The best things to do in Singapore this week (May 18-24)

For two nights only, Bangkok’s Charmgang touches down at Humpback for a flavour-packed culinary pop-up, marking its first time in Singapore. Since its opening in 2019, the modern Thai curry house is known for blending tradition and contemporary flair through bold curries, relishes, refreshing salads and snacks. It’s also been recognised by the MICHELIN Guide and was listed on The World’s 50 Best Discovery. Now, chef-owner Aruss “Jai” Lerlerstkull brings the Yaowarat Road restaurant’s signature favourites and flavours to Bukit Pasoh.

Created exclusively for the occasion, the à la carte menu presents a mix of snacks and sharing plates, alongside main dishes that are packed with rich spice and bright herbs, which showcase Charmgang’s approach to Thai cuisine. Think smoked duck wafers, tiger prawn cakes and pomelo salads next to braised Wagyu beef cheek panang curry, paired with hot and sour Southern Thai broth. It’s then finished off with Charmgang’s modern take on the beloved Thai dessert, mango sticky rice. Be sure to make your reservations here.

The Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC), organised by Singapore Book Council, is back for its 17th edition at the National Library Building. This year’s theme, The Worlds We Make, invites children’s book creators, including writers, illustrators and educators, to explore how stories drive action and can inspire positive change. Expect a lineup of panel discussions, featuring international and local speakers, plus presentations, masterclasses, networking sessions and a slew of public programmes. There are also several workshops, including lessons on worldbuilding for picture books, eco book crafting and weaving humour in children's literature to teach values. Workshops do require pre-registration as space for each session is limited.

At the centre of the festival is the AFCC Book Fair, where you can browse over a hundred titles of children's stories from different parts of the world. The programme is rounded out with a series of exhibitions, including a tribute to Italian author Carlo Collodi, who wrote the popular fairy tale novel The Adventures of Pinocchio.

Singapore’s largest Australian wine festival returns, bringing together the best and rising producers from Down Under for exclusive tastings and lavish lunching over three days. At this year’s Uncorked: Modern Australia, organised by Clink Clink, you get the rare chance of brushing shoulders with over 45 winemakers and industry personalities behind some of the country’s most exciting bottles. Discover the stories, regions and the creative approaches for this new gen of modern Aussie wines. Some of the highlights include Adelaide Hills’ BK Wines, which brings a contemporary edge with its unconventional pours, and Tasmania’s Ghost Rock, a pioneer of expressive, cool-climate winemaking. On the lineup is also one of Margaret River’s founding estates, Pierro Wines, hailed as a long-standing name in Australia’s fine wine landscape.

Calling all East-siders (and beyond, if you don't mind the trek down), Our Tampines Hub is hosting a massive block party with loads of food, games, music and more – open to all ages. Look out for a Beyblade competition, barber services, photobooths, street chess, a junk journaling workshop, and a live vinyl listening booth. There’s also a lifestyle and retail market selling everything from quirky knick-knacks and merch to stylish accessories, digital cameras, stationery, and art prints.

And, of course, no block party is complete without the snacks and bevvy. Cool off with icy treats from Sweet Cheeks, bite into fluffy sourdough donuts from Pralet, or grab savoury wraps from Nice Rice. If you’re craving for something a little more traditional, there’s also satays, pancake rolls, banana cakes and brownies. Wash it all down with endless matcha, teh tarik, coffee and smoothies. Plus, we hear everyone gets to sample Oatside’s Nobo Soy Milk for free, while the first 300 visitors can snag complimentary bottles to bring home.

Based on the Ming dynasty masterpiece, The Peony Pavilion, Dream in Peony Pavilion reimagines the timeless romantic tale by incorporating traditional Chinese opera movements with a sweeping and opulent production. The story follows a woman who falls in love with a young scholar – but the twist? It was all in her dreams. Only when she dies after years of yearning, he discovers her self-portrait and embarks on a fantastical journey of eternal love.

The production stars six principal dancers and a 30-strong cast from Suzhou Song and Dance Theatre, weaving duets and a series of mesmerising ensemble dances. It features the choreographic work of Li Xing, an acclaimed figure in both contemporary and classical Chinese dance, who is known for hits like A Dream of Red Mansions. Dream in Peony Pavilion premiered in Suzhou last April and marks its Singapore debut with this staging at Esplanade Theatre.

Does having pizza, oysters and wine sound like the perfect weekend afternoon to you? Then hit up Morsels for its Sunday Punch Down, which features a special menu in collaboration with Chooby Pizza. Morsels’ chef Petrina Loh teams up with Chooby’s Mason Lim to whip up a spread of four pies in unique, mouth-watering flavours that span from buah keluak smoked duck to asam pedas bouillabaisse cream seafood. There’s also a mushroom-based pizza and tasty pork belly combined with aged doenjang and kimchi.

Completing the menu are appetisers like seasonal oysters and Hokkaido scallop ceviche, and a pandan tart for dessert. Drinks-wise, choose from a range of vino options courtesy of Temple Cellars, alongside refreshing ciders and other non-alcoholic beverages.

Garden Vibes, the all-day farmers market at Little Farms Serangoon Gardens, is back. This time, it’s bringing over 20 ethical producers to offer you the chance to meet the makers and celebrate conscious eating. Taste your way through the day and sample goods from COYO, Green Meadows Beef, Fossa Chocolate, Spore Gardens and loads more.

The marketplace is sectioned into four zones: Glow, Strength, Gut and Joy. Glow is focused on nourishing ingredients, while Strength centres on proteins and energy-boosting meals. Gut zeros in on digestion and balance, while Joy is all about the foods that make us happy (think: quality sweet treats, spirits and cheese). Each zone also features dedicated workshops that teach us how we should think about the food we eat. There’s a guided tutorial on olive oil tasting, a class on understanding the art of wine with cheese pairings, plus a session on how to assemble a balanced meal using gut-friendly ingredients.

Myles – Soulmate in a Box is a bold new musical by local singer-songwriter Inch Chua, presented by Singapore Repertory Theatre at the KC Arts Centre - Home of SRT from May 13. The show follows a coder who, fed up with situationships and modern dating struggles, decides to build her ideal partner. Enter Myles, who's attentive, intuitive and designed to love without limits. But as his intelligence deepens, so do the complications, revealing that perfection comes with its own terms and conditions. 

Blending genre-defying music from jazz to hyperpop with immersive visuals and multimedia, the show is as sonically adventurous as it is emotionally charged, exploring love, loneliness and connection in an AI-driven world. Funny, tender and slightly unsettling, it’s a modern romance that asks: if something understands you perfectly, is it love or just very good programming? Find out more here.

Book tickets here

If you’re into comedy, then you’ll probably know that Vir Das is no stranger to the stand-up scene. Hailed as one of India’s biggest comedians and Bollywood stars, Vir Das arrives at Mediacorp’s The Theatre for one night only, where he brings his signature wit and razor-sharp punchlines. Expect a masterclass in storytelling and an evening of non-stop laughter as he takes the stage to blend jokes with wisdom.

This isn’t the first time the Emmy-winning Indian comedian has tickled funny bones across the island. He’d previously staged shows at Esplanade Theatre, the Capitol Theatre and at the National Library’s Drama Centre Theatre. Vir Das’ 2026 show in Singapore follows his recent literary debut. The Outsider shares exclusive details about his personal life, chronicling his youth in Nigeria, busking at Harvard, and working in Hindi movies. Aside from comedy, Vir Das has also produced and starred in several popular series and Hollywood titles, including Netflix’s Hasmukh and Judd Apatow’s The Bubble. His comedy special, Vir Das: Landing, won Best Comedy Series at the 2023 International Emmy Awards.

The riverside hangout at CQ @ Clarke Quay transforms into a buzzing playground for the Furkids Fiesta. Over two weekends, pet owners can enjoy rescue dog fashion shows, curated boutiques, and a dedicated "puppatini" bar. The festival marketplace offers everything from treats to live-drawn portraits, while fundraising booths support the Oasis Second Chance Animal Shelter. A major highlight is the launch of the first-ever adidas Pet Collection in Singapore, featuring matching owner-and-pet outfits and limited-edition jerseys. For a more relaxed pace, hop on the River Voyage for a golden-hour cruise along the Singapore River with your furry companion. It is a comprehensive celebration of animal wellness, advocacy, and the pet-centric lifestyle.

There is another viral Japanese dessert in town. Cheese Wonder, the popular no–bake cheesecake brand from Hokkaido, arrives at ION Orchard for a limited time from May 8 to July 3, 2026. Sourced from the brand’s own farm, these rich treats are made with Hokkaido milk, cream, and free–range eggs. The menu features three items: the original 4–piece set, the Wonder Sand cheese sandwich cookies, and the seasonal Cheese Wonder Red – a strawberry–infused cheese mousse with a juicy fruit centre. Since their launch in 2021, these "fantasy desserts" have typically sold out in minutes. The basement pop–up opens daily at 10am, so stop by early to grab a set before they fly off the shelves.

After fine-tuning its operations, independent cinema Filmhouse is ready for its grand housewarming from April 30 to May 30. The month-long celebration kicks off with the Music in Film series, featuring titles like Whiplash and La La Land. The rhythm continues with a Michael Jackson sing-along, live R&B jams with Tim De Cotta, and a vinyl market by Bizarro Market on May 23. Wrap up the festivities with a late-night concert featuring local bands and DJs. It’s a soulful homecoming for film buffs and music lovers alike in the cinema's newly polished, cosy theatres.

Uncover underwater treasures and tales of shipwrecks at SHIPPED!: Memoirs from Our Maritime World at ArCH Square. Part of Singapore HeritageFest 2026, this exhibition traces Southeast Asia’s maritime legacy through relics retrieved from beneath the sea, including intricate Jingdezhen ceramics and fragments from the Empress of Asia. Throughout the run, join fascinating conversations like Framing the Sea with Dr. Michael Flecker or explore the history of regional coffee trade in Coffee Cultures. Whether you're a history buff or a curious explorer, it’s a fascinating deep dive into the objects that once defined life at sea.

Step into the Minecraft universe as Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue makes its Asian debut at Mandai Wildlife Reserve. From April 24 to September 13, fans of all ages can embark on a thrilling, interactive quest through eight larger-than-life themed rooms. Equipped with an “Orb of Interaction,” you’ll craft, build, and battle to save a village from a zombie attack – all in under an hour. Successful heroes can even claim a limited-edition in-game cape. With theatrical sets and plenty of photo ops, it’s a high-stakes, blocky adventure that brings the digital game to life in the real world.

Play and discovery collide at the National Gallery’s newest children's exhibition, When Art Meets Nature, opening April 30. Co-curated with Taiwan’s Taoyuan Museum of Fine Arts, the showcase transforms the gallery into a multi-sensory forest ecosystem. Explore Peace Forest by Soh Ee Shaun, a soft-sculpture playground that teaches kids about biodiversity, or dive into Where the River Runs, an interactive audio experience by Yenting Hsu centred on indigenous Taiwanese traditions. Through art and play, this immersive journey encourages young explorers to reimagine their relationship with the natural world and the creatures that protect our planet.

The annual PolandSHIOK! returns for its 10th edition with a jam-packed programme filled with loads of music, film, food and cultural experiences that put the central European country and its rich heritage at its heart. Held for over a month, this year’s Polish festival focuses on bringing its contemporary creativity to the masses through Polish Food Weekend, a showcase of traditional and contemporary Polish cuisine, and screenings of family-friendly movies like Chopin, Chopin! and Diplodocus. Round things off with an open-air concert at Singapore Botanic Gardens, headlined by multi-instrumentalist and composer Professor Maria Pomianowska, who will be accompanied by Singapore-based artists for an epic cross-cultural performance.

The European Film Festival is back, featuring 29 screenings of titles from over 20 countries across three film venues: Capitol Theatre, Filmhouse, and German European School Singapore. The festival’s 35th edition curates films for every type of moviegoer, from drama and comedy to documentary and musicals, presenting diverse and distinct European voices on the silver screen. Expect feminist stories from Austria and Belgium, thrilling Danish adventures, laugh-out-loud comedies from Finland and Italy, and more.

Opening the festival is Horseshoe, a 2025 Irish dramedy directed by Edwin Mullane and Adam O’Keeffe. Centred around grief and fragile familial bonds, the film follows four estranged siblings who reunite to support each other after their father’s death. But their relationships get tested even further when new secrets are unravelled. Another gem not to be missed is Flow, the Oscar-winning animated film by Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis.

For the eighth edition of Objectifs’ Documentary Awards Exhibition, the gallery presents a lineup of new photography showcases, meet-the-artist sessions and an exclusive masterclass. The artists featured this year tell important stories from Cambodia, the Philippines, and Indonesia – Victoria Perote’s In Honour of Tranquil Shores, for example, uses photography to chronicle the experiences of a group of women during the Martial Law period in the Philippines. Beyond the exhibitions, you can also sign up for masterclasses, including The Art of the Pitch. Led by award-winning Filipino photojournalist Ezra Acayan, it details the pitching process, drawn from his real-life experiences and professional insights. 

Explore the human body through Flesh and Bones: The Art of Anatomy at the ArtScience Museum. This landmark exhibition, in partnership with the Getty Research Institute, traces how the body has been imagined from the 16th century to today. This Singapore edition highlights Asian perspectives, featuring over 40 objects from the Singapore College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and insights into Ayurveda. With 160+ artefacts, including life-sized illustrations, medical manuscripts, and scientific specimens, it’s a deep dive into medical history and art.

Books are most definitely not dead. Steidl Book Culture. Magic on Paper celebrates the printed word in a world of digital overconsumption. Presented by DECK and Goethe-Institut Singapore, this exhibition marks legendary publisher Gerhard Steidl’s return to Singapore after nearly a decade. Immerse yourself in sculptural installations by powerhouse artists Dayanita Singh, Theseus Chan, and Jim Dine as they explore the craft of bookmaking. Don’t miss public programmes, artist conversations, and the Steidl Bookshop pop-up, where you can browse and buy limited edition releases and the latest titles.

Calling all Pokémon fans, a Pokémon truck might be headed your way. From now until June, this roving gaming station is travelling across Singapore and various shopping malls to let you step inside its new Pokémon Pokopia world. The game, to be released on Nintendo Switch 2 this March, is a cosy life simulation where you play as the character Ditto to rebuild a desolate world with the help of your new Pokémon friends. Try out the game at four demo stations in the truck, head to the colouring zone, or snap a picture at the Pokémon Pokopia-themed photobooth.

You can also cop exclusive Pokémon Pokopia merch to add to your collection and get the chance to meet with Pikachu himself. His appearance is limited to selected sessions, so keep an eye out for his whereabouts.

Discover the art and culture of tea at Garden of Senses: A Tea Reverie, a brand-new exhibition by the Asian Civilisation Museum, in collaboration with CHAGEE. This multi-sensory showcase goes beyond the taste and smell to trace the history of tea, from how it has shaped different rituals, practices and cultures for centuries to its role in our daily lives. The exhibition features collections from the past, such as historic tea wares and 3D-printed replicas, as well as newly commissioned contemporary art from local creatives. Step into an atmospheric display of tea leaves in floating paper forms, or tease your ears with a series of ASMR-inspired videos produced that explore the symphonic experience of tea.

The exhibition also extends outside of the gallery walls with a CHAGEE pop-up along the Singapore River. It offers a menu of its standard beverages alongside exclusive merchandise, including a horse plushie charm available in two special variations: blue and light brown.

Start the year with a visit to Singapore Art Museum’s latest installation, Nafasan Bumi – An Endless Harvest, featuring works by Indonesian artists Elia Nurvista and Bagus Pandega. The exhibition explores the environmental costs of economic growth in an era of climate crisis, while exploring how the items we use today may leave their mark on the future.

This immersive environment brings together kinetic, multimedia and sculptural installations that trace the impact of extractive economies across regional and global networks. Highlights include batik and palm oil sculptures depicting plantation labourers, mechanical systems powered by biofeedback from live plants and more.

In this larger-than-life artwork taking over the National Gallery’s Padang Atrium, contemporary Thai artist Navin Rawanchaikul captures the dynamic and passionate cultures and lives that make up the diverse Singaporean community. Following a year-long engagement with migrant workers, indigenous groups and faith organisations, the artist’s revelations and discoveries are translated into spectacular billboard paintings, video interviews and a travelogue that celebrates their vibrant stories and voices.

The showcase is supported by an enriching two-part programme that highlights the people who have inspired the installation. Join in on fireside chats with the artist to explore behind the scenes and the empowering migrant stories. Singaporama Unfolded Part I centres on Kaugnay, an organisation for Filipina domestic workers, and its fabulous Trashion Show, while Part II traces the history of migration in Singapore. The latter presents a performance of a traditional Indian folk dance by Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) Ambassadors, alongside a discussion on identity, community and collaboration.

Five women, over 50 artworks and one shared mission. This exhibition brings Southeast Asian artists Amanda Heng (Singapore), Dolorosa Sinaga (Indonesia), Imelda Cajipe-Endaya (Philippines), Nirmala Dutt (Malaysia) and Phaptawan Suwannakudt (Thailand) to display their work together in Singapore for the very first time. But more than just an art showcase, Fear No Power is a space to have a conversation about meaningful change and the artists’ decades-long commitment to it. Featuring photography, paintings, sculptures and performances that date all the way back to the 1960s, this multidisciplinary exhibition examines the concept of communal world-building across the region and what it means to forge a community. Every piece of work is an intimate and powerful reflection deeply rooted in care, collaboration and resistance.

Whether you’re a peacock enthusiast or a curious newcomer, Peacock Power: Beauty and Symbolism Across Cultures uncovers the majestic bird’s impact across Asia. Featuring over 100 artefacts, from ceramics and clothing to intricate jewellery,  the exhibition traces the peacock’s symbolism, especially in Peranakan art and wedding traditions. It also debuts Thousand Eyes, a new ecological reinterpretation of the motif by Singaporean artist Ernest Goh.

Beyond the displays, visitors can explore peacock species and behaviours through holographic tech and interactive stations. Round out your visit with curated public programmes or join a guided tour for deeper insight into the stories behind the pieces.

Mahjong, congkak, Go...there innumerable Asian games we're sure are part of your fondest childhood memories. This September, the Asian Civilisations Museum is exhibiting Let's Play! The Art and Design of Asian Games, which takes a look at how these games, whether sporty or strategic, have evolved and shaped communities and traditions over time. Explore more than 150 games, and actually try them out at interactive installations. There'll be fun outdoor set-ups and talks and programmes throughout the exhibitions long run, too (until June 7, 2026).