The best things to do in Singapore this weekend (Sep 4-6)

Discover the craft behind Kirin Ichiban’s signature First Press brewing method at First Press Studio, taking over Swee Lee, Clarke Quay from August 27 to September 6. But this is no ordinary showcase – here, you'll find an immersive blend of art, design and, naturally, a good cold pour, with large-scale installations by three local artisans: sign painter Charmaine, metalworking studio Baremetal by Matthias Yong and food artist Gong Hua. 

Then go behind the brew at The Ichiban Pour for a guided experience exploring the First Press Method before enjoying a complimentary Kirin Ichiban. You can also try specially curated Oishi Pairings at Swee Lee or sign up for weekend workshops featuring Kumiko woodworking and Shibori Press experiences. Find out more here.

This September, MARQUEE Singapore keeps the energy big and bold with a blockbuster lineup of dancefloor heavyweights and crowd-favourite club nights. It all kicks off with the ultimate mid-week bash FTW! (September 2), before Dutch DJ and producer Sacha Harland takes over the decks (September 4) and Wonderland (September 5) brings its signature party energy back to the dancefloor. 

Find out more here.

There’s a lot more to do at Singapore Botanic Gardens and Fort Canning Park than just having a picnic. Over nine days, the two parks celebrate their historic landscapes with a joint Heritage Festival featuring curated tours, exhibitions, talks, and cultural performances. Step inside an inclusive mushroom farm, discover what it takes to cultivate local plants, or spend a day in the life of an orchid specialist. After dark, walk The Heir—an immersive projection-and-audio trail casting you as a young prince protecting Bukit Larangan. Alternatively, unwind at the Shaw Foundation Symphony stage for live orchestra performances, or catch eco-friendly movie screenings at the Eco-Lake Lawn, with free weekend shuttles provided.

Esplanade is taking you around the globe in 30 days through the power of music. For a whole month, the theatre turns into a musical passport featuring sounds from the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and America. Expect everything from vibrant Latin American performances and energetic Guinean rhythms to Celtic folk and Arabic jazz. Discover diverse regional music with Javanese gamelan, Japanese zithers, taiko drums, and traditional Philippine gongs taking centre stage. Singapore’s own multicultural traditions are showcased too, featuring Teochew music by The Singapore Kityang Huay Kwan Teochew Music Ensemble, kathak classical Indian dance, and Unfolding, a local performance combining Indian classical music with the Chinese guzheng.

Summer isn’t over yet, and that’s certainly true at Playa del Sol Market. Curated by Sunday Social, this weekend lifestyle and fashion pop-up takes over FOC By The Beach for two days of shopping by the pool. Discover resort wear and beach staples from more than 20 summer-inspired brands, including tote bags from Your Tote Story, French-inspired swimwear from Blue Atelier, and body care from Belantara. Beyond retail therapy, join a matcha 101 workshop hosted by Tori Matcha to master expert whisking techniques and DIY your own latte. Complete the day with tarot readings, henna tattoos, and gourmet treats while dressed in your best Ibiza chic.

Coffee, baked goodies, and locally made finds: Eng Hoon Residences is gathering all of the above for a laid-back weekend of supporting Singaporean labels, with food as the main event. Dig into decadent brownies and macarons from Taramisu, mouth-watering madeleines and financiers from Salty Malty Bakes, and chunky cookies from Chewy Crewy. Savoury lovers can grab bagels and quiche from After Treatz, while Myristica Hill offers artisanal dips and Simply Me stocks homemade belachan. Quench your thirst with speciality coffee from A Cozy Cuppa or matcha from Hanoa. Afterwards, check out Terra Nest’s handcrafted incense, fidget toys from Solid Squishy, clean beauty from ZeroMultiple, and custom manga portraits from Jelly Caricature.

NEX is officially getting into the Mid-Autumn spirit with a lineup of festive, family-friendly programmes, interactive games, and moonlit activities throughout September. Satisfy your mooncake cravings at the TANGS Mid-Autumn Fair, featuring traditional baked favourites alongside playful modern interpretations like yuzu green tea, Dubai chocolate, and mochi-filled creations. Step back in time at the seasonal photo booth to receive a '60s-inspired portrait, or put your skills to the test at the Mooncake Packing Game and riddle wall for a chance to win prizes. Towards the end of the month, gather at the rooftop garden as it transforms under lanterns, fairy lights, and stars, complete with rabbit mascot photo ops.

Holland Village has long been the go-to for laidback brunches and boutique browsing, but Singapore’s bohemian enclave is getting a little livelier with Village Encounters @ Holland Village. Taking place from August 29 to 30 in front of Holland Piazza, this free, day-to-night festival brings together local businesses, live entertainment, interactive workshops, games, after-dark fun and a pet-friendly Paw Quest Zone for your furry companions.

Rediscover the precinct with special perks across familiar spots. Put your palate to the test at Sweet Cheeks with a Blind Taste Test experience to win mystery gelato treats or a $50 dine-in voucher. Over at Birds of Paradise, Festival Pass holders enjoy a complimentary topping with any gelato purchase, alongside a limited-time Petite Trio featuring three baby scoops. Meanwhile, Freedom Yoga hosts a playful 45-minute Partner Yoga Experience filled with accessible stretches, balancing poses and shared movement for all levels. Find out more here. 

Think Mercedes-Benz is all about sleek cars and a shiny showroom? Not the Mercedes-Benz Studio Singapore. The iconic brand's global lifestyle hub has finally pulled up at Gardens by the Bay – a first in Southeast Asia – bringing together art, design, food, music, wellness and community in one constantly evolving space.

And on August 29 and 30, you can get a taste of what’s in store. Sip wild-fermented pours by Ferm, give your post-run muscles some TLC with Tundra’s recovery tech, or get crafty with Studio Wilt’s sun-powered art workshop. There’s also live silkscreening by Tell Your Children and Konstrukt Labs, live DJ sets curated by Wild Pearl, plus Adidas Runners Singapore kicking off its 16-week marathon training programme. Don't miss Metamo Industries' exclusive liquid artwork celebrating the Studio's opening too. Admission is free, with selected programmes subject to advance registration or separate ticketing. Find out more here.

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.

Reinvention returns for four months of endless play and design at Singapore Science Park under the theme Allplay. Featuring installations, interactive challenges and activities by over 30 artists, this creative playground reimagines play as a way to inspire learning, change and positive action. Explore three family–friendly zones: PlayLab offers self–guided exhibits across five themes; PlayMission turns everyday actions into positive environmental impact through physical and digital challenges; and PlayCourt presents unique takes on sports like basketball and football outdoors. The programme refreshes regularly throughout its run with new workshops and collaborations, making every visit a fresh experience.

While NUS Baba House undergoes a physical makeover until 2027, its collection of artefacts has temporarily found a new home at NUS Museum. Titled Refrain, Reframe – Baba House Displaced, the exhibition presents furniture, decorative arts, domestic utensils and architectural fragments grouped by function, materials and thematic connections. Items on display include a bentwood kopitiam chair, an English ironstone wash basin on a Chinese stand, and a ceremonial tenong basket. Beyond the collection, the exhibition pulls back the curtain on the research, documentation and conservation decisions involved in preserving a historic house museum for future generations.

Japan’s cult-favourite keychain artist Choibusu makes her Singapore debut at Heartware Store Gallery with a solo exhibition transformed into a retro shopping arcade. Featuring 500 delightfully whimsical, imperfect handmade charms—from grumpy uncles to Singapore-inspired designs—the showcase also presents redesigns of vintage Japanese bags. Visitors can try the Past Life Machine to discover their keychain persona or purchase a limited-edition rolling sushi blind box created in collaboration with Japanese toy maker Hirokawa Co., Ltd.

In its latest exhibition, Padimai Art & Tech Studio puts AI and cutting-edge technology at the forefront to explore how data and meme culture are shaping the future of Southeast Asia. Titled Islands in the Net, the showcase uses digital art and data archives to map the region’s place in the global network. Highlighted works include Safe Entry by Heman Chong, referencing the nation’s contact-tracing system, and A History of Intelligence in Asia by Ho Rui An. The exhibition also expands on the topic with research projects developed with major tech institutions.

No submarine? No problem. You can still embark on an aquatic adventure to the darkest parts of the sea with Into the Ocean: Journey Beneath, the latest exhibition from ArtScience Museum, made in collaboration with OceanX. Marking its world premiere, this showcase plunges you into the deep blue using advanced filming technology to gather unseen footage of the ocean for the very first time.

Featuring five immersive zones, the exhibition is designed to make you feel like you’re actually descending into the ocean: it starts at the surface and brings you all the way down to the seabed, each section revealing how mesmerising and vast the body of water can get. The cinematic ocean visuals are completed with the works of internationally renowned artists like Marshmallow Laser Feast, Marco Barotti and Jana Winderen, alongside scientific studies by the National University of Singapore. Interspersed between the research and artworks are interactive activities that aim to help both kids and adults understand the importance of marine conservation.

Ever wanted to explore the deepest depths of the ocean? Well, now you can – and you won’t even have to take a submarine to experience it. Science Centre Singapore has teamed up with Tara Ocean Foundation, a leading nonprofit oceanographic research organisation, for the world debut of One Ocean: Every Action Ripples. It’s a multi-sensory exhibition that uses ocean research, technology and storytelling to let you discover the hidden worlds of the deep blue.

Across 10 immersive zones, the exhibition reveals how the vast ocean connects us all and acts as Earth’s heartbeat. Discover the wonders of the sea through 360-degree projections, free-roaming VR, spatial soundscapes, interactive research exhibits and more. The exhibition’s main highlight is 7 Wonders of the Ocean, a captivating installation that lets you experience a whale migration, witness bioluminescent marine life, and come face-to-face with the Great Barrier Reef.

Other unmissable highlights include a replica of the Arctic’s Tara Polar Station, a section on Singapore’s marine life, and a virtual reality exploration of how ecosystems such as mangroves, kelp forests, and plankton communities help manage the world’s carbon cycle.

Renowned Japanese contemporary artist and photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto’s first major solo exhibition in Southeast Asia lands at Singapore Art Museum. Titled Form is Emptiness, a line drawn from foundational Buddhist text, the exhibition features over 60 works and fossils from his personal collection that outline five decades of artistic journey and expression.

Inspired by the concept of the Five Elements in Buddhist philosophy (earth, water, fire, air and space), the showcase unfolds in the shape of a mandala, inviting viewers to explore the works in a looping motion that feels continuous and seamless rather than linear. It also reflects the themes in Sugimoto’s works, which are marked by his curiosity and fascination with time and metaphysics. Beyond photography, the exhibition also dives into the expansion of the Tokyo-born artist’s photographic thinking, featuring his works in sculpture, large-scale installation, writing, and architectural design. Artwork highlights include the Brush Impression, Heart Sutra (2023), a magnificent curved wall with 288 gelatine silver calligraphy prints of Kanji characters, as well as U.A. Walker, New York (1978) and Tyrrhenian Sea, Scilla (1993), a series of black-and-white photographs of theatres and landscapes.

Once a trading port and now a commercial hub, the CBD isn’t just a workspace – it’s a district with plenty of forgotten stories, quiet characters and hidden memories. This is what Momentary Pulses: Art in the Central Business District, a commissioning series by The Everyday Museum and initiated by Singapore Art Museum, aims to uncover. Amid the city’s hustle and bustle are seven showcases by Singapore-based artists that have been seamlessly woven into public spaces along buildings and walkways. Each artwork has been designed to reflect, rather than distract, as it responds to the sights and sounds of the ever-evolving landscape. They invite us to look more closely at our everyday surroundings, pause, and let our imagination wander, offering a moment of calm and curiosity in a fast-paced environment.

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.