Little SIFA Returns with Magical Sailboats, Music & Puppetry at Empress Lawn

Hi Huneybees,

The Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) 2025 is in full swing and the magic isn't just for grown-ups. Families, get ready to explore Little SIFA, the festival’s dedicated kids' programme, back for its second year at Empress Lawn, right beside the Victoria Theatre and Asian Civilisations Museum.

This year’s edition invites children (and the young at heart) to play, imagine, and discover through music, theatre, and immersive art, all free to attend!

---

Step Into History: The House Between the Winds
(Interactive Soundscape & Drama Performance by Yang Jie)

Your Little SIFA adventure starts with a showstopper: a magnificent 6-metre-tall sailboat parked right on the lawn. This isn’t just for show, it’s part of Singaporean artist Yang Jie’s interactive installation that responds with lights and sound as you explore it.

The sailboat is more than a structure, it’s a symbol of Singapore’s transformation from a bustling trading port to a modern-day home. Kids (and adults!) can step into this magical world and experience a story that unfolds through sound, movement, and light.

Bonus fun: On weekends, stay for the theatrical journey of a seafarer seeking a mythical tree that is a visual, dialogue-free performance perfect for little ones who love storytelling without words.

Installation: Daily, 19 May – 1 June 2025, 10am – 9pm
Performances: Fridays to Sundays, 23–25 May & 30 May–1 June 2025, 5pm – 9pm

---

Photo Credits: Singapore International Festival of Arts

Groove to The Purple Symphony

Don’t miss The Purple Symphony, Singapore’s largest inclusive orchestra, made up of musicians of all abilities playing both Western and Asian instruments. At Little SIFA, they’ll perform fun, familiar tunes that are perfect for little ears and curious minds. Expect toe-tapping rhythms, heartwarming energy, and music that bridges all walks of life.

Performance Times:
23–25 May 2025, 7pm – 7.30pm

---

Photo Credits: The Finger Players

Meet the Animals: Animal Farm (Kid-Friendly Puppet Edition)
(By The Finger Players)

The classic George Orwell tale gets a child-friendly twist! This 30-minute version of Animal Farm features life-sized puppets and storytelling that introduces young audiences to the story in a gentle, imaginative way.

The best part? Kids can interact with the puppets after the show. A great way to spark curiosity about theatre and puppetry.

Show Dates:
30 May – 1 June 2025, 7pm – 7.30pm

---

Bring the Whole Family Down to Empress Lawn

All of Little SIFA’s programmes take place at Empress Lawn, a beautiful, open-air space perfect for a relaxed artsy outing with kids. Whether you're wandering through the sailboat installation, enjoying a twilight puppet show, or grooving to inclusive music, it’s a fun and meaningful way to introduce little ones to the arts. Other than the performances mentioned above, there's also side workshops for all to join in and DIY your own crafts.

Admission is free for all activities, so pack a picnic mat, gather your mini-explorers, and make a magical evening of it!

Full programme and details: sifa.sg/sifa-2025/little-sifa.

Do follow me on my social media for more daily updates...
 Facebook | X | Instagram | TikTok

Read More

Celebrate Thaipusam Virtually With வேல் வேல் Vel Vel A Sonic Walk

Hi Huneybees,

Thaipusam is happening on Thursday, 28 January 2021 and we've always seen the roadblocks and the celebrations as we walk by or drive by, want to join in the celebrations and go "behind the scenes"? The Arts House will be presenting a virtual edition of the festival’s pilgrimage route through a web app - "வேல் வேல் Vel Vel A Sonic Walk" and through this interactive audio-visual-text experience, you will be able to discover the cultural significance of this festival. 

 

The thanksgiving festival is celebrated by the Tamil community to honour Lord Murugan, the Hindu god of war. Believers express their appreciation by participating in the processions and seeking blessings from the deity.

The pilgrimage route on the web app will cover the historic neighbourhoods of Little India, Selegie, and Fort Canning. Presented through a combination of audio recordings of the music, sounds of the locations, along with archival images of Thaipusam over the past five decades, audiences will be able to learn more about the intersection of the rituals with historical locations and significant buildings in Singapore.

“Throughout human history, art has provided for our needs, which at times include solace, ritual, and togetherness. With Thaipusam being substantially scaled-down this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, The Arts House felt it was important to create opportunities for the community to come together nonetheless and perhaps reconnect with the festival in different ways.” --- Rupert Thomson, Head of Artistic Programmes, AHL Venues. 

In response to both the Thaipusam experience and locations along the pilgrimage route, the young theatre collective, Brown Voices have created five short monologues on the rituals conducted in the locations. Through these monologues, visitors will get a glimpse of how kavadi (sacrifice at every step), milk pots, turmeric, sandalwood feature against the backdrop of the Thaipusam processions. The writers who will be featured are Karthik Somasundaram, Rebekah Sangeetha Dorai, Mumtaz Maricar, Lewin Bernard and Hashisha Nazir, responding to Perumal Temple, Selegie Point, Dhoby Ghaut, Overhead Bridge at Fort Canning and Thandayuthapani Temple at Tank Road. They also provide the voiceovers for the recordings, directed by Grace Kalaiselvi.

“This digital experience of walking the Thaipusam route will allow listeners to connect with the quieter, more introspective aspects of a pilgrimage, while also staying connected to the sense of community which makes the procession such an integral part of the festival. They will also be able to understand how integral Thaipusam is to Singapore’s identity through monologues written by writers from the Brown Voices Collective that situate the experience of the festival in the personal, and in iconic spaces of central Singapore.” --- Shridar Mani, Programmer, The Arts House. 
 

Event Details

Vel Vel: A Sonic Walk

Link: https://www.theartshouse.sg/whats-on-details/online/vel-vel-a-sonic-walk

Venue: The Arts House

Duration: 28 January 2021 – 18 January 2022

Fee: Free

Feel free to log onto the website and explore the pilgrimage route to learn more about the historical significance of Thaipusam. Have a nice weekend, my Huneybees!

Do follow me on my social media for more daily updates...
 Facebook page | Twitter | Instagram

Read More