Festivals and events in Singapore
When it comes to the month of October, we all know it’s time for 2 things – lots of booze at Oktoberfest and spooky scares on Halloween. But while we wait for these 2 festivals to start, kick off October’s fun with these other exciting events happening this weekend! There’s an exclusive sensory exhibition at Starbucks, a chance to experience Japan’s autumn right here on our shores, and GameStart Asia – an annual game convention in Southeast Asia!
1. A Journey To Hawaii’s Big Island
Source: Starbucks Singapore
Coffee connoisseurs, now’s the chance to savour one of the most exotic coffees from Hawaii at Starbucks Singapore’s A Journey To Hawaii’s Big Island! Promised to be a 90-minute sensory experience, you’ll get to indulge in their new Starbucks Reserve™ Hawaii Ka’u cuppa specially handcrafted by the winner and finalists of the recent Starbucks Regional Barista Championship.
Source: Starbucks Reserve
Hailing all the way from the remote district of Ka’u, south of Hawaii’s Big Island, the blend gives a creamy milk chocolate flavour with a sweet almond finish, and is the latest addition to Starbucks Singapore’s exclusive Starbucks Reserve™ collection that consists of unique coffee blends from around the world.
Those who attend the seminar will also get to bring home a Starbucks goodie bag (worth $157.90) that comes with a bag of coffee beans (250g) and French press, and tickets can be purchased here for $109. Hurry, because they’re selling fast!
Address: Starbucks @ The Waterboat House, #02-01/02, 3 Fullerton Road, Singapore 049215
Date & Time: 11th October: 7PM – 8.30PM | 13th October: 10AM – 11.30AM
Ticket Pricing: $109
Website
2. GameStart Asia 2018
Source: GameStart Asia
Avid gamers and anime fans, mark your calendars for the ultimate game paradise at GameStart Asia 2018, Southeast Asia’s premier game convention! Featuring game showcases and previews, unique indie games, retro games, and cosplay events, it’ll even play host to E-sports tournaments like the SEA Major 2018, where top players from all around the world will compete in fighting games such as Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, and Marvel Vs Capcom Infinite.
Source: RetroCade
There’ll be masterclasses and workshops on how to create memorable and iconic game characters too, and you can even learn how to build your very own fully-functioning mini arcade machine, from the setting up of wires to the installing of joysticks!
Purchase your tickets here.
Note: Standard tickets will also be available for purchase at the GameStart 2018 Ticketing Counter outside Suntec Convention Centre Hall 401 during event days from 10AM – 8.45PM.
Address: Suntec Convention Centre Halls 401 – 403
Date & Time: 13th – 14th October: 11AM – 9PM
Ticket Pricing: Standard: $12, VIP: $70
Website
3. Autumn In The Train
Source: JAPAN RAIL CAFE
Experience Japan’s autumn right here in Singapore at Autumn In The Train, where the Urban Park at Tanjong Pagar Centre will be transformed into a railway train-like space filled with Japanese delicacies, activities, and exclusive merchandise related to all things autumn and rail!
Source: JAPAN RAIL CAFE
Meant to celebrate “Railway Day” that falls on 14th October, some of the event highlights include a Pikachu Meet & Greet Session, movie screenings of popular Japanese films like Robo-G, Jimami Tofu, and a marathon of animes by Makoto Shinkai, the brain behind top hit Your Name.
These 100% gluten-free Kome Kome rings by Chef Yamashita will also be available at the event! Source: JAPAN RAIL CAFE
Unique jazz-pop hits will also be performed live by DJs, and food options include vegan ramen and Tantanmen Ramen from T’s Tan Tan, onigiri and bento from SAMURICE, grilled salmon bellies from Teppei Syokudo, and speciality Hakata udon from Fu-Men!
Check out the full list of programmes here!
Address: Tanjong Pagar Centre L1 Urban Park, 1 Wallich Street, Singapore 078884
Date & Time: 11th – 14th October | 11AM – 10PM
Website
4. A Craftman’s journey: From dream to reality by Fossa Chocolate
Source: Fossa Chocolate
For those of you who can’t get enough of chocolates, head down to Fossa Chocolate’s bean-to-bar craft chocolate workshop, A Craftman’s Journey: From Dream To Reality! Specially invited by the Singapore Tourism Board to showcase the art of handcrafting chocolates from scratch, you’ll be able to sample chocolates made from the almost-obsolete techniques of ancient chocolate makers, and also learn how to differentiate quality artisan chocolates from factory-made ones!
Source: Fossa Chocolate
The best part? This workshop is free for all to attend with no registration required!
Address: Singapore Visitor Centre, 216 Orchard Road, Singapore 238898 (Next to orchardgateway@emerald)
Date & Time: 12th & 13th, 19th & 20th, 26th & 27th October | 11AM, 11.30AM, 12PM, 12.30PM
Website
5. Finnish Film Festival 2018
Source: The Projector
Film buffs, this one’s for you – the Finnish Film Festival 2018! Back for its second edition at The Projector, it will feature a total of 14 specially curated films that include the heartwarming feature made from vintage stop-motion footages that date back to the 80’s, Moomins And The Winter Wonderland, riveting thriller Euthanizer, award-winning comedy Man And A Baby, and the bold and thought-provoking Tom Of Finland.
Moomins And The Winter Wonderland. Source: The Projector
There’ll even be screenings of masterpieces from Aki Kaurismäki, who has been dubbed as Finland’s best-known film director!
Plus, Finnish matrons from the community here in Singapore will be selling their homemade bakes like Karelian pies at the Intermission Bar, so make sure to check the movie screening times and book your seats here!
Address: #05-00, Golden Mile Tower, 6001 Beach Road, Singapore 199589
Date: 11th – 21st October
Ticket Pricing: $13.50
Website
6. “Sunflower Surprise” Floral Display
Source: @chloetwl
There’s no need to be envious of the gorgeous sunflower fields that you can only find overseas – we now have one right here at Gardens by the Bay! Inspired by The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, where the road to the Emerald City is paved in yellow, “Sunflower Surprise” boasts over 10,000 sunflowers and more than 40 types of sunflower varieties.
Some of the sunflowers on display at Sunflower Surprise. Source: Gardens by the Bay
These include unusual ones like the fluffy ‘Teddy Bear’, the enormous ‘Uniflorus Giganteus’, which has blooms as large as a human’s face, and the ‘Russian Mammoth’, which towers over everything at 4m tall!
Source: @jouzunajazu
Amidst the flowers, you’ll be able to spot adorable figurines of heroine Dorothy, her faithful dog Toto, pals Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion, as well as the magnificent Wizard’s castle too!
Address: Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Dr, Singapore 018953
Date & Time: 31st August – 21st October 2018 | 9AM – 9PM Daily
Ticket Pricing:
Website
7. 25th Anniversary Japan Food Matsuri
Source: Takashimaya Department Store
Fans of Japanese cuisine, this one’s for you – the 25th Anniversary Japan Food Matsuri at Takashimaya! Besides featuring mouth-watering delights from Kyushu, Okinawa, Hokkaido, and more, there’ll also be an authentic standing Izakaya-style dining, live cooking demonstrations by guest chefs, and a pop-up sake and whisky bar!
Okinawa A4 wagyu sushi served medium-rare. Source: Takashimaya Department Store
Keep a lookout for delicacies like the traditional Japanese wagashi, grade A4 wagyu beef, kurobuta pork, and king crab meat sashimi, as well as signatures dishes of well-known chefs Teppei Yamashita and Sho Naganuma!
Everything is freshly flown in directly from Japan! Source: Takashimaya Department Store
That’s not all – a series of performances and workshops on flower arrangement, origami, makeup, and matcha tea will also be available!
Address: Takashimaya Department Store B2, 391A Orchard Road, Singapore 238873
Date & Time: 28th September – 14th October
Website
8. Halloween Horror Nights
Source: Resorts World Sentosa
Halloween Horror Nights 8 (HHN8) is back for 18 terrifying nights with 5 haunted houses! Featuring a very realistic and detailed set of the popular Netflix series ‘Stranger Things’ , the other haunted houses revolve around Asian folklores that hit close to home.
Be careful of what’s lurking in the shadows! Source: Resorts World Sentosa
Be transported to a Malay Kampung that’s haunted by a woman who died a tragic death in ‘Pontianak’, time travel back to the Japan edo-era in ‘The Haunting of Oiwa’, fight to escape the demonic creatures at the ‘Pagoda of Peril’, and flee from Chinese vampires at ‘Killuminati’!
Ticket prices range from $58 to $68, and you can purchase them here.
Address: Universal Studios Singapore
Date & Time: 27 September – 31 October | 7.30PM – late
Ticket Pricing: Non-peak: $58, Peak: $68
Website
9. Singapore by Nguan
Source: Singapore International Photography Festival
With 150k followers on Instagram, local photographer Nguan is no stranger to most shutterbugs and photography enthusiasts. Known for his pastel, dreamy-looking street photography, you’ll be able to view his decade-spanning series “Singapore” in a physical exhibition as part of the Singapore International Photography Festival 2018.
Source: @_nguan_
Meant to examine the themes of longing and regret against a backdrop of soft and delicate hues, the photos will be bringing out some thought-provoking narratives and emotions about the complexity of our daily Singaporean lives, so be prepared!
Source: @_nguan_
Admission is free, so feel free to drop by even if you’re simply looking to get out and about!
Address: #02-21, Blk 9, Gillman Barracks
Date & Time: 8th September – 28th October | Tues – Sat: 12PM – 7PM, Sunday: 12PM – 5PM
Website
10. Rainforest Lumina
Source: Rainforest Lumina
We’ve never had the chance to see the sun set at the Singapore Zoo, but in celebration of its 45th birthday, we can now do so with their brand new attraction, Rainforest Lumina! It’s the first multi-sensory night walk in Asia, and the 1km light trail features over 10 interactive zones with various light installations and projections such as the Luminous Pathway, Shimmering Islands, and Lantern Passage.
Source: Rainforest Lumina
Source: Rainforest Lumina
A total of 7 time slots are available every night, so book yours here!
Address: Singapore Zoo, 80 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore 729826
Date: From 1st July 2018
Ticket Pricing: $22 (Adult), $16 (Child 3 – 12 years old)
Website
