The best things to do in Singapore this August

Over three weekends, the Bras Basah.Bugis (BBB) precinct takes on a new life as the sun sets. Back for its 17th edition, the Singapore Night Festival returns with a fantastical twist, featuring a programme inspired by myths, legends and folklore from Singapore and across Southeast Asia. Expect larger-than-life installations, live performances and immersive experiences that bring stories of the Merlion, Sang Kancil, La Galigo and many other legendary figures to life, turning the arts and museum precinct into an enchanting wonderland after dark.

If your idea of a perfect weekend involves hopping from one tasty bite to the next, make a date with Jiak by the Quay at CQ @ Clarke Quay on August 22 and 23, from 3pm to 10pm. This one-weekend-only festival brings together some of Singapore's favourite restaurants and homegrown brands, serving up exclusive creations that put inventive spins on familiar local flavours. Tuck into laksa linguine from Home Dawn & Dusk, and chilli crab tteokbokki at Hanjip, or Peking duck tacos and satay shooters from Mimi. 

There are plenty more treats to discover, alongside interactive workshops like edible cookie painting (redeemable with a minimum spend of $20 at CQ or any Jiak by the Quay booth), a complimentary customised artwork of your favourite dish on canvas, live entertainment and pet-friendly experiences, making it an easy day out for foodies and families alike. ICYMI, you'll still be able to enjoy selected festival-exclusive menu items at participating CQ dining outlets until September 13. Find out more here.

If your social calendar is looking a little empty, Kaya at The Standard has plenty of ways to fill it. Swing by on Saturday or Sunday from 11am to 3pm for the Weekend Brunch Club, where breakfast classics and Japanese-inspired brunch plates are made for slow mornings. Then rally your colleagues for the Buy 2, Get 1 Weekday Set Lunch, where every third set is on the house. 

Evenings are just as tempting – Kaya After Dark Happy Hour pours $10 highballs and cocktails every night from 8pm to 10pm. Looking for an even better deal? Swing by from Sunday to Wednesday for Highball Hour, where the first 30 glasses are just $5 each for a standard highball. Thursdays, meanwhile, are reserved for Ladies Night, with free-flow red, white and prosecco with any food order, plus $10 highballs all night. Pair your drinks with Kaya's new izakaya menu, featuring the shareable Kani Nabe with snow crab, ikura and uni crème folded through claypot rice, and you've got your next lunch, date night or after-work hangout sorted. Find out more here.

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Looking for weekend plans that everyone can get behind? Head to Marina Bay Sands' Sands for Singapore Charity Festival, where every meal, purchase and activity helps support meaningful causes. Returning to the Event Plaza for its 12th edition from August 28 to 30, the festival brings together live performances by local acts including RRILEY, 53A, The Vibes and SuperSonic, a Giving Marketplace featuring handcrafted goods from 12 local non-profits and social enterprises, plus The Good Bites Market serving up crowd favourites from Black Tap, Bread Street Kitchen, RISE, Roberta's and Café Nesuto. Families can enjoy a lively day out, friends can catch up over great food, and even paw-rents are welcome to join in the fun. 

Beyond the festival weekend, keep the giving going throughout August with Dine for Good, where special dishes at 12 participating Marina Bay Sands restaurants support AWWA's Enabled Living @ Bedok programme. It's proof that doing good can be as simple – and delicious – as spending your weekend by the bay. Find out more here.

Get to see Singapore as you’ve never seen it before. Or maybe you have, but you just haven’t been paying close attention. Presented by Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film, A Life in Colour is a landmark solo exhibition showcasing the archive of prolific photographer Tan Lip Seng. Timed alongside National Day, the exhibition captures everyday Singaporean life – from wet markets to construction workers – in vibrant detail, tracing the nation's journey to a modern metropolis. The showcase launches with a new photobook created with Tan's sons, featuring unseen final works that highlight his evolution from film to smartphone photography.

National Gallery Singapore presents Crossings, a solo exhibition dedicated to the Malayan-born Singaporean artist Lai Foong Moi – her first in over six decades. A key yet understated figure in local art history who trained at NAFA and in France, Lai captured transitional Singapore life through portraits, still lifes, and landscapes of women and workers. A key highlight is Crossing (Home Coming), an oil painting depicting two women and a boy on a boat that subtly reflects on migration and nationhood.

Following its debut at Milan Design Week, where it earned a Special Mention at the Fuorisalone Awards, Prototype Island arrives at the ArtScience Museum. Inspired by Singapore's constant state of evolution, the exhibition features 15 experimental in-development projects by local designers addressing challenges in community care, technology, and infrastructure. The homecoming presentation marks the start of a year-long collaboration between Marina Bay Sands' ArtScience Museum and the DesignSingapore Council.

MINT Museum of Toys presents Stitched with Hope, Driven by Speed, a pop-up exhibition exploring women’s history and femininity across two chapters. Century-Long Journey of the Modern Woman displays antique Asian dolls, Barbies, Chanel and Hermès accessories, and rare perfume bottles, alongside pop culture icons like Shirley Temple. Meanwhile, Tin 2 Turbo highlights eight pioneering women in motorsport with historic racing memorabilia. Interactive programmes include drink-blending, perfume bars, model-making, and an October screening of Le Mans.

Renowned Japanese contemporary artist and photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto’s first major solo exhibition in Southeast Asia lands at Singapore Art Museum. Arranged in a continuous mandala layout based on the five Buddhist elements, Form is Emptiness features over 60 works and personal fossils spanning five decades of his practice. Highlights include the 2023 calligraphy installation Brush Impression, Heart Sutra alongside classic black-and-white photographs like U.A. Walker, New York (1978) and Tyrrhenian Sea, Scilla (1993), showcasing his work across photography, sculpture, and architectural design.