The Singapore Night Festival (SNF) is in its 17th edition, and shockingly, I've never attended any event or display until this year. It was the Light To Night Festival held earlier in the year which piqued my interest, especially the illuminations that grace our national monuments and public buildings. These are simply brilliant and never fail to capture the imagination.
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| Our walk started outside Plaza Singapura. |
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| Temasek Shophouse |
SNF is even bigger and better, involving more precincts and content creators within Singapore's civic district. Only time and distance limited the extent of our wanderings. Having parked at Plaza Singapura, we managed to walk to The Cathay Building, Singapore Management University and the National Museum and back. That means another visit to the other buildings is imperative. The festival runs from 21 August to 5 September.
THE CATHAY:
MALAM PROJECTION
MAPPING COMPETITION
The art deco facade of The Cathay Building (completed in 1939) is formed by pillars, fins, bay windows and contours upon which illuminations can be smartly and snugly projected. That is the basis of Malam Projection Mapping Competition which has attracted 18 entries, mostly from Singapore and Indonesia. Each projection plays for half-a-minute and all are played in an extremely colourful and creative loop. Enjoy.
Moving on to the National Museum of Singapore, which was where the festival opening took place. Besides the illuminations, the main attraction was the Birdmen from Close-Act Theatre (Netherlands). These graceful stilt-walkers resembled a cross between pre-historic flightless birds, dinosaurs and pterodactyls, and their procession in the Bras Basah area were literally traffic and show-stoppers.
On Friday and Saturday evenings during the festival's run, National Museum is open till late for visitors to view the exhibits of Once Upon A Tide and Singapore Odyssea - A Journey Through Time (photos of which will come at a later post). This was the perfect opportunity to visit a national tourist attraction which I had not been for years. Afterwards, the illuminations projected on the museum main building were truly sights to behold.
TALES OF EARTH AND SEA
NATIONAL MUSEUM
