Nightlife here goes beyond the usual pubs and clubs. If you know where to look, you’ll find that Singapore is filled to the brim with cultural delights in every corner of the city after hours.
None knows this better than an icon of our local night entertainment, the Getai* singer. Let Sherraine Law show you what an evening in Singapore looks like when it’s off the beaten track.
*A boisterous live stage performance held during the Hungry Ghost Festival.
Ride down the streets the old-fashioned way
Many would say that train and bus rides are some of the best ways to explore any city. But a trishaw might just give them a run for their money with its novel way of getting around.
Take to the streets with Trishaw Uncle, a heritage tour that brings you through the vibrant streets around iconic landmarks around the city.
Make the experience even more memorable by opting for a night ride when some streets are lit with the brightest of decors. Riders can take their pick of precincts to discover too.
Trishaw Uncle. 63 Queen Street, Singapore 188542.
Operating hours: Daily, 11am – 9pm. Last trishaw departs at 8pm.
Relive the past via a theatrical set
Combining immersive storytelling and a faithfully recreated 1960s set, OH! Stories: New World’s End is a theatrical experience unlike any other.
Travel back in time to the iconic decade as you weave your way around Jalan Besar at night through an audio walk. This is a great way to plunge yourself into the history of a neighbourhood told through an intimate tale of two fictional characters whose lives intertwine by momentous events.
Each walking tour is narrated in English and runs for 60 minutes, rain or shine. So, come prepared with comfortable footwear as you step into this fantastical world.
OH! Stories: New World’s End. 85 Desker Road, Singapore 209646.
Operating hours: Friday – Sunday & Public Holidays, 5.30 – 10.30pm (last show at 9pm).
Revisit Asian heritage, culture, and literature in Singapore's largest outdoor art gallery
Maybe you’ve heard of Journey to the West, one of China's ancient classics, or read stories about the Eight Immortals, colourful figures revered in Taoism. But have you seen them depicted as quirky exhibits?
They are some of the 1,000 sculptures and dioramas on display in Haw Par Villa, a cultural park filled with both Chinese and international elements. It’s also home to Hell’s Museum, where visitors can explore what afterlife entails through the lens of the world’s major belief systems, cultures, and civilisations.
To see the park in a completely new light, we recommend an evening excursion, when the characters come ‘alive’ with an almost otherworldly demeanour in the dark of the night.
Haw Par Villa. 262 Pasir Panjang Road, Singapore 118628.
Operating hours: Monday – Sunday, 9am – 8pm (last entry at 7.30pm)
Hell’s Museum.
Operating hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 10am – 6pm (last entry at 5pm). Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays (except Public Holidays)