SIFA 2026 invites audiences to explore performances, installations and community arts across Singapore
The Singapore International Festival of Arts 2026 will take place from 15 to 30 May 2026, transforming performance venues and public spaces across Singapore into platforms for artistic engagement. Organised by the Arts House Group and commissioned by the National Arts Council Singapore, the festival will feature a diverse programme of performances, installations, and community activities under the theme “Let’s Play!”.
Image Courtesy of Arts House Group.
The festival marks 49 years of artistic programming and introduces a three-year curatorial direction led by Festival Director Chong Tze Chien. The initiative outlines a trilogy of themes, Legacy (2026), Roots (2027), and Renaissance (2028)—designed to explore the evolution of Singapore’s performing arts landscape while encouraging dialogue between past traditions and future creative practices.
SIFA 2026 will be structured around five programming pillars: Festival Stage, Festival Village, Festival Play!Ground, Festival House, and Festival Late Nites. These platforms aim to provide audiences with multiple ways to engage with the arts through large-scale productions, community activities, immersive performances, and late-night experimental programming.
Hedda Gabler.
Image Courtesy of Arts House Group.
A key highlight of the festival is the return of the Festival Village at Empress Lawn extending to Anderson Bridge, which will serve as a public hub for performances, installations, and interactive experiences. The programme will include works such as Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming by The Theatre Practice, the sound installation RUPTURE by The Observatory, and an interactive food-themed performance space titled Makan Culture.
Image Courtesy of Arts House Group.
The festival will also introduce “Diversity Futures,” a transnational creative think tank connecting emerging artists from the National Theater Company of Korea and the Hong Kong Arts Festival with artists in Singapore. The initiative will include residencies, collaborative labs, and creative exchanges aimed at strengthening regional artistic networks.
Community outreach remains a key focus of the programme. The Festival Play!Ground activation will take place at Nexus Punggol Digital District, featuring large-scale public works including the aerial performance Noli Timere, created by artists Rebecca Lazier and Janet Echelman, with performers suspended up to 25 feet above ground as part of a collaborative installation.
The festival will also feature international and Singaporean productions including Lush Life directed by Ong Keng Sen, Salesman之死 written by Jeremy Tiang, and global works such as LACRIMA by Caroline Guiela Nguyen, alongside contemporary reinterpretations of Hedda Gabler and Hamlet.
According to organisers, the festival aims to expand access to the arts while encouraging audiences to engage with artistic works across multiple venues and formats. Early bird tickets offering a 20 percent discount will be available from 12 March 2026 through the festival’s official platform.
The programme reflects Singapore’s continued efforts to strengthen its cultural ecosystem and promote artistic collaboration, positioning the festival as a platform for both local and international creative exchange.
