Relax at pop-up city beach

You have probably been to the beaches at East Coast Park and Sentosa. But have you ever soaked up the sun and sand in the heart of the city?

Come June 13 and 14 - the last weekend of this year's DBS Marina Regatta watersports festival which kicks off tomorrow and runs for three weekends - you can, for there will be a beach at The Promontory @ Marina Bay, which opens from 11am to 10pm on both days.

The pop-up urban beach is a first for Singapore and joins the ranks of those in other cities including Prague, Paris and Berlin.

The beach measures 50m by 50m and is made from a whopping 28,000kg of sand, enough to fill 115 bathtubs. The sand is similar to that found in playground sandboxes and is expected to take up to 300 man-hours to bring in and remove.

DBS declined to say how much it is spending on the beach, but the cost is part of the $10 million the bank committed to enliven the Marina Bay area two years ago.

The beach will have a 25m by 15m pool, palm trees, deck chairs and a beach bar run by microbrewery and restaurant Brewerkz. Admission to the beach, which can take up to 250 people at a time, is free. It is also a great vantage point to catch the 28th SEA Games' dragonboat and sailing races.

A DBS spokesman says: "As urban beaches have been a popular concept around the world, we thought it would be a great platform to rally support for the SEA Games.

"As the races are full-day affairs, beachgoers can keep occupied between the events with the large variety of activities offered at the beach."

Pool activities will include zorbing, stand-up paddling and stand-up yoga (yoga with the added challenge of balancing on a board on water).

If you head to the Regatta earlier, the DBS Food Village by Savour and a flea market will be in full swing, starting today.

There will be food from Belgian restaurant Brussels Sprouts and restaurant-cum-wine bar Bistro 1855, while the flea market will feature items such as handmade bags and knick-knacks from online shop Indie Mama and cold brews from Bettr Barista Coffee Academy, an organisation which provides training and employment for underprivileged women and at-risk youth.

From tomorrow, artists from Noise Singapore and artist group Skratch Army will be spray-painting five 2m by 2m cubes with scenes of Singapore's past and future.

A 3.5m by 5.8m print of local artist Liu Kang's painting Life By The River will be displayed at the Regatta, with actors representing the painting's subjects moving around in front of it.

There will also be movie screenings, cosplay performances and urban farming workshops.

Ms Viviane Then, 30, who works in marketing communications, has been going to the DBS Marina Regatta since it began in 2012.

She says: "The idea of an urban beach really drew me to this year's Regatta. It brings the outdoors into the city and gives play a very different perspective."

The exercise buff adds that she is looking forward to doing stand-up yoga in the pool. She says: "My buddies and I are planning to cycle from East Coast Park to the urban beach via the new park connector. It's great as we get to exercise and soak in the fun afterwards."

sarahgyx@sph.com.sg

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DBS MARINA REGATTA 2015

Where: Marina Bay
When: Today till June 14, various times
Admission: Free
Info: Go to www.dbsmarinaregatta.com/

This article was first published on May 29, 2015.
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