Glorification of The Supreme
Description: This presentation by students of Gurmat Sangeet Academy at the Sikh Centre features north Indian instruments such as the rebab, taus, dilruba and israaj, which are not often seen in public.
In this year’s performance, the group has prepared an immersive experience which takes the listener through a journey into the sacred.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1915 – 2000 | 2030 – 2115
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Pergolesi: Stabat Mater – The Grieving Mother
Description: Red Dot Baroque and their collaborators present a historically informed performance of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. Be enraptured by the sublime sounds of this 18th Century masterpiece.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concert Hall
Time: 2000 – 2045
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Ambe Kelen: A Tribute to Mamady Keita
Description: “Ambe kelen”, a phrase from the Mandingue culture of West Africa which means “we are all the same”, is a drumming tribute to the late djembe grandmaster Mamady Keiïta who in his lifetime advocated that the music of djembe drumming has no borders.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Outdoor Theatre
Time: 2115 – 2200
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
The Voice in Korean Ritual
Description: The Voice of Korean Ritual is a presentation of traditional Korean ritual song that brings to the forefront the vocal aspect of shamanism and royal ancestral worship. Performed outside of the context of actual ceremonies, it allows one to focus on the stark beauty of these ancient melodies, as well as the power and intention imbued in the voice.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 2200 – 2245
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Saturday – 26 March 2022
Sapling Protection Action (SPA) at Kranji Coastal Nature Park
Description: Sapling Protection Action (SPA) involves removing competing vegetation, clearing the stem base and replenishing leaf litter around saplings
Category: Nature
Location: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (Visitor Centre)
Time: 1600 – 1800
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Heritage Tour
Description: A walk through the re-developed Tanglin / Heritage Core of the Gardens will evoke memories of bygone days where ladies stroll through the Gardens with the parasols and long skirts. Highlights of the tour include the Bandstand, sculptures in the Gardens, the Heritage Trees, the Main Gate, the Saraca Stream Walk.
Category: Guided Tour
Location: Singapore Botanic Gardens, Visitor Services Desk at Tanglin Gate Botany Centre
Time: 0900 – 1000
Booking Requirement: Registration is required (Visitor Services Desk, Tanglin Gate) 15min before the scheduled tour. Limited slots available.
Further Details: Website
Learning Forest Tour
Description: The Learning Forest features a network of boardwalks and elevated walkways that allow visitors to explore habitats ranging from a freshwater forest wetland to a lowland rainforest. Visitors can learn about freshwater forest wetland ecosystems at the Keppel Discovery Wetlands and walk amongst a collection of some of the tallest tree species in Southeast Asia at the SPH Walk of Giants.
Category: Guided Tour
Location: Singapore Botanic Gardens, Visitor Services at Tyersall Gate
Time: 0900 – 1000
Booking Requirement: Registration is required (Visitor Services, Tyersall Gate) 15min before the scheduled tour. Limited slots available.
Further Details: Website
Race Against Time – Science behind a Botanic Garden Tour
Description: This session introduces the research facilities at the Singapore Botanic Gardens such as the Library of Botany & Horticulture, Orchid & Micro-propagation laboratory and the Herbarium.
Recommended for ages 9 and above.
Category: Guided Tour
Location: Singapore Botanic Gardens, Visitor Services Desk at Tanglin Gate Botany Centre
Time: 1000 – 1100
Booking Requirement: Registration is required at the Service Desk 15-minutes before the scheduled start time. Limited slots available.
Further Details: Website
Grow Your Own Microgreens Workshop
Description: To celebrate Earth Day, come join us for an interactive workshop where you get to grow your own microgreens and learn how to care for them. Microgreens are little seedlings of edible veggies that can add a burst of flavour to any dish.This workshop is recommended for tweens aged 10-13.
Category: Workshop
Location: Tampines Regional Library
Time: 1030 – 1130
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Candomblé – CANTOS AOS ANCESTRAIS
Description: Candomblé – CANTOS AOS ANCESTRAIS (Chants to the Ancestors) is an intercultural project between master drummer Dudu Tucci (Sao Paulo and Berlin) and Bloco Singapura. Come and listen to the songs and rhythms of the Afro-Brazilian religions of Candomblé and Umbanda.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Outdoor Theatre
Time: 2100 – 2145
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Ambe Kelen: A Tribute to Mamady Keita
Description: “Ambe kelen”, a phrase from the Mandingue culture of West Africa which means “we are all the same”, is a drumming tribute to the late djembe grandmaster Mamady Keiïta who in his lifetime advocated that the music of djembe drumming has no borders.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Outdoor Theatre
Time: 1830 – 1900 | 1930 – 2000
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
The Voice in Korean Ritual
Description: The Voice of Korean Ritual is a presentation of traditional Korean ritual song that brings to the forefront the vocal aspect of shamanism and royal ancestral worship. Performed outside of the context of actual ceremonies, it allows one to focus on the stark beauty of these ancient melodies, as well as the power and intention imbued in the voice.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concert Hall
Time: 1500 – 1545
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Shakuhachi: A Meditative Approach to Listening
Description: In this session, members of the Joyful Garden Community of Mindful Living will facilitate a simple guided meditation that will prime us for listening to sound with fresh perspectives. This will be followed by the experience of listening to the shakuhachi, performed by Singaporean shakuhachi teacher Chua Keng Chiu.
This meditation session is non-religious and suitable for all, including beginners.
Admission for ages 6 and above.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Recital Studio
Time: 1400 – 1450 | 1600 – 1650
Booking Requirement: Yes (Bookings open on 18 March 2022)
Further Details: Website
Introduction to the Music of the Manganiyars
Description: Join Anwar Khan and his Manganiyar musicians as they demonstrate their unique instruments and share their distinct music.
Admission for ages 6 and above.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Rehearsal Studio
Time: 1500 – 1600
Booking Requirement: Yes (Bookings open on 18 March 2022)
Further Details: Website
Exchange: Kim Bora Meets Siong Leng Musical Association
Description: As part of A Tapestry of Sacred Music, join us for a series of exchanges between international and locally based traditional artists whose artforms share distant historical influences. Listen as the artists demonstrate the similarities and differences in their sounds, instruments and approaches; and gain insight on how their respective traditions diverged with time and geography.
Admission for ages 6 and above.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Recital Studio
Time: 1700 – 1800
Booking Requirement: Yes (Bookings open on 18 March 2022)
Further Details: Website
Laler Mengeng: Music of Contemplation, Sorrow and Solace
Description: Laler Mengeng (The Buzzing Fly) is considered one of the most sorrowful pieces in the repertoire. Its name evokes the shimmering iridescent green of flies merrily feasting on corpses, an image that is morbid yet charged with its own peculiar beauty. Singa Nglaras Gamelan Ensemble present this piece, alongside others, associated with death and deliverance, which inspire sorrow—yet also solace—in its listeners.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1715 – 1745 | 1815 – 1845 | 1915 – 1945
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Of Divine Love
Description: Ustad Anwar Khan Manganiyar, the celebrated doyen of folk music from the deserts of western Rajasthan, has spent a life celebrating this very idea of love in his singing. In his deep, earthy and moving voice, he invokes compositions of Bulleh Shah, the Mughal era Punjabi Sufi poet, the Sindhi Sufi saint Shah Latif, Bhakti poets such as Kabir, Mira, and Dadu Dayal as well as several other mystics.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concert Hall
Time: 2000 – 2115
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Poetry of the Persian Mystics
Description: Join acclaimed Iranian vocalist Sepideh Raissadat (voice and setar) together with Eskandar Abadi (violin), Sogol Mirzaei (tar) and Bahareh Moghtadaei (tombak) as they explore themes of faith sung in the original language of Persian poets, in two thrilling and deeply moving performances with her ensemble of traditional musicians.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 2200 – 2245
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Sunday – 27 March 2022
Grow Your Own Microgreens Workshop
Description: To celebrate Earth Day, come join us for an interactive workshop where you get to grow your own microgreens and learn how to care for them. Microgreens are little seedlings of edible veggies that can add a burst of flavour to any dish.This workshop is recommended for tweens aged 10-13.
Category: Workshop
Location: Toa Payoh Public Library
Time: 1400 – 1500
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Pergolesi: Stabat Mater – The Grieving Mother
Description: Red Dot Baroque and their collaborators present a historically informed performance of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. Be enraptured by the sublime sounds of this 18th Century masterpiece.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concert Hall
Time: 1700 – 1745
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Shakuhachi: A Meditative Approach to Listening
Description: In this session, members of the Joyful Garden Community of Mindful Living will facilitate a simple guided meditation that will prime us for listening to sound with fresh perspectives. This will be followed by the experience of listening to the shakuhachi, performed by Singaporean shakuhachi teacher Chua Keng Chiu.
This meditation session is non-religious and suitable for all, including beginners.
Admission for ages 6 and above.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Recital Studio
Time: 1400 – 1450 | 1600 – 1650
Booking Requirement: Yes (Bookings open on 18 March 2022)
Further Details: Website
Of Divine Love
Description: Ustad Anwar Khan Manganiyar, the celebrated doyen of folk music from the deserts of western Rajasthan, has spent a life celebrating this very idea of love in his singing. In his deep, earthy and moving voice, he invokes compositions of Bulleh Shah, the Mughal era Punjabi Sufi poet, the Sindhi Sufi saint Shah Latif, Bhakti poets such as Kabir, Mira, and Dadu Dayal as well as several other mystics.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Outdoor Theatre
Time: 2115 – 2200
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Poetry of the Persian Mystics
Description: Join acclaimed Iranian vocalist Sepideh Raissadat (voice and setar) together with Eskandar Abadi (violin), Sogol Mirzaei (tar) and Bahareh Moghtadaei (tombak) as they explore themes of faith sung in the original language of Persian poets, in two thrilling and deeply moving performances with her ensemble of traditional musicians.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Theatre
Time: 2000 – 2100
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
West-African Drum Workshop
Description: Experience the energy and musical magic of African drum rhythms! In this workshop for beginners, learn centuries-old playing techniques, the various rhythms played for mask dances and initiation rites, as well as those performed by farmers and medicine men. African djembe drums will be provided.
Admission for ages 6 and above.
Category: Workshop
Location: Esplanade Rehearsal Studio
Time: 1230 – 1330
Booking Requirement: Yes (Booking starts on 18 March 2022)
Further Details: Website
Candomblé Rhythms Workshop
Description: Have a conversation with the artists in a short question and answer session, as they share about the historical setting, the sacred stories and the cosmology of the Candomblé religion. Learn some of the traditional drumming techniques and music associated with the sacred culture as well as their influences on other Afro-Brazilian art forms such as samba.
Admission for ages 6 and above.
Category: Workshop
Location: Esplanade Rehearsal Studio
Time: 1700 – 1800
Booking Requirement: Yes (Booking starts on 18 March 2022)
Further Details: Website
Exchange: Sepideh Raissadat Meets Azrin Abdullah With Zakhrafa Takht Ensemble
Description: Join Sepideh Raissadat and her musicians they share about various Persian classical instruments like the kamamcheh and setar, in an exchange session with Singaporean instrumentalists of the Zakhrafa Takht Ensemble. Observe as the two groups of artists share their approaches to their art, the similarities and differences in the practices of Arabic and Persian music, as well as how it relates to music of the Malay peninsula.
Admission for ages 6 and above.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Recital Studio
Time: 1330 – 1430
Booking Requirement: Yes (Booking starts on 18 March 2022)
Further Details: Website
Islamic Devotional Music
Description: Specially formed for this edition of A Tapestry of Sacred Music, Zakhrafa Takht Ensemble is an Islamic devotional music collective that performs devotional poetry with the accompaniment of traditional Middle Eastern instruments. The ensemble is led by specialist Azrin Abdullah and fronted by vocalists Ustaz Syamil Masruhen and Ustaz Sofyan Yadi.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1630 – 1715 | 1745 – 1830
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Festive Isaan: Rituals of Northeast Thailand
Description: The performances by Absolutely Thai will include Soeng Boon Bangfai, a series of ritual dances that pay homage to Phaya Thaen, a spirit that has the power to cause rain. During the period from May to July, the Isaan people celebrate Boon Bangfai or the Rocket Festival, where they dance, revel and ask the gods for rain.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1930 – 2000 | 2030 – 2100
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Shrine Festivities of Japan
Description: Join local Japanese cultural organisation HIBIKIYA as they bring to you the drumming and dance performances from different shrine festivities. These include the kokiriko-bushi performed unique bamboo clappers during Shinto rituals in Toyama prefecture, as well as the kotobukijishi lion dance that is performed for longevity and auspiciousness in the Kanda district of Tokyo.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Outdoor Theatre
Time: 1815 – 1900 | 1930 – 2015
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Non-Specific Date Activities
Heritage Hunter Volume 2 Bingo
Description: Experience a free treasure hunt in Kampong Gelam organised by National Heritage Board. I wrote a short post on what it is all about here that you can check out.
Category: Games
Location: Kampong Gelam
Date: 12 March 2022 – 2 April 2022 (Avoid Mondays)
Time: 0900 – 2359 (Dependent on location)
Booking Requirement: Need to register an account here
Further Details: Website
ArtScience on Screen: The Modern Fables of Masaaki Yuasa
Description: Yakitori, yakuza, and mermaids collide in the wonderfully kaleidoscopic genius mind of acclaimed Japanese animator and director Masaaki Yuasa.
Mind Game (2004)
Lu Over The Wall (2017)
Night Is Short, Walk On Girl (2017)
Ride Your Wave (2019)
Category: Movie Screening
Location: Art Science Museum
Date: 4 March 2022 – 18 April 2022 (Free screenings only on weekdays)
Time: 1400 – 1830 (Screen time dependant on movie)
Booking Requirement: Yes (Can try to walk in on weekdays)
Further Details: Website
ArtScience Museum x NOWNESS: Meditative Screens
Description: Come witness how community, song, language and spirituality transcend chaos through an inextricable bond of hope across 4 very specially curated short films in conjunction with NOWNESS.
First Sunday
Nabs
The Dictionary
Boys Will Be Flowers
Category: Movie Screening
Location: Art Science Museum
Date: 4 March 2022 – 18 April 2022 (Free screenings only on weekdays)
Time: 1030 – 1300 (Total screen time 19 minutes)
Booking Requirement: Yes (Can try to walk in on weekdays)
Further Details: Website
This Is What We Eat at Home
Description: Mealtimes at home are not only a time for eating. They are also about creating memories together, intertwined with knowledge passed down from one generation to the next, where elders and children invest in each other with care.
This is What We Eat at Home is a participatory photography project featuring 12 children and youths from very diverse households in Boon Lay. Through capturing meal preparations and candid sharing of their life experiences, these young persons and their family members shed light on a diversity of caregiving models, heritage and value systems that exist in a socially complex community.
Category: Guided Tour
Location: Esplanade Courtyard
Date: 9 March 2022 – 31 March 2022
Guided tours are available on 11 – 13, 18 – 20 March 2022
Time: All Day (Guided tour at 1700 and 1800)
Booking Requirement: Yes
Limited capacity for guided tours. Registration for tours is available on a first-come, first-served basis onsite. Registration will open onsite 30mins before each tour session.
Further Details: Website
URA Special Exhibition on Autonomous Vehicles
Description: Led by URA volunteers, this approximately 25-minutes guided tour will provide you an introduction to Autonomous Vehicles (AVs), how they work, what Singapore is doing to facilitate their roll out, and how the proliferation of AVs may change urban planning in Singapore in the future.
Category: Guided Tour
Location: Singapore City Gallery
Date: Guided tours are offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and alternate Saturdays from 18 January to 29 March 2022
Time: Every 20 minutes from 12:00pm to 1:40pm (6 tours per day)
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Life is Sweet: Ang Ku Kueh Girl Exhibition
Description: These illustrations were inspired by Wang Shijia’s reflections on life’s joys and struggles. But don’t mistake Ang Ku Kueh Girl for her creator! Ang Ku Kueh Girl is determined, persistent and a thankful optimist; Shijia aspires to be like her!
Many of these illustrations have been published before. They have since been updated with new details and colours. Shijia also added traditional Chinese motifs to convey her well wishes for visitors.
There are also other free exhibitions and events available at SCCC that you can check out here.
Category: Exhibition
Location: SCCC Auditorium Foyer, Level 9 and 10
Date: 7 January 2021 – 30 June 2022
Time: 0900 – 2200
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
One of Us, All of Us Exhibition
Description: Culminating from the One of Us video series, One of Us, All of Us is an exhibition that gives visitors untold insights into local Chinese dialect culture through an up close and personal showcase of over 20 people featured on the video series.
Category: Exhibition
Location: SCCC Concourse, Level 1
Date: 7 January 2021 – 31 March 2022
Time: 1000 – 2000
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
If you have any free events or activities that you would like included or if there are any new sources of free activities, do drop me an email at consumelesslife@gmail.com.
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