Night Festival 2009

For those who tire of the local late-night options (Clarke Quay? beer-guzzling and bowling?), consider broadening your horizons at the Night Festival – two evenings of theatrical performances, live music and dance. ‘It’ll be as if you were dropped into the middle of a 1950s amusement park. It’s a different sort of club, so to speak,’ says the museum’s director Lee Chor Lin. Unlike last year’s Night Festival, which ran over two weekends and featured acts like Australia’s electro-pop band Van She, large-format projection specialists Electric Canvas and Italy’s site-specific performance group Studio Festi, this year’s focus is on the diversity of Singapore’s arts scene.

Thanks to a 2am ‘lights out’, the party starts early this year. As the sun sets, kick back on the lawn of the National Museum with outdoor film screenings showcasing local talent, including P Ramlee (Curse of the Oily Man), Glen Goei (Forever Fever) and Royston Tan (881). Or maybe you’ve just had dinner and would prefer to walk it off? Then follow visual artist Amanda Heng on foot, as she leads you down memory lane with activities centred around The Substation [see The Substation Night Festival events].

Bersama Hijau - Red Ribbon Dance

If you prefer to go at your own pace, get lost in music, multicultural performances and street art on the SMU green as it transforms into Bersama Hijau – a time of gathering and enjoying several forms of self-expression. Among the performances on campus is a mass Bollywood dance; punk and classical musicians playing alongside Chinese ribbon dancers; and Malay candle dancers who balance the flickering flames on their palms while manipulating them with fluid body movements.

And if you think the lights are bright on Orchard, allow the light installations created by three of our young artists (Sun Yu Li, Donna Ong, Jeremy Hiah) and Singapore-based arts and design conduit FARM (www.farm.sg) to play tricks on your eyes and ears with its 6m-high ‘Banyan Tree’ made from LEDs and speakers that respond to public interaction. ‘The intangible value of introducing art, culture and heritage is an investment,’ Lee says. ‘In the long term, this will help round up the nightlife experience in Singapore beyond the typical choices of shopping, dining and clubbing.’

The Night Festival 2009 takes place at National Museum of Singapore, The Substation and SMU green on 10-11 Jul.