Singapore’s best festivals

The already bustling metropolis of Singapore is kicking it into higher gear in the upcoming months with a series of summer-friendly festivals and high-octane events. These are just some of the highlights of this year's social calendar.

Italian Festival
May – July

Jazz, art, and cinema: the Embassy of Italy-led event celebrates all things Italian with a series of concerts, art and film screenings. Kicking off with the imposing Francesco Morosini, a new state-of-the-art Italian Navy ship showcased at International Maritime Defence Exhibition, it moves into an evening of smooth jazz with saxophonist Francesco Cafiso at cocktail bar Cool Cats.

Festa della Repubblica, Italy's National Day, will be feted with a floral feature of Puglia, one of the country's most beautiful regions, at Gardens by the Bay from 2nd June – 16th July. Finally, it's Cinema Italiano with well-regarded documentaries and movies taking the screen at both EU Film Festival (16th – 31st May) and Italian Film Festival (9th – 18th June). Don't miss your chance to catch the restored version of the classic Nuovo Cinema Paradiso by Giuseppe Tornatore.

Singapore Cocktail Festival
5th – 21st May

For its 9th consecutive year, the #SGCF2023 takes over the beautiful Bayfront Event Space, a whisky stone's throw away from the iconic Marina Bay Sands. Revellers have over 100 cocktails to choose from the sprawling Festival Village (5th – 7th May), including, for the first time, Headliner Bars featuring world-class mixologists from Indulge Experimental Bistro (Taipei, No. 6 at Asia's 50 Best Bars 2022), Maybe Sammy (Sydney, No. 29 at The World's 50 Best Bars 2022), Penicillin (Hong Kong, No. 22 at Asia's 50 Best Bars 2022) and more.

The libations keep flowing with the City Takeover: two weeks of cocktail brunches, thematic bar crawls and collaborations at Singapore's top cocktail bars like Atlas and Manhattan.

Singapore International Festival of Arts
19th May – 4th June

Lovers of the performing arts have an eclectic line-up of theatre, dance, installations and more to look forward to at this year’s SIFA. Organised by Arts House Limited, it continues and expands upon the 2022–2024 theme of The Anatomy of Performance with four newly commissioned productions and 11 invited international presentations. The enduring arts festival, which began in 1977, champions alternative expression with LOVE DIVINE, an explosive performance of burlesque, vaudeville, and rope performance installation featuring artists Sukki, Daniel Kok and Luke George at famed nightclub Cé La Vi.

Vinexpo Asia
23rd – 25th May

Vinexposium, the world's leading wine and spirits trade event organiser, is inaugurating the first edition of Vinexpo Asia in Singapore with a new partnership with wine experts Bettane+Desseauve. On 22nd May, wine connoisseurs and novitiates alike will have the opportunity to taste a meticulous selection of over 100 90+ rated wines at the first-ever Le B+D Grand Tasting.

The first Le Grand Tasting Paris, held at the Carrousel du Louvre in 2006, drew 12,000 fine wine lovers and is now a highly sought-after ticket. That evening, a lavish gala dinner hosted by the Jurade de Saint-Émilion, the world's oldest wine brotherhood, will pair 12 exquisite wines with a five-course dining experience curated by the Ritz Carlton. Guests of the black-tie dinner will also bear historical witness to the induction of 15 new members into the Jurade as ambassadors of the wines of Saint-Emilion.

Beerfest Asia 2023
22nd – 25th June

Asia's biggest beer festival returns to its physical format after a three-year hiatus. In its 13th edition, the successful four-day event celebrates local and international brews with live music performances, hearty beer-friendly nosh, and over 600 ales, lagers and stouts to sip and savour. Over 35,000 beer enthusiasts are expected at Kallang Leisure Carpark 4, this year's open-air venue, so prepare for a hopping good time.

Singapore Grand Prix
15th – 17th September

The year's blockbuster event, the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2023 is not just one of the most exciting circuits of the race calendar; it's also a three-day music extravaganza headlined by some of the world's most famous bands and singers. This year's night race will be soundtracked with live performances by Robbie Williams, Post Malone, Jackson Wang and more. Then, pop celebratory champagne with celebrities and drivers at the glamorous post-race trackside parties like the long-running Amber Lounge.

ZoukOut
December 2023

Singapore’s legendary dance music festival is a dusk-to-dawn beach extravaganza headlined by some of the biggest names in EDM. While this year’s line-up is still under wraps, superstar DJs like Armin Van Buuren, Tiësto and Zedd have all performed for the sold-out crowds at Sentosa’s Siloso Beach.

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