Singapore International Festival of Arts

The Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA), an annual event exhibiting numerous art forms like visual arts, dance, music, film, and theatre, is one of a kind. The art extravaganza, which is held anytime between May to June every year, brings visitors from all over the world.

The Singapore Arts Festival is held in different venues all over Singapore, including the National Art Gallery Singapore. It is a whole new experience in itself. The event creates a great euphoria among Singapore art lovers and people who enjoy or practice some form of art worldwide.

The Singapore Arts Festival started in 1977. It initially showcased the diverse art forms and styles of numerous ethnic communities of Singapore. However, in 2014, it underwent a significant makeover. Unlike in the earlier years, the Singapore International Festival of Arts, in today’s time, hosts more international artists representing different art forms than local artists who present the diverse ethnically-driven Singapore art forms.

Every year the festival runs on a theme that makes it even more exciting. Since its inception, the international event has evolved to become a bigger platform for well-renowned artists as well as the lesser-known ones.

Even before the commencement of the festival, there is OPEN, a session on the exchange of ideas and planning of different shows and exhibits that are to be staged during the international event.

This pre-festival event, which can be accessed through a season ticket by art lovers, is a platform where workshops and talk shows by artists are held. There are also a few performances of smaller scales that are staged, which are instrumental in creating excitement about the festival that is to follow.

The events at the Singapore Arts Festival get quickly sold out. Therefore, people who wish to be a part of any of the events are advised to book their tickets in advance as early as possible to avoid sold outs. Pre-booking can also fetch great discounts on tickets, and therefore, is highly recommended. Some of the events are free for all, and the tickets are given out on the day of the show on a first-come-first-serve basis.

SIFA 2020

In 2020, the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) will be held from the 15th of May, 2020 to the 31st of May, 2020. The event is spread in different venues all over Singapore. Some of the venues that the events are going to be held in are Drama Centre Theatre, Victoria Theatre, National Gallery Singapore, Malay Heritage Centre, LASALLE SOTA Studio Theatre, Marina Sands Event Plaza and the Meadows at Gardens by the Bay.

The National Gallery Singapore holds a place of prominence in showcasing paintings and various works of art of Singapore and Southeast Asia. It houses about 8000 exhibits, the most extensive collection of artworks of Singapore and Southeast Asia in the world.

The National Gallery Singapore is an attempt to help people understand Singapore and the Southeast Asian countries’ art and culture. It is also organized to bridge the gap between Singapore and various other countries around the globe.

Although opened recently, the National Art Gallery Singapore is essentially one of the most prestigious venues for SIFA’s Visual Arts events. Like in the few earlier SIFAs, the National Art Gallery Singapore will exhibit artworks and art installations of well-known as well as lesser-known artists from Singapore and worldwide.

The National Art Gallery Singapore spreads over an area of 64,000 square meters, making it an ideal venue for art exhibitions and installations during the SIFA.

Some of the shows that will be showcased at the event are the Revisor (Canada), The Year of No Return (Singapore), A Dream under the Southern Bough: Existence (Singapore), OIWA-The Ghost of Yotsuya (Singapore), and Three Sisters (Singapore & USA collaboration).

Getting to the Venues

Reaching the SIFA venues by taxi is a good option, but if you wish to travel in a budget-friendly way, buy a bus ticket online or travel by MRT.

Esplanade Theatre

One of the main venues of the Singapore International Festival of Arts, visitors can take the metro and drop at the City Hall or Esplanade Circle Line station. However, you have to walk for ten minutes before you get here.

The bus route to the Esplanade theater is either Route no. 02061 or 02111.

National Gallery, Singapore

The nearest MRT station is the City Hall station route number NS25 and EW13.

The three bus routes to the venue are 961#, 961, and 195.

Drama Theatre

Bugis and City Hall are the two MRT stations for this venue.

The bus routes are 01013, 01012, and 01019.

Victoria Theatre

To get to the venue easily, get a bus ticket online of either of the bus routes 10, 100, 130, or 961.

To get there by MRT, get on to the East-West line.

You would like to learn about some useful bus travel tips while in Singapore!

If you are someone who appreciates art or enjoys a good play, film, or musical composition, Singapore International Festival of Arts is the event you should be a part of. For great savings on bus tickets or hotel accommodations, visit www.redbus.sg and make your SIFA experience a miraculous one!