Singapore Design Week (SDW) is back – and it's a special one this year with the addition of a new district. In 2025, the sprawling event is taking place across four locations in Singapore: Orchard, Bras Basah.Bugis, Marina, and Singapore Science Park, with tons of other workshops, talks, and activities happening on the fringes. The theme this year is 'Nation by Design', and it's all about celebrating the vibrant design innovations that have made Singapore such a great place to live, work, and play.
There is something for everyone, and we highly encourage you to crawl through the list of SDW events to find one up your alley here. Us? We were lucky enough to join a mini tour through some of the highlights – here's what we enjoyed (and think you should definitely check out).
1. The Unnatural History Museum of Singapore
We've all seen the Merlion, but have you seen a Merlion fossil? That's just one of the oddities sure to stop you in your tracks at the Unnatural History Museum of Singapore. Located at National Design Centre, it's a super-fun parody of London's Natural History Museum, with weird and wonderful exhibits exploring the cool inventions that have shaped (and will likely come to shape) Singapore.
During our tour, representatives from curator Kinetic introduced us to the exhibits: one was a manta-droid now in development at the National University of Singapore that could one day glide along Singapore's coasts to monitor water quality, an uncanny robot called Daisy now deployed at nursing homes to sing to and play games with the elderly, and robotic cockroaches that have already been deployed in disaster zones to locate people trapped under rubble.
It's all very playful, and a great reminder of the creativity (against incredible odds) that has brought Singapore so far.
Date: September 11 to October 26
Address: National Design Centre
Opening hours: 9am to 9pm
Admission: Free
2. The Sausage of the Future: Singapore Edition
What's in a sausage? At Studio Carolien Niebling, the possibilities are endless. This delectable exhibition dissects and creatively reconstructs the humble sausage as an exploration of how we can eat more responsibly in the future. This exhibition has travelled the world, but the Singapore edition sees cool collaborations with homegrown chefs and innovators on locally-inspired, sustainable sausages.
There are four sausage creations in total – standouts include the Ocean Maw Dog by chef Marcus Tan, supported by the initiative Pasar Fish, a wolf-herring based sausage spiced with otah-inspired spices and wrapped in chewy fish maw. The latter is usually a by-product, now thoughtfully used as part of a delicious dish. Another is Spicy Tongue Bratwurst, a tasty rendang-inspired sausage by The Meatery that's made from an unfamiliar cut – beef tongue – a tasty reminder to use and respect every part of the animal.
You can try these sausages on Friday (September 12) only, but otherwise, the exhibition is still worth a visit for a deep dive into the history of the sausage, themes like food waste and preservation, and how we can make a difference by thinking about sausages (and what we eat in general) a little differently.
Date: September 11 to October 19
Address: NAFA Fashion Gallery, NAFA Campus 2
Opening hours: 9am to 9pm
Admission: Free
3. The Wellbeing Bar
Marina Central has transformed into a massive node of well-being and care-based design. Design For Care for Singapore Design Week includes a Care Pavilion in Millenia Walk meant as a community space for dialogue and connection, as well as a Roots and Rituals Thoughtful Plant Market full of cosy, thoughtfully-designed crafted objects and well-designed goods.
But what we really enjoyed on our tour was The Wellbeing Bar by the Happiness Initiative. The vibrantly designed bar presents a cute twist on familiar activities. Take for example My (Happy) Drunken Confession: where you usually blabber sad stories when a little tipsy, this booth is an opportunity to share what you're grateful for. There are Affirmation Shots stuffed with inspirational quotes, and a section where you can build your own well-being journal (complete with a gorgeous cover of your choice as designed by local artists). It's a great interactive booth that'll give you a little happiness boost.
Address: Millenia Walk
Admission: Free
We're not joking when we say there's tons more to check out at Singapore Design Week. Check out all that's happening on the official website sdw.designsingapore.org – there's a nifty events page where you can filter by date, district, event type, and design pillar.
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