By SGN | 15 Jan 2024
POP MUSIC
What has Taylor Swift touched that hasn’t turned into gold? In 2023, her epic Eras Tour became the first concert tour in history to surpass $1 billion in ticket sales, and she is expected to double that figure in 2024. The accompanying film has also set a record as the highest-grossing concert film of all time.
Come March, Swifties in Singapore and the region will get to catch her in the flesh as she makes one of only two stops in Asia. Over six nights at the National Stadium, the three-and-a-half-hour spectacle (that’s longer than Oppenheimer!) will transport fans through each era of her illustrious 17-year career, from the country sparkle of Fearless to the cottagecore of Folklore.
Also check out: Coldplay: Music of the Spheres World Tour (23 to 31 Jan) • Ed Sheeran: +–=÷× Tour (16 Feb) • IVE: Show What I Have (24 Feb) • Bruno Mars Live in Singapore (5 Apr) • IU: H.E.R. World Tour (20 – 21 Apr)
ART & DESIGN
Each January, Singapore overflows with art. Explore more than 150 exhibitions and programmes happening across the island, including the chance to peek into the studios of OG Singapore artists Teo Eng Seng and Tan Swie Hian.
Art SG – the fair at Marina Bay Sands that drew 43,000 visitors in 2023 – is perfect for art lovers and investors alike, featuring galleries from 33 countries and territories this year. Over in Little India and Katong–Joo Chiat, the festival ArtWalk offers murals, workshops and live performances.
In one of the more curious collaborations, artist Boedi Widjaja and geneticist Eric Yap present works at 42 Waterloo Street, where gachapon machines will dispense capsules of traditional Southeast texts encoded in DNA.
Also check out: World Architecture Festival (6 – 8 Nov)
TECH
Organised by CapitaLand, Innovate 360 and NUS Enterprise, Flavours of Tomorrow is Singapore’s first alternative food festival, showcasing innovations in sustainable sourcing, plant-based protein, and more.
As the first country in the world to approve cell-based meat, Singapore has been a forerunner in the alternative protein scene. At the festival, participants will get to sample and learn about more than 25 agritech and foodtech trailblazers such as Hegg, Oatside and Shandi Global through food booths, retail pop-ups and sharing sessions.
Also check out: Singapore Fintech Festival (6 – 8 Nov)
COMEDY
Beloved stand-up comic Jerry Seinfeld makes his Singapore debut in a one-night-only engagement at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. He is best known for the cult classic sitcom Seinfeld, the ‘show about nothing’ that has left an indelible mark on pop culture and continues to gain new generations of fans 30 years on. Audience members can look forward to his signature brand of wry, observational humour that pokes fun at the everyday follies of humankind.
Also check out: Atsuko Okatsuka: Full Grown Tour (29 to 31 Mar)
MUSICAL
The universally celebrated Broadway production Hamilton arrives in town this April. Created by Lin-Manuel Miranda – who went on to compose for Disney’s Moana (2016), Encanto (2021) and The Little Mermaid (2023) – the revolutionary musical tells the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton through a stirring blend of hip hop, jazz, R&B and show tunes. It has received 11 Tony Awards, the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Drama, among numerous other accolades.
Also check out: Matilda the Musical (9 Mar – 7 Apr) • Disney on Ice Presents 100 Years of Wonder (9 – 17 Mar) • Dear Evan Hansen (11 Oct – 3 Nov)
SPORT
Having hosted the Swimming World Cup from 2007 to 2019, Singapore will once again be a venue for the 2024 edition, alongside Shanghai and Incheon. These events serve as the qualifying meets for the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Budapest in December.
In 2025, Singapore will also have the honour of hosting the World Aquatics Championships for the first time, a tournament that brings together the six sports of water polo, diving, high diving, swimming, artistic swimming, and open water swimming.
Also check out: FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup (27 – 31 Mar) • Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix (20 – 22 Sep)
DANCE
Renowned British choreographer Akram Khan has an impressive body of work: he has collaborated with French legend Sylvie Guillem, created acclaimed pieces for the English National Ballet, and his company performed at the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony.
With Jungle Book Reimagined, he brings his distinctive, muscular style of Kathak-influenced contemporary dance to a literary classic. This recent creation reinterprets the Rudyard Kipling tale through the eyes of a child refugee in a world where nature has been ravaged by climate change.
Also check out: Melissa Hamilton’s International Ballet Stars Gala (23 – 24 Mar)
