The best things to do in Singapore this weekend (Oct 2-4)

Forget dodging traffic – on October 3, you can stroll, snack and soak up the neighbourhood as 530 metres of Joo Chiat Road go car-free. In conjunction with Joo Chiat Car Free Day, Joo Chiat Street Social, supported by Weekend Brew Club, is turning the stretch between Dunman Road and East Coast Road into a buzzing street party celebrating food, music, wellness and community from 3.30pm to 9.30pm.  

Catch live performances by Glen Wee, Graviti w Khai, Monty Crew and more, while exploring the neighbourhood and activities at a more leisurely pace. Gather your favourite people (and pets) and head down – everyone’s invited, and entry is free.  

There’s also a little something for your cup. Spend at least $10 at participating merchants before the event to score a Community Pass, which gets you two complimentary specialty coffees, chilled teas, or craft beverages. You can also play a simple game for a chance to win a $5 voucher redeemable at 10 food stalls at Dunman Food Centre. Find out more here. 

This October, MARQUEE turns up the volume with a packed lineup of world-class DJs and crowd-favourite club nights. It kicks off with French hard-techno heavyweight Nico Moreno (October 2), known for his rapid-fire tempos, pounding kicks and raw rave energy, before Australian tech-house star FISHER (October 3) brings his infectious, dancefloor-focused sound to the club. 

The momentum continues into F1 weekend, with Grammy-winning DJ and producer Diplo (October 9) bringing his genre-hopping blend of electronic, hip-hop, house and pop to the decks. The following night, Anyma (October 10) makes his Singapore debut, pairing melodic techno with the giant-scale digital visuals and sci-fi storytelling that have become hallmarks of his immersive live shows. Then, Dutch EDM star Martin Garrix (October 11) closes out the race weekend with his signature high-energy festival anthems and soaring beats. 

The party continues with club nights Wonderland (October 16), ASTROLAB (October 17), and FTW! (October 21), which brings another mid-week bash to the calendar. FVDER, LIKKI, PIN and ZIPPY (October 23) then take over for a local showcase, bringing bass-heavy EDM, house grooves, genre-bending edits and crowd favourites across four distinct styles. Then rounding out the month are HALO (October 30), with Matisse & Sadko, DubVision, and Third Party, and a themed Halloween (October 31) party, bringing October to a big finish. 

No matter which party mood you’re in, MARQUEE knows just how to pair scale with strong programming every Friday, Saturday and Sunday – and it doesn’t clock off until 6am. Find out more here. 

Reinvention returns for four months of endless play and design at Singapore Science Park under the theme Allplay. Featuring installations, interactive challenges and activities by over 30 artists, this creative playground reimagines play as a way to inspire learning, change and positive action. Explore three family–friendly zones: PlayLab offers self–guided exhibits across five themes; PlayMission turns everyday actions into positive environmental impact through physical and digital challenges; and PlayCourt presents unique takes on sports like basketball and football outdoors. The programme refreshes regularly throughout its run with new workshops and collaborations, making every visit a fresh experience.

In its latest exhibition, Padimai Art & Tech Studio puts AI and cutting-edge technology at the forefront to explore how data and meme culture are shaping the future of Southeast Asia. Titled Islands in the Net, the showcase uses digital art and data archives to map the region’s place in the global network. Highlighted works include Safe Entry by Heman Chong, referencing the nation’s contact-tracing system, and A History of Intelligence in Asia by Ho Rui An. The exhibition also expands on the topic with research projects developed with major tech institutions.

No submarine? No problem. You can still embark on an aquatic adventure to the darkest parts of the sea with Into the Ocean: Journey Beneath, the latest exhibition from ArtScience Museum, made in collaboration with OceanX. Marking its world premiere, this showcase plunges you into the deep blue using advanced filming technology to gather unseen footage of the ocean for the very first time.

Featuring five immersive zones, the exhibition is designed to make you feel like you’re actually descending into the ocean: it starts at the surface and brings you all the way down to the seabed, each section revealing how mesmerising and vast the body of water can get. The cinematic ocean visuals are completed with the works of internationally renowned artists like Marshmallow Laser Feast, Marco Barotti and Jana Winderen, alongside scientific studies by the National University of Singapore. Interspersed between the research and artworks are interactive activities that aim to help both kids and adults understand the importance of marine conservation.

Ever wanted to explore the deepest depths of the ocean? Well, now you can – and you won’t even have to take a submarine to experience it. Science Centre Singapore has teamed up with Tara Ocean Foundation, a leading nonprofit oceanographic research organisation, for the world debut of One Ocean: Every Action Ripples. It’s a multi-sensory exhibition that uses ocean research, technology and storytelling to let you discover the hidden worlds of the deep blue.

Across 10 immersive zones, the exhibition reveals how the vast ocean connects us all and acts as Earth’s heartbeat. Discover the wonders of the sea through 360-degree projections, free-roaming VR, spatial soundscapes, interactive research exhibits and more. The exhibition’s main highlight is 7 Wonders of the Ocean, a captivating installation that lets you experience a whale migration, witness bioluminescent marine life, and come face-to-face with the Great Barrier Reef.

Other unmissable highlights include a replica of the Arctic’s Tara Polar Station, a section on Singapore’s marine life, and a virtual reality exploration of how ecosystems such as mangroves, kelp forests, and plankton communities help manage the world’s carbon cycle.

Renowned Japanese contemporary artist and photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto’s first major solo exhibition in Southeast Asia lands at Singapore Art Museum. Titled Form is Emptiness, a line drawn from foundational Buddhist text, the exhibition features over 60 works and fossils from his personal collection that outline five decades of artistic journey and expression.

Inspired by the concept of the Five Elements in Buddhist philosophy (earth, water, fire, air and space), the showcase unfolds in the shape of a mandala, inviting viewers to explore the works in a looping motion that feels continuous and seamless rather than linear. It also reflects the themes in Sugimoto’s works, which are marked by his curiosity and fascination with time and metaphysics. Beyond photography, the exhibition also dives into the expansion of the Tokyo-born artist’s photographic thinking, featuring his works in sculpture, large-scale installation, writing, and architectural design. Artwork highlights include the Brush Impression, Heart Sutra (2023), a magnificent curved wall with 288 gelatine silver calligraphy prints of Kanji characters, as well as U.A. Walker, New York (1978) and Tyrrhenian Sea, Scilla (1993), a series of black-and-white photographs of theatres and landscapes.

Once a trading port and now a commercial hub, the CBD isn’t just a workspace – it’s a district with plenty of forgotten stories, quiet characters and hidden memories. This is what Momentary Pulses: Art in the Central Business District, a commissioning series by The Everyday Museum and initiated by Singapore Art Museum, aims to uncover. Amid the city’s hustle and bustle are seven showcases by Singapore-based artists that have been seamlessly woven into public spaces along buildings and walkways. Each artwork has been designed to reflect, rather than distract, as it responds to the sights and sounds of the ever-evolving landscape. They invite us to look more closely at our everyday surroundings, pause, and let our imagination wander, offering a moment of calm and curiosity in a fast-paced environment.

In this larger-than-life artwork taking over the National Gallery’s Padang Atrium, contemporary Thai artist Navin Rawanchaikul captures the dynamic and passionate cultures and lives that make up the diverse Singaporean community. Following a year-long engagement with migrant workers, indigenous groups and faith organisations, the artist’s revelations and discoveries are translated into spectacular billboard paintings, video interviews and a travelogue that celebrates their vibrant stories and voices.

The showcase is supported by an enriching two-part programme that highlights the people who have inspired the installation. Join in on fireside chats with the artist to explore behind the scenes and the empowering migrant stories. Singaporama Unfolded Part I centres on Kaugnay, an organisation for Filipina domestic workers, and its fabulous Trashion Show, while Part II traces the history of migration in Singapore. The latter presents a performance of a traditional Indian folk dance by Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) Ambassadors, alongside a discussion on identity, community and collaboration.

Five women, over 50 artworks and one shared mission. This exhibition brings Southeast Asian artists Amanda Heng (Singapore), Dolorosa Sinaga (Indonesia), Imelda Cajipe-Endaya (Philippines), Nirmala Dutt (Malaysia) and Phaptawan Suwannakudt (Thailand) to display their work together in Singapore for the very first time. But more than just an art showcase, Fear No Power is a space to have a conversation about meaningful change and the artists’ decades-long commitment to it. Featuring photography, paintings, sculptures and performances that date all the way back to the 1960s, this multidisciplinary exhibition examines the concept of communal world-building across the region and what it means to forge a community. Every piece of work is an intimate and powerful reflection deeply rooted in care, collaboration and resistance.