Here is a list of free stuff to do in Singapore next week. Explore and experience events and activities that are budget-friendly. 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 23 January 2023 to 29 January 2023.
Monday – 23 January 2023
Gabby
Description: Gabby reminisces the past with an intimate session of songs by pioneers of Singapore indie music spanning different eras. Expect tunes from Electrico, Cashew Chemists, Shirley Nair and the Silver Strings, as well as her own original songs.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1800 – 1830 | 1900 – 1930
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Tim De Cotta
Description: Seasoned performer Tim De Cotta presents an evening of his music with diverse influences from hip hop and R&B to melodic indie.
With his latest album Heart Matter released in November 2022, Tim will also bring new music to the stage with his band, The Warriors.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1845 – 1930 | 2015 – 2100
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Tuesday – 24 January 2023
Stories by Sixstringsulaiman
Description: Returning to the stage with new music is singer-songwriter Sulaiman.
Exploring themes of life, love and loss,he fuses catchy and contemplative lyrics with smooth jazz chords on his acoustic guitar.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1800 – 1830 | 1900 – 1930
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Daniel Sid: Spotlight Singapore
Description: Daniel Sid pays homage to artists near and dear to his heart for a night with his covers of music proudly from Singapore.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1845 – 1930 | 2015 – 2100
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Wednesday – 25 January 2023
Umar Sirhan
Description: With a gentle and soulful voice, Umar Sirhan presents a R&B performance of his recent releases as well as covers of from musicians that have inspired him.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1900 – 1940
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Kampong Gelam; A Day of Geocaching
Description: Friends of the Museums together with the Malay Heritage Foundation walking tour of Kampong Gelam historic precinct.
Category: Guided Tour
Location: Sultan Gate
Time: 1030 – 1200
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Thursday – 26 January 2023
Umar Sirhan
Description: With a gentle and soulful voice, Umar Sirhan presents a R&B performance of his recent releases as well as covers of from musicians that have inspired him.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1900 – 1940
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Friday – 27 January 2023
Festive Favourites
Description: Soak in the festive atmosphere with The CO Peeps as they bring you a repertoire of joyous and light hearted Chinese classical tunes such as Full of Joy, Spring Flowers, Spring Blessings, Winds of Affinity and many more!
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1915 – 1945 | 2015 – 2045
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Dance of the Golden Lions
Description: Join us as we start Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts 2023 on a high note with an exciting lion dance, taichi and wushu performance at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre! The rarely seen Northern Lions will take over the stage and showcase their fluid moves. The performance ends off with both northern and southern lions performing together.
Category: Dance
Location: Esplanade Outdoor Theatre
Time: 1915 – 1930
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Sonance
Description: Malaysia’s acclaimed diabolo troupe DiAbolution presents two original works, Knight and Immortal, which express their adherence to traditional culture despite contemporary trends and regardless of future shifts.
Category: Theatre
Location: Esplanade Outdoor Theatre
Time: 1930 – 2015 | 2100 – 2145
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
CraftforGood Community Session
Description: #CraftForGood are volunteering sessions where people of all ages can create and design personalized festive cards and colouring sheets for persons with disabilities living in our destitute homes and adult disability homes and other communities in need.
We will be making Valentine’s Day Cards and Crafts in this session.
Category: Volunteer
Location: library@chinatown
Time: 1845 – 2030
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Chinatown Heritage Walks – Bukit Pasoh
Description: A collaboration between the URA and the Friends of the Museums URA volunteers, these two hour walks are led by an FOM docent. Besides sharing on the history of Chinatown, you will also gain an appreciation of our Conservation efforts, which is part of the integrated planning process to shape a city that is distinctive, liveable and sustainable.
Category: Guided Tour
Location: Urban Redevelopment Authority
Time: 0930 – 1130
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Organ Transplant: An Emotional Roller Coaster
Description: The human body is incredibly complex, and the different organs function together to make it work. However, when one organ becomes damaged, it can have a wide range of effects on the body. It also affects the person, his friends and his family. Find out what it means when organs fail and what can be done about it at this interactive session.
Category: Talk
Location: Toa Payoh Public Library
Time: 1500 – 1600
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Saturday – 28 January 2023
Admiring Lanterns
Description: See the young talents of Nam Hwa Opera show off their skills in this showcase! An excerpt from the popular story Chen San & Wu-niang, Admiring Lanterns tells the story of how the two lovers met each other. Chen-San attended the Yuan-xiao lantern festival at Chaozhou and met Wu-niang by coincidence.
Category: Theatre
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1430 – 1500 | 1530 – 1600
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Songs of Spring
Description: Celebrate spring and soak in the festive atmosphere with Tango’s Harmonica Trio as they present familiar spring-themed classics including Spring Breeze, In the Spring and more!
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1915 – 1945 | 2015 – 2045
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Gifted
Description: Experimenting with vocal effects and electronic elements, The Wanted brings a cappella music to the next level through their creativity in vocal expression. Come check out The Wanted as they are ready to bring their songs and energy as a gift to people all around the world.
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Outdoor Theatre
Time: 1930 – 2015 | 2100 – 2145
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
The World of Plants
Description: As part of the Earth Heroes series, this session immerses children in the diversity of plants from leaves to fruits to seeds. The session ends with a farming activity, teaching children how to grow their own vegetables from seeds.
This programme is suitable for children ages 7 to 12.
Category: Workshop
Location: Bishan Public Library
Time: 1030 – 1200
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Kampong Gelam: People and Places
Description: Friends of the Museums together with the Malay Heritage Foundation walking tour of Kampong Gelam historic precinct.
Category: Guided Tour
Location: Sultan Gate
Time: 1030 – 1200
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Connecting With Nature
Description: Every day, more animals are losing their habitat and becoming endangered. Let’s play our part in saving them! Learn about wildlife conservation and different animal habitats in this informative workshop that comes with fun hands-on activities. This programme is suitable for children 4-6 years old.
Category: Workshop
Location: Jurong Regional Library
Time: 1030 – 1200
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
Time: 0900 – 1000
Booking Requirement: Registration is required 15 minutes prior on a first-come-first-served basis at Visitor Services @ Tanglin Gate
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.
Category: Guided Tour
Location: Singapore Botanic Gardens
Time: 0900 – 1000
Booking Requirement: Registration is required 15 minutes prior on a first-come-first-served basis at Visitor Services @ Tyersall Gate
Further Details: Website
Race Against Time
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.
Category: Guided Tour
Location: Singapore Botanic Gardens
Time: 1000 – 1100
Booking Requirement: Registration is required 15 minutes prior on a first-come-first-served basis at Visitor Services @ Tanglin Gate Botany Centre
Further Details: Website
Biodiversity Tour
Description: Come on down to Jurong Lake Gardens and learn about the rich biodiversity that you can find here! Breathe in the fresh air and listen to the delightful sounds of nature on a free guided walk.
Category: Guided Tour
Location: Jurong Lake Gardens
Time: 0800 – 0900 | 0815 – 0915
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: 0800 – 0900 | 0815 – 0915
What’s in my mangrove?
Description: Join us for a guided walk of this unique mangrove wetlands located at the border of freshwater (river) and salt water (sea). Singapore used to have large areas of mangroves, but lost most of them to coastal development. Few mangroves are left in Singapore, one of which is at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
Category: Guided Tour
Location: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
Time: 0930 – 1100
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Sunday – 29 January 2023
We are Singer-singwriters!
Description: Performances by singer-songwriters.
Eiva Qian | 1700 – 1745
LINGBRANDON | 1815 – 1900
Chen Yu Xuan | 1930 – 2015
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1700 – 1745 | 1815 – 1900 | 1930 – 2015
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: 1700 – 1745 | 1815 – 1900 | 1930 – 2015
We are Singer-singwriters!
Description: Performances by singer-songwriters.
Ah5ive The Band | 1830 – 1915
Quis | 1945 – 2030
Cold Cut Duo| 2100 – 2145
Category: Music
Location: Esplanade Concourse
Time: 1830 – 1915 | 1945 – 2030 | 2100 – 2145
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: 1830 – 1915 | 1945 – 2030 | 2100 – 2145
Monument Trail
Description: The Monument Trail starts at Cavenagh Bridge near the mouth of the Singapore River, once the heart of Singapore’s commercial activity and entrepôt trade, and brings you through Empress Place and Esplanade Park before ending at War Memorial Park.
Category: Guided Tour
Location: Empress Place
Time: 1000 – 1200
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Non-Specific Date Activities
Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition
Description: The term ‘cultural heritage’ has changed content considerably in recent decades, partially owing to the instruments developed by UNESCO. Cultural heritage does not end at monuments and collections of objects. It also includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts.
Category: Exhibition
Location: Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre
Date: 17 March 2023 – 20 March 2023
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
What Makes a Chinese New Year, Singaporean?
Description: This exhibition is presented through different stalls for visitors to learn about the various “ingredients” that go into the making of a Singaporean Chinese New Year. Some distinctive events and practices featured in the exhibition include festivities like River Hongbao and Chingay, goodies like pineapple tarts and love letters, and customs such as the giving of red packets and praying to the Jade Emperor.
Category: Exhibition
Location: Library@Chinatown
Date: 28 January 2023 – 27 February 2023
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Uncommon Market Vegetables
Description: Come visit this exhibition and learn about some uncommon vegetables that you may or may not have heard about. Many of these can be found in Singapore’s wet markets and supermarkets, and are also planted on the grounds of the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Category: Exhibition
Location: Singapore Botanic Gardens, Centre for Ethnobotany
Date: 17 December 2022 – 18 June 2023
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Guided Tour of the Police Heritage Centre
Description: The Police Heritage Centre (PHC) welcomes visitors with a showcase of multifarious exhibits and multimedia displays that highlights the rich history of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) from the colonial times till the present day. Immerse yourself in the challenges of early policing, the post-WWII period of secret societies resurgence and communist subversion, as well as learn how community policing has brought the police and community closer together to fight crime, making Singapore one of the safest countries in the world. The PHC also pays tribute to the heroism and sacrifice of police officers who have died in the line of duty to keep Singapore safe and secure.
When visiting, you may wish to set aside 1.5 hours for the guided tour and for some time to explore the Heritage Centre.
Category: Guided Tour
Location: New Phoenix Park, Police Headquarters
Date: Guided tours are offered from Tuesdays to Saturdays (Till February)
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
兔gether
Description: SCCC’s Roof Garden comes alive with a spectacular rabbit-themed art installation exhibition to welcome the Year of the Rabbit. Entitled 兔gether, the art installations created by local art and design studio Whisky and Foxtrot LLP, the mixed-media artwork presents a cast of characters from Chinese New Year mythology. These characters will showcase local Chinese New Year practices enjoyed together with family and friends.
Light Shows
Visitors can also look forward to special light shows with narration of the story of Tu Zai’s journey home to celebrate Chinese New Year with his family and friends.
Light shows will be held on 7 Jan, 14 Jan, 28 Jan, 25 Feb and 25 Mar from 7.30pm to 8.30pm.
Category: Exhibition
Location: Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre
Date: 18 December 2022 – 31 March 2023
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Singapore Biennale 2022
Description: Singapore Biennale 2022 is here from 16 October 2022 to 19 March 2023 and will showcase art from a myriad of local and international artists at multiple locations around Singapore. The main location for the arts festival is ticketed and will be at 39 Tanjong Pagar Distripark with over 40 artists showing their art. Tickets are free for children aged 6 and below, persons with disabilities (PWD) and their caretakers, and local/locally-based students and teachers.
However, there are still plenty of free art installations to view at other locations. The amount of art at these free locations can be quite minimal so you should look for things to do and eat in the area besides just going there to view the art.
Category: Festival
Location: Various locations around Singapore
Date: 16 October 2022 – 19 March 2023
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website | My Article
Children’s Museum Singapore
Description: Let’s “Start With Wonder” at Children’s Museum Singapore. We are the first museum in Singapore dedicated to children 12 years old and below! We believe in sparking wonder and the power of play in a safe environment.
Adults are unable to visit without a child accompanying them.
Admission is free until 31 March 2023
Category: Museum
Location: Children’s Museum Singapore
Date: Till 31 March 2023 (Closed on Mondays)
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Pulp III: A Short Biography of the Banished Book
Description: Pulp III marks the midpoint of Rao’s ongoing decade-long project Pulp, which explores the history of book destruction and its impact on the futures of knowledge. The exhibition provides visitors the opportunity to engage with Rao’s work through daily screenings of her film, Talking Leaves, and a presentation of her book, Pulp III: An Intimate Inventory of the Banished Book, Volume III of V (Pulp Vol. III).
Filmed over five years in various locations including Venice and Singapore, Talking Leaves highlights the tales of those at the forefront of the effort to save books and libraries through personal confidences and elegiac reflections, as well as incendiary documentary and mytho-poetic languages.
Category: Exhibition
Location: ArtScience Museum
Date: 6 January 2023 – 24 January 2023
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
Special Tours at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre
Description: How did Chinese Singaporeans develop the habit of having kaya toast for breakfast, and what is kopi siudai? Why do Chinese Singaporeans lohei during Chinese New Year and observe Zhongyuan in the seventh lunar month? How did these habits and practices develop, and what are some other Chinese Singaporean customs? Join a tour specially curated for new citizens and non-Singaporeans to better appreciate the distinctiveness of Chinese Singaporean culture. Each session includes a guided tour and short discussion segment.
Tour is free. Suitable for those aged 15 and above. Each participant will also receive a complimentary bottle of Cooling Water from Three Legs brand.
Category: Guided Tour
Location: Singapore Chinese Culture Centre
Date: 1st Saturday of every month of 2023
Booking Requirement: Yes
Further Details: Website
Singapore Sports Hub – Experience Sports Session
Description: Get ready for new exercise experiences with the refreshed Experience Sports Sessions! The daily free fitness programmes focus on five core aspects – Cardio, Endurance, Flexibility, Strength and Zen.
Join Experience Sports Sessions to work out and keep fit now! Participants are welcome to walk-in and join the free fitness programmes, slots are limited.
Highlights
- Yoga
- Tabata
- HIIT
- Zumba
- Dancing
Visit the website for the latest schedule.
Category: Exercise
Location: Singapore Sports Hub
Date: Everyday
Booking Requirement: No
Further Details: Website
SCDF Fire Station Open House
Description: Visitors to our Fire Station can look forward to the following during the guided tour:
- Introduction to the Open House;
- Introduction to Emergency Vehicles and their capabilities;
- Demo on donning the full protective gear;
- Demo on using various equipment/appliances; and
- Photo taking
Category: Exhibition
Location: Various Fire Stations
Date: Saturdays
Time: 0900 – 0950 | 1000 – 1050
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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