Things to do in Singapore that get you the most bang for your buck (Feb 2021)

So, the tickets for the Singapore-Hong Kong flights are in limbo again or cost a small fortune (probably your entire year’s coffee’s worth). But, as they say, where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Chinese New Year is around the corner, and there’s definitely going to be less visiting this year no thanks to the daily a cap of eight unique visitors per household per day.

If you ever find yourself finishing up your CNY visitations early, here’s showing you the many things to do in our beautiful island country, as you make your bookings on the right credit card and earn rewards, points and cashback, instead of stuffing yourself with pineapple tarts at home.

In this article, we aim to capture the best activities in Singapore every month, so you can mark your calendar and plan your week around them. We will try to cover a range of our recommended options for the outdoorsy, the adventurous, the artsy, the closet food connoisseur, and the leisure-loving souls. At the risk of quoting a cliche — there’s something for everyone here.

Note: Due to the evolving Covid-19 circumstances, events often change timings and dates without prior notice. We request you to check and confirm the schedules before heading out. Last updated: Feb 1, 2021.

To be eligible for this promotion, you’ll have to be a new Standard Chartered Bank cardholder and activate your new card within the first 30 days of card approval. Also, a min. spend of $200 is required. If you already have a Standard Chartered credit card, you’ll be rewarded with $30 cash via PayNow when you sign up. Promotion is valid till Feb 5, 2021, T&Cs apply.

Things to do: Art and culture

2021: “Inspiring the NeXXt Generation”

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Thursday (Feb 11) is International Day of Women and Girls, and Science Centre Singapore will be celebrating the occasion with DiscovHER, an initiative to support and promote women and girls in their participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). 

From Feb 5 to 7, you can join the many activities lined up just for the ladies, ranging from webinars to online and super cool onsite activities. You can make slime, learn the history of data encryption and even sieve out the iron in cereals using a magnet among many other workshops! 

Address: Science Centre Singapore, 15 Science Centre Rd, Singapore 609081
Price: From $6
Feb 5 to 6, 2021

Singapo人

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The Chinese culture in Singapore has evolved in a way unlike other communities around the world, all thanks to the unique influences from living alongside a significant proportion of non-Chinese residents. 

This interaction with other cultures over the years, encouraged by geographical proximity and social diversity, has birthed a Chinese Singaporean identity which is complex and ever-changing.

At the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, join in the conversation and discover (or rediscover) what it means to be a Chinese Singapo人(ren, Chinese for people).

Address: Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, 1 Straits Boulevard, Singapore 018906
Price: Free
Ongoing

Aliwal Tracks

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Aliwal Tracks is a video web series programme that invites viewers to explore the nuanced sounds around Kampong Glam.

Featuring online programmes such as virtual exhibitions, behind-the-scenes videos and digital performances, the video series bring you through one of Singapore’s most vibrant enclaves. Discover hidden street art, age-old stories from residents as well as the sounds and beats of Kampong Glam.

Address: Online
Price: Free
Till March 2021

Artwalk Little India

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Artwalk Little India is an annual multidisciplinary public arts project set in the cultural precinct of Little India. Artists bring to life the history and traditions of Little India through a multisensory art experience that includes wall murals, workshops, music and performances 

Start your trail at the 1 Working Class Hero mural along Hindoo Road, where you’ll come face-to-face with the deified Indian superstar, Rajinikanth. The portrait pays homage to the Indian community, whose lives revolve around this cultural enclave. Revered above any other actor in the cinema world, Rajinikanth has always championed the commoner, having come from a humble background himself.

Click here for a guide on the four-hour enthralling trail, which includes pit stops at the neighbourhood’s foremost landmarks and more art murals. 

Address: Around Little India
Price: Free
Ongoing

Star Wars Identities: The Exhibition

The Force is strong in Singapore at the ArtScience Museum with Star Wars Identities: The Exhibition, happening from 30 January to 13 June 2021.

The vast and exclusive showcase includes some 200 authentic props, models, costumes, and artwork from the original Star Wars films.

Expect to see the original Star Wars drawings from the classic (1977 to 1983) and prequel (1999 to 2005) trilogies, the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, as well as Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Fan favourites such as Darth Vader, R2-D2, Chewbacca, Boba Fett, Yoda and the Millennium Falcon will be on display.

Address: 6 Bayfront Ave, Singapore 018974
Price: From $20
Till June 13, 2021

Home, Truly: Growing Up with Singapore, 1950s to the Present

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The National Museum of Singapore presents Home, Truly: Growing Up With Singapore, 1950s to the Present in collaboration with The Straits Times, as part of the newspaper’s 175th anniversary.

Featuring photographs and artefacts, including those contributed by members of the public, as well as audio-visual footage, sounds, scents and special digital features, Home, Truly explores the moments and experiences in Singapore’s past and present that express our identity and collective memory as a people.

Address: 93 Stamford Rd, Singapore 178897
Price: Free
Till Aug 29, 2021

Re-written: The World Ahead of Us

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A brand new commission by the Public Art Trust and its most ambitious ever, Re-written: The World Ahead of Us presents 14 text-based public artworks by Singapore artists. Some of the artworks are inspired by local writers and literary works, contemplating the multitude of changes experienced in their daily lives since the onset of Covid-19.

Distributed across eight parks in Singapore, the artworks resemble visual poetry unfurling across the island, awaiting discovery. The physical presentation will also be accompanied by a virtual engagement component, which seeks to offer new entry points in experiencing and learning about public art in a world transformed.

Address: Various locations
Price: Free
Till June 6, 2021

Lite On! @ Downtown East

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Think shopping malls are boring? Think again. Downtown East is pulling out all the stops with Lite On! @ Downtown East, a free public exhibition that showcases four different art and light installations curated by local artists. 

Each artist will interpret light in the day and night in their own unique ways through an overarching theme of light

The four installations include: Bubble Play by Shophouse & Co, EAT.PLAY.SHOP.STAY by Band of Doodlers, Shades of Self by Space Objekt and Somewhere Out There by Speak Cryptic. 

Address: Downtown East, 1 Pasir Ris Close, Singapore 519599
Price: Free
Till March 21, 2021

Chinatown Street Light-up

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This year’s Chinatown Street light-up will feature sculptured lanterns of the Ox, gold coins, ingots, flowers, greetings and more. Visitors will be enthralled by the creativity of the contemporary street light-up, which combines traditional and modern designs, this Niu year!

Price: Free
Till March 12, 2021

Once Upon A Time on The Orient Express

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Through this pop-up attraction, visitors can relive the emotions of travellers who have boarded the Orient Express through a reconstituted train platform and showrooms where they can embark on a fascinating journey through the history of the Orient Express.

The exhibition will present some of the most extraordinary objects and documents to showcase centuries old history that retraces the legacy of the train, allowing guests to also discover events that transformed the world and shaped the map.

It will also feature an exclusive Orient Express shop, Orient Express road cafe, Orient Express restaurant and lounge and an escape room experience, which has to be book separately.

The event may start in December, but tickets are already open for booking so do snap them up before it’s gone!

Address: Gardens by the Bay – West Lawn
Price: From $25
From Dec 12, 2021 to June 13, 2021

Things to do: Eating out

Around the World in 80 Days

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Trotting the globe in 150 minutes is entirely possible, all thanks to AndSoForth’s Around the World in 80 Days multi-sensory, theatrical dining experience.

Immerse yourself in seven wondrous rooms, each themed to look like London, Egypt, India, Hong Kong, Japan and New York. Feed your stomach with international cuisines inspired by each country, and then feast your eyes on the whimsical set designs and colourful costumes by the actors.

Address: Secret, to be revealed 24 hours before workshop
Price: From $128
Ongoing

Chinatown Food Street

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Chinatown Food Street isn’t the typical tourist trap Singaporeans think it is anymore. The refreshed space, which reopened in December 2020, has new dining concepts such as mookata, mala hotpot and Korean BBQ.

The prices are rather affordable as well — Hongdae Korean BBQ’s buffet only costs $23.90 per adult, and it comes with free-flow Korean rice cakes and kimchi pancakes. If you’re feeling spicy, a mala hotpot buffet costs an affordable $19.90 with free-flow dumplings. 

Address: Smith Street, Chinatown Food Street, Singapore 058938
Price: Depends on what you eat!
Ongoing

Things to do: Films

Zouk Cinema Club

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We get it. Your movie experience is not the same when the screen isn’t massive, the sound isn’t booming, and the overpriced caramel popcorn isn’t losing its crunch by the minute. While we wait for great movies to hit the screen again, you can still find an elevated movie experience in the meantime. Enter Zouk Cinema Club, a pop-up cinematic experience from Wednesdays to Saturdays.

The nightclub turns into a cinema with one screening session a night, showing two movies. Zouk’s famous screen, that normally belts out trippy visuals accompanied by the DJ’s turntable, now plays classics like Moulin Rouge, Grease, and The Greatest Showman. Grab your date, a bottle of sparkling, some hors d’oeuvre to share, and hit Zouk to experience the magic of old romances on the big screen.

Address: Zouk Singapore, 3C River Valley Road, Clarke Quay, #01-05 to #02-06, The Cannery, Singapore 179022
Price: Call to book your seats. Packages range from $75-$350
Ongoing

Things to do: Explore Singapore

Dahlia Dreams at Gardens by the Bay

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Ring in the year of the Metal Ox and bask in prosperity and good fortune at Dahlia Dreams at Gardens by the Bay. Featuring auspicious elements and symbols, this ever popular floral display ushers in new beginnings filled with good luck and positivity.

Stroll through a field of about 2,000 pretty dahlias of mixed varieties, all grown in-house for the very first time by our own horticulturists alongside a host of Lunar New Year floral favourites such as azaleas, chrysanthemums and cymbidiums.

Address: 18 Marina Gardens Dr, Singapore 018953
Price: From $5
Till Feb 21, 2021

Otah & Friends

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Gather a group and come play hide-and-seek with Otah & Friends at Singapore’s first otter-themed escapade.

You’ll have 15 minutes to find Otah The Otter inside his whimsically decorated home, which includes a living room, a kitchen and a giant tree filled with cute interactive props and clues. After you’ve found him, Otah will reward you with lemonade and cookies (baked by instafamous homegrown bakery Whiskdom) in his backyard. 

With the visually-stunning, IG-worthy rooms, this 45-minute adventure is perfect for those who don’t like the horror and intensity normally associated with regular escape rooms. 

Address: Gardens by the Bay, Bayfront Plaza, 18 Marina gardens Dr, Singapore 018953
Price: From $12
Till Feb 26, 2021

Wag & Wild

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Wag & Wild, Singapore’s newest and largest waterpark for dogs, is THE place to go for your doggos to have a fun time under the sun. 

There’s over 19,000 square feet of space, which includes amenities such as a large pool, floaties, and even a mushroom waterfall, for your furbabies to go wild. Oh, did we also mention that humans are allowed in the pool too? Yay, double the fun! 

Address: 2 Jurong Gateway Road, #01-13, Singapore 608512
Price: $28 
Ongoing

Changi Jurassic Mile

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And you thought Changi was done with its newest marvellous offering? Nope. Hit Jurassic Mile  with your family for a fun day out with the kids. Singapore’s largest permanent outdoor display of life-sized dinosaurs with more than 20 different prehistoric creatures from nine different species — all stretched over one kilometre of the cycling and jogging path. 

The tallest dinosaur stands at almost 5 meters high, and there’s one that even flies! The best part is you can get there on foot or by renting a bike from GoCycling or from East Coast Park via the Changi Coastal Park Connector. And the even better part? It’s free and open 24 hours.

Address: Drop-off point inside the Hub & Spoke car park (right opposite the café) or at Changi Airport Terminal 2, beside Car Park 2A. The on-ground signage will lead you to Hub & Spoke.
Price: Free
Ongoing

Gai Gai Tour

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You’d want to wake your kids up on a breezy weekend morning for this one. Book your slot now to relive the nostalgia and joy of scaling the highest point of Mount Faber with your family. What you get — a guided tour around Mount Faber Park to Faber Point, the highest point on Mount Faber, the rich history around the mural wall and mini Merlion. 

Want more? You’d also get an exclusive peek into how the Singapore Cable Car operates. The 2-hour tour has 2 slots every Saturday and Sunday (10am and 2pm) and it ends with a joyride on the Singapore Cable Car. End result: ecstatic kids. 

Address: Faber Peak, 109 Mount Faber Rd, Singapore 099203
Tour Timings: Departs every Saturday & Sunday at 10am and 2pm (please call to check timings) 
Price: $20 for adults, $15 for a child
Ongoing

Marine ConservAction

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Discover more about the Sentosa turtles, the potential dangers they face and how to save them via this meaningful yet interactive tour.

Together with your loved ones, contribute to marine conservation by picking up litter along the beaches and learn to determine some of the common types of litter with a quick analysis of the rubbish collected.

Address: Sentosa beaches
Timings: 11am to 12pm and 4pm to 5pm on Thursdays, excluding public holidays and eve of public holidays
Price: $25
Till May 27, 2021

Free Guided Walks On Petai Trail at MacRitchie Reservoir

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Ever wanted to explore the wonders of MacRitchie Reservoir or perhaps just want a morning outside the hustle and bustle of the city? This tour is for you. 

A group of nature lovers from the Bachelor of Environmental Studies (BES) programme at the National University of Singapore (NUS) called The BES Drongos will be bringing you on a free guided walk along the Petai Trail, located at the east end of MacRitchie Reservoir Park. 

Consisting of a gravel path and a boardwalk, the 3km trail is relatively level and hence is suitable for people of all ages. Besides getting a little physical activity in, you’ll also get to learn more about the history and relevance of MacRitchie, a story these forests would tell if they could speak.

Address: MacRitchie Reservoir Park
Price: Free
Feb 6, 2021

Things to do: Fitness

Rilakkuma Virtual Run

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The run may not be held this month, but registration is already open. Complete a run of at least 3 km between Feb 1 to 20 and receive a set of Rilakkuma freebies including a super adorable drawstring bag, medal, towel and a certificate of completion. 

Price: From $38
Till Feb 20, 2021

Get Moving! Series: Leisure Walk-A-Jog @ Singapore Botanic Gardens

When was the last time you’ve visited the Botanic Gardens? If you can’t recall or have never been there before, now’s the time to do so. 

On Feb 7, 2021, join a small group of (not more than 8) passionate joggers and enjoy a leisure stroll/run in this picturesque UNESCO World Heritage site, all for free. Oh, did we also mention that all participants are female, and that only ladies can join? 

So if you’ve always wanted to kickstart your work out journey, feel free to join this group. According to the event’s description: “There’s always a first time for everything, so just come and have fun and be yourself!”. 

Address: Singapore Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Rd, Singapore 259569
Price: Free

Feb 7, 2021

Absolute Cycle x Zouk

Looks like you don’t need to wait until Phase three to hit the dance floor at Zouk. Partnering with rhythm cycling studio, Absolute, get your spin on up to seven days a week (if you really miss clubbing) with their iconic “Absolute 45” high-intensity spin classes hosted in a club-like atmosphere with epic Zouk lighting and heart-pumping music for the ultimate workout.

Address: Zouk Singapore, 3C River Valley Road, Clarke Quay, #01-05 to #02-06, The Cannery, Singapore 179022
Price: From $49
Ongoing

This article was first published in SingSaver.com.sg.