By The Way - Catch It Now! The Singapore River Festival Ends 3 July.

Have you heard of the Singapore River Festival? Into its 3rd year, I have, I confess, never been to see it. But this time, I am determined to check it out, ‘cos it sounds like loads of fun.

Running from now until 3 July only – so catch it NOW! – the festival takes place along the four ‘quays’, Boat Quay, Clarke Quay, Robertson Quay and Empress Place, with lots of activities like performances, parties, pubs, parades, etc. Here are some that caught my eye:

The ‘Singapore River Childhood Memories’ is a watery parade of bumboat floats decked out as childhood icons. If you have kids, bring them along and see the “Chinese Wooden Clog” Bumboat Float, “Giant Paper Boat”, “Toy Sail Boat”, “Newspaper Sampan” and “Horse Racing Calendar” Bumboat Floats. Cute, huh? On the coming weekend, there’ll also be a dance performance on the Wooden Clog and Giant paper boat floats! The parade takes place every night 8-9 pm, with dance performances on the weekend only. According to our sources, thes best spots to catch the parade are at: CENTRAL promenade, between Boat Quay and United Overseas Bank promenade, between Merlion Park and One Fullerton, Marina Bay Sands (except on 3 July), Asian Civilisations Museum and Clarke Quay.  

I really want to catch this: ‘Sailing Past – Reliving the River’ Heritage Bumboat Cruise. It sounds like an interactive performance on a bumboat ride. Boarding from the Liang Court Jetty, you take the Singapore River Cruise and sail back in time. Onboard the bumboat, it is June 1930, and your guides are characters like Awang, a satay seller (played by Mohamad Faizal Bin Abdullah ) and a popular courtesan and songstress, Yu Hua (played by Elizabeth Loh). With a script written by Jonathan Lim, this promises “immersive moments seen through the characters’ eyes”. Sounds like loads of fun! I didn't see any details on their website http://www.rivercruise.com.sg/ (as mentioned in the festival's official collateral) so perhaps you can call them at tel: 6336 6111 for details.  (Tix: Adults $22; Child $12; about 45 minutes; 6pm, 7pm and 9pm)

Nothing to do on Saturday night? Check out KinestAsia at Empress Place. Starting from 7pm, it’s a hodge-podge of activities: ‘live’ bands at The Asian Civilisations Museum playing modern music with traditional instruments; a grown up’s sing-along session at Timbre@ The Arts House featuring Asian indie bands doing pop and rock; and for the less energetic, the ACM itself is opened until 1am, with free admission from 5pm onwards. Catch the Treasury of the World exhibition and let your kids enjoy henna painting and free ice cream!

There's lots of other activities going on, so its best to log onto www.yoursingapore.com for the full programme details. And since all this ends on Sunday 3 July, better catch it now before it sails away!

-  Ee Waun