This year’s Night Festival, returning for the fourth time, presents performances and activities under the theme ‘Voyage’. The inspiration for the theme came from the very district where the National Heritage Board’s museums are presently situated. The Bras Basah Bugis Cultural district, harking back to the time when Sir Stamford Raffles arrived in Singapore in 1819, saw various ethnic groups such as the Eurasians, Armenians and Jews inhabiting the area. Ms Goh Ching Lee, the curator behind this year’s festival explained that this year’s Night Festival is a celebration of the cultural melting pot and a salute to maritime journeys and heroes, paying homage to the pioneering forefathers who left legacies that shaped Singapore into the vibrant cultural city it is today.
Happening over two weekends, from 26 – 27 August and 2 -3 September, Voyage Night Festival 2011 will see both traditional and contemporary music, song and dance, magical lights, film and visual arts events.
One of the highlights is an amazing outdoor performance by Theater TOL from Belgium, Corazon de Angeles n Paradise. This celebration of an inter-cultural wedding of a Groom and Bride from two different cultures, invites audiences to partake as witnesses to their union whilst guardian angels, universal to all cultures, watch over them and wish them blessings. An aerial performance not to be missed as Theater TOL brings you on a cinematic journey that combines music, dance, film, acrobatics, live performance and pyrotechnics.
Also debuting in the festival is Night Lights 2011 co-presented by the Singapore Art Museum and Nuit Blanche Paris. There will be seven light installations found in the Bras Basah Bugis precinct that will transform the familiar environments into the whimsical and the unusual for a total of nine nights. These intriguing works will be put up for the first time in Singapore with their previous works presented in Paris.
For the film lovers, here is something for you. Happening at The Substation from 10.30pm, between 26 – 27 August and 2 -3 September, there will be a screening of a series of short films on migrant workers in Singapore. The screening is curated by Migrant Voices.
Over at the National Museum of Singapore, there are also two film screenings happening over both weekends, (NOT) Under the Banyan Tree and Under the Banyan Tree, offering you a chance to picnic under the stars (bring your mats!) while enjoying 4 movies featuring a P. Ramlee film, Ali Babe Bujang Lapok and William Castle’s spooky tales!
Also, look forward to capoeira and origami workshops as well as a flea mart held at 8Q Plaza as you satisfy your hunger for knowledge and little pretty things.
This year’s Night Festival is jammed packed with programmes that will satisfy everyone of every age and gender!
So, get ready your cameras and bring along a tripod if you wish, as you explore the area and take shots of the light installations and performances being put up at the SMU Green, SAM and NMS. Be prepared to do a lot of walking in the cool of the night so come in your most comfortable pair of shoes. There will be road closures and bus diversions during the first weekend of the festival so you are advised to take public transport to get to the district.
What’s more, during the festival, visitors can enjoy complimentary late night admission from 7pm to 2am to the National Museum of Singapore (NMS), Singapore Art Museum (SAM) including its extension building at 8Q. The Peranakan Museum and The Substation will open from 7pm to 2am only on the weekend of 26 and 27 August.
Admission is free for all performances. Embark on a voyage under the stars this end August!
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