A new restaurant and bar is setting up shop this month, but wait, before you stretch your face into a yawn and roll your eyes right into their sockets at the mention of yet another opening, hear us out. Cheekily named Lepark – a play on ‘lepak’, the Singlish term for ‘chilling out’ – the self-billed ‘rooftop dining experience’ is set to take over the former car park of People’s Park Complex. But apart from serving up a range of Asian tapas and other comfort food with a view that overlooks the Chinatown and CBD areas, the owners are hoping to use the huge 63,000 sq ft space as an event venue, too.
You might have attended the popular Getai Electronica concert and the Lepark Sessions Vol 1 previously, which were both organised by Lepark. And it’s determined to keep the party going. To celebrate its official opening on the second weekend of May, it will curate the Lepark Bonanza, which combines food and drinks with art, music, heritage and charity to create what they call an ‘urban experience’. The range of activities on the programme includes a pets adoption drive and charity car wash (May 9 and 10, 2 to 5pm), a live art performance by graffiti collective Band of Doodlers (May 9, 5pm to late), a folk acoustic music session (May 10, 2 to 5pm), and an outdoor sports session (May 10, 2 to 6pm, $25-$30).
The highlight event, though, is Getai Ethnica (May 9, 5pm to late, $10 including a free beer). The second part of Getai Electronica mixes getai with contemporary local acts inspired by ethnic music. The confirmed line-up includes the Qilin Group, Cashew Chemists and Vandetta. An outdoor movie screening of The Story of Kong Ngee China Wife is also set to take place as part of Getai Ethnica from 4pm.
Time Out reader perks
The first 50 Time Out readers at the event will receive one free tapas: deep-fried otah bomb on Saturday, and slipper lobster with sambal butter on Sunday. To redeem, just flash your phone to show that you've liked Time Out Singapore and Leparksg on Facebook. What's more, the first 10 readers will also receive a complimentary ticket to Getai Ethnica. So get off your couch, head on over, and go lepak like a boss.