The best things to do in Singapore this week (June 8-14)

Musée du Louvre presents its expansive collection of Islamic art in Southeast Asia for the first time ever at the Asian Civilisations Museum. The exclusive exhibition, Crosscurrents: Masterpieces of Mughal, Safavid, and Ottoman Art from the Musée du Louvre, brings together over a hundred ancient treasures from the royal collections of the "Gunpowder Empires." The objects chart their rise and fall, offering a glimpse into the forces that dominated West and Central Asia between the 16th and 18th centuries. This rich history is paired with ACM’s own collection of jewels to reveal the empires’ influence on distant shores like Southeast Asia during a time of expanding global trade networks.

The annual Sake Festival Singapore returns to Suntec Convention Centre for its 11th edition, focusing on the theme Meet the Masters. For one day only, the event brings together 40 legendary brewers and distilleries from Japan to share their love for traditional rice wine. Sample a curated selection of over 600 nihonshu labels from different Japanese prefectures, including limited-edition spirits and rare sakes, paired with izakaya dishes whipped up by local chefs. This year’s edition introduces a dedicated workshop space for masterclasses and guided tastings. Certified sake sommeliers will also be on hand to help beginners navigate the space and find their perfect pour.

There’s something wonderfully nostalgic about Winnie the Pooh. Maybe it’s the gentle life lessons or memories of flipping through the well-loved storybooks as a kid. This June school holidays, those warm fuzzy feelings come to life at Gardens by the Bay, where Children’s Festival 2026 transforms Supertree Grove into a playful Hundred Acre Wood-inspired adventure. 

Running from now till June 21, the free festival celebrates 100 years of the beloved bear with giant inflatables, interactive play zones and family-friendly activities. To help you make the most of the experience, we’ve mapped out a family-friendly trail through the festival grounds, taking you from ziplines beneath the Supertrees to honey-themed ball pits.

Our Tampines Hub has transformed your favourite local snacks into an immersive playground with larger-than-life installations for The Great Tampines Kueh-scape. Colourful treats are reimagined as fitness equipment, including a gym made of kueh lapis, muruku, and ang ku kueh, alongside inflatable climbing structures. Team up with friends for a "kueh trail" adventure to collect digital rewards and win exclusive prizes, then catch Kueh on the Run, an interactive comedy about a chef searching for her missing snacks. Enjoy family-friendly stage programmes like dikir barat, choir performances, and the Singa Drum Gaia Fiesta, where over 200 youth performers unite for a cross-cultural drumming spectacle.

Inclusivity, play, and kindness are the main themes of Enabling Village’s Summer Playground. Happening over the weekend, this event ensures people of all abilities can get involved, connect, and have fun. From a magic show to outdoor movie screenings and drop-in craft stations, expect activities the whole family can enjoy. The main highlight is the curated workshop programme, designed to cater to different interests with sensory-driven experiences. Pick up skills through chess lessons, yoga classes, and taiko drumming, or unleash your creative side with clay sculpting, printmaking, and paracord weaving. There is even a sewing class to turn pre-loved clothing into a personalised stuffed toy.

Singapore’s largest inclusive orchestra, The Purple Symphony, returns to the stage for their annual concert. This year, the ensemble tackles the theme Around the World: A Dance Edition, taking the audience on a journey across continents through rhythm, melody, and movement. Expect a blend of classical works, folk traditions, and contemporary favourites. Since their 2015 debut, the orchestra has championed accessibility, comprising musicians with and without disabilities who perform on Asian and Western instruments across five musical sections. The concert also features a special foyer experience where you can snap photos, collect event postcards, and leave words of appreciation for the talented performers.

Your Saturday plans are sorted at Objectifs. The gallery’s Saturdate programme serves up a special lineup spanning music, art, and film. Kick off with the Sound and Print Fair, an intimate market featuring music-themed finds, paper goods, and refreshing acai bowls. Stick around for a lively discussion on art books with Part Time Book Club, before homegrown indie rockers freereina! take the stage for a stripped-down set of their electronic shoegaze sound. At night, the space swerves into hip-hop territory with Now Showing, a showcase of music videos from local and Malaysian artists. The energy keeps going with a live DJ set featuring selections from across Southeast Asia and the global South.

Family comedies, gruesome thrillers and tender, coming-of-age dramas are what you can expect at this year’s Italian Film Festival at Filmhouse. The lineup for the 24th edition of the programme features 11 contemporary films, from cult classics to debut features, that reflect the diversity and evolving landscape of Italian cinema. Highlights include Sweetheart, a story that explores the unexpected bond between a pre-teen boy and his great-aunt; Unicorni, a couple’s heartfelt journey on self-acceptance; and Buen Camino, which follows a father who embarks on a search for his missing daughter, but discovers more about himself along the way.

And not to be missed: Damiano Michieletto’s award-winning directorial debut, Primavera, a lavish historical film that follows Cecilia, a brilliant violinist who challenges social norms and expectations of that time to forge her own path with the guidance of a visionary composer. 

It’s time to live out your Disney dreams at Gardens by the Bay. Floral Fantasy comes alive once again with the return of Disney Garden of Wonder, which opens from now until March 2027. For its second instalment, the impressive horticultural display features over 20 Disney and Pixar character topiaries spread across six zones. One of the biggest highlights at this year’s showcase is the debut of Anna and Elsa from Frozen. The Arendelle sisters each get their own floral setting, complete with a frosty archway and icy mountains, alongside other Disney princesses like Jasmine from Aladdin, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and Rapunzel from Tangled.

Other returning favourites include Toy Story heroes Buzz Lightyear and Jessie, plus Winnie the Pooh and pals. You can also expect light-hearted installations that feature Disney icons in a more Singaporean setting, such as a playful display of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck operating a teh tarik stall.

Football fans, sneakerheads and kit collectors, this one's for you. Nike Football has teamed up with Weston Corp for one of Singapore's largest football assortments, from the latest boots and national team jerseys to lifestyle apparel and accessories. There are also exclusive customisation services, interactive experiences and plenty of content-worthy corners inspired by Nike Football's 'Rip the Script' campaign, which celebrates the creativity and flair that make the beautiful game so exciting.

Even if you don't know your offside rule from your corner kick, there's plenty to appreciate. Football jerseys have long transcended the pitch to become streetwear staples, and the pop-up showcases the sport's influence on fashion and youth culture. Browse iconic kits, discover fresh releases and soak up the tournament buzz – or take things a step further by signing up for the inaugural Weston Cup from June 8 to July 11.

The Marina Bay precinct is coming alive after hours once again as i Light Singapore returns for yet another edition. The theme for this year’s showcase is Movement, and features 14 sustainable light installations designed by 17 artists from Singapore and across the region. Each artwork is built with eco-friendly materials and energy-efficient lighting, and reflects how our actions – no matter how big or small – can affect the things around us.

Among the highlights is Wave by Japanese artist Masamichi Shimada. The interactive installation visualises the ripple effect through light and audio. For something a little more trippy, head to Raffles Place Park, where Arch Flower by Cyril Lancelin lies, a mesmerising tubular sculpture that draws inspiration from the city’s tropical gardens.

Over at the Marina Bay mist walk, step into a garden of wildflowers created with reclaimed metal offcuts and recycled carpet that glow and sway when touched. See the full lineup of featured installations here.

Entering its fifth year, GastroBeats returns to the Bayfront Event Space for another month of food, live music and carnival games against the backdrop of Marina Bay. Part of i Light Singapore, the food and music festival brings together more than 40 F&B brands, emerging local musicians and all sorts of interactive experiences in one sprawling waterfront village.

Be sure to come hungry folks, because the F&B lineup goes beyond your typical festival fare to serve everything from street food favourites and decadent sweet treats to hearty mains. Think mala tater tots, crispy corndogs and local desserts, alongside flavourful pizzas, pastas, tacos and wagyu rice bowls. And between the bites, stick around for the live performances from up-and-coming bands, who will be taking the stage after completing GIG-ers, a GastroBeats mentorship programme in partnership with Sony Music.

While food and music are the highlights, the fun doesn’t end there. This year’s edition also features curated play zones for all ages, including pickleball courts for some friendly after-hours competition, and a carnival complete with bumper cars, horse carousels, a Viking ship and other nostalgic funfair rides.

Calling all sci-fi and fantasy fans: have you ever wondered what it might feel like to step into the world of your favourite novel or game? Now you can experience it for real with The Portals Experience at Fever Exhibition Hall. Billed as the world’s most extensive collection of original fantasy and science-fiction art, the exhibition invites you to step into eight richly imagined realms to explore more than 300 masterpieces, alongside over 10,000 books and miniatures that have inspired beloved universes, such as J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, Dune and Warhammer 40,000.

Displayed are also original book cover art for classic titles, including David Wingrove’s White Moon, Red Dragon, and The Day After Tomorrow by Robert A. Heinlein. The experience is completed with immersive, larger-than-life sets that’ll transport you to these magical worlds. No digital screens or VR technology, just elaborate backdrops and plenty of imagination to create the ultimate photo op.

Held alongside the exhibition is Future Singapore: 2126, a commissioned series by Singapore-based illustrator Kristal Melson featuring three neon-coloured prints that imagine the city-state 100 years into the future through a vibrant, sci-fi fantasy lens. You can also cop the exclusive artworks as merch, available at the Portals gift shop.

The June school holidays have arrived, which means one thing: the annual Children’s Season is back. The kid-friendly festival organised by the Children’s Museum Singapore returns with a sustainability-themed edition that encourages your little ones to become superheroes for planet Earth. Expect a lineup of hands-on activities, performances, parent-child workshops and more designed to spark curiosity about the environment through play, discovery and imagination. The holiday fun stretches out to over 20 museums across the city, including the Indian Heritage Centre, KidsSTOP™ and Singapore Maritime Gallery.

Also coinciding with the International Day of Play on 11 June 2026, this year’s Children's Season presents a week of interactive family-friendly programmes dedicated to creativity and “all play, no rules”. The celebrations culminate in a weekend carnival along Armenian Street featuring bouncy castles, LEGO activities, football challenges, a bimbimbap workshop and craft sessions. Look out for The Funfair of Forgotten Futures, which reimagines traditional carnival games through the lens of sustainability and environmental action.

The ninth edition of the LGBTQIA+ film festival returns with a slew of cult classics, new indie favourites and thought-provoking documentaries. The month-long programme held at Filmhouse kicks off with To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. Directed by Beeban Kidron, the ’90s drag road-trip comedy starring Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo follows the trio as they struggle to make their way to Los Angeles after their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere.

The film programme’s roster continues with screenings of Cactus Pears, a drama set in rural India; Montreal, My Beautiful, a story about a Chinese Canadian immigrant who falls in love with a free-spirited woman; and Yihwen Chen’s Queer as Punk, which documents Singapore and Malaysia’s queer history. The film festival concludes with a special screening of Brokeback Mountain, where everyone’s invited to dress up in their best rodeo getup. The movie will be followed by a panel conversation that discusses the cultural impact of Ang Lee’s Western flick, and how queer stories have evolved on screen. Ticket sales from the event will go toward supporting Proud Spaces and their ongoing work with the LGBTQ+ community.

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.

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.

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.

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.