The best things to do in Singapore this season

Singapore in March typically brings dry, hot weather, as the monsoon season draws to a close. We’ve rounded up fascinating exhibitions, longstanding festivals and new attractions to visit in the months ahead, whether you’re looking to bask in the Singaporean sunshine or seeking an air-conditioned reprieve in one of the city’s best galleries.

Looking for somewhere to stay in the city? Check out our guide to the best hotels in Singapore, too.

The best new exhibitions

New Releases Old Friends at STPI

When: 22 March – 4 May 2025
Location: STPI Creative Workshop and Gallery, 41 Robertson Quay, Singapore 238236
Price: Free

STPI is a cutting-edge art space specialising in print and paper. A new show brings together international artists including Angela Bulloch, Richard Deacon, Janice Kerbel, Tobias Rehberger and Pae White for the first time. Works on display were developed in close collaboration with STPI’s Creative Workshop during their respective residencies, where the workshop team partnered closely with the artists to push the boundaries of printmaking and papermaking. One standout result is 53rd Venice Biennale’s Golden Lion awardee Rehberger’s “stained” tablecloth series, which made use of 3D modelling to produce 2D cross-section images that disrupt our initial perception of mundane objects and their functions.

Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses at ArtScience Museum

When: Until 10 August 2025
Location: ArtScience Museum, 6 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018974
Price: From 22 SGD (16 USD)

A landmark retrospective of Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen has been unveiled at the ArtScience Museum. Renowned for fusing traditional haute couture techniques with digital technologies, van Herpen’s exhibition will present more than 90 of her best works, some of which incorporate 3D printing and laser cutting processes. The show will also give visitors a glimpse into her atelier – rare samples, artworks and paraphernalia from van Herpen’s research and development archive reveal her masterful creative process. The exhibition venue is right by Marina Bay Sands, which means a wide selection of restaurants and bars are just steps away. Top picks include Mott 32 Singapore and Spago.

City of Others: Asian Artists in Paris at National Gallery Singapore

When: 2 April–17 August 2025
Location: National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew’s Road, Singapore 178957
Price: From 20 SGD (15 USD)

Paris’s famous French painters are well-known, but its Asian artists less so. National Gallery Singapore’s new blockbuster show shines a light on the Asian artists living in Paris between the 1920s and 1940s, who played a significant role in shaping the global art scene. Works by Foujita Tsuguharu, Georgette Chen and Lê Phô are on display and provide a re-reading of Paris’s art history from an Asian perspective. Should you have more time to spare, Singaporean artist Lim Tze Peng’s solo show is worth a stop too. The self-taught painter, who passed in February of this year, is well-loved for his Chinese ink scenes of kampungs (traditional villages) and shophouses during a time where Singapore was rapidly changing.

Seeing Forest

Opening dates: 15 January–18 May 2025
Location: Level 3, Gallery 3, Singapore Art Museum at Tanjong Pagar Distripark
Price: TBC

Didn’t manage to visit the Venice Biennale in 2024? Here’s your chance to experience a slice of it when the Singapore Pavilion’s exhibition Seeing Forest returns for its homecoming show. Over the last seven years, Singaporean artist Robert Zhao has been delving deep into Singapore’s secondary forests (once-developed land that has since been reclaimed by nature), which don’t enjoy governmental protections (unlike primary forests) and are often cleared for development projects. The animals Zhao encounters are the protagonists in these multimedia works, evincing the blurred boundaries between regulated cities and wild forests. His presentation is an invitation for coexistence, urging us that these secondary forests are no less ‘wild’.

Batik Nonyas: Three Generations of Art and Entrepreneurship

When: Until 31 Aug 2025
Where: Peranakan Museum, 39 Armenian Street, Singapore 179941
Price: 8–12 SGD

This fascinating exhibition follows the story of three Peranakan women from Indonesia who produced intricate batiks (patterned textiles using a wax-resist dyeing technique) in Pekalongan, a famed batik centre on Java’s northern coast. The Peranakans were a cross-cultural ethnic group whose origins began when male Chinese settlers married local women from the Malay Archipelago from as early as the 15th century. Approximately 200 batik textiles and objects, made between the 1890s to 1980s, will be showcased in this multigenerational show, whose motifs and designs illustrate the political, cultural and economic vicissitudes of their time. Nyonya Oeij Kok Sing, for example, was still blazing her path when batik mass production had begun to proliferate, developing her own palette by introducing new motifs and unusual combinations, such as pairing flora with geometrics. Apart from elaborate and vivid textiles, Batik Nonyas will also feature hands-on batik dyeing workshops, performances and tours.

New restaurants, bars and coffee shops

Rasa

Location: 9 Raffles Place, #02-01 Republic Plaza, Singapore 048619
Price: Various

Singapore’s central business district, Raffles Place, has loosened its collar with Rasa, a new community space for arts, music and culture for Southeast Asian talent. Founder Kavan Spruyt – who has launched numerous clubs in Singapore and founded techno record label Midnight Shift – opened Rasa after returning from a stint in Berlin. Studio Karhard – also behind Berghain in Berlin and K41 in Kyiv – has designed the interiors, with two unique spaces, including a restaurant lounge and cocktail bar.

Bon Broth

Location: Raffles City, 252 North Bridge Road, #03-01, Singapore 179103
Price: Two menus priced at 110 SGD (83 USD) and 138 SGD (103 USD)

André Chiang, chef-owner of two-Michelin-starred restaurant RAW in Taipei and culinary director of the Eastern Oriental Express, has opened his latest dining concept: Bon Broth. Conveniently located in Raffles City Shopping Centre, it places a unique spin on a hotpot (or steamboat), where the broth has been perfected to the point that no additional condiments are needed. Bon Broth offers eight specialty broths, each inspired by Chiang’s different journeys across the globe. There’s something for everyone, from the spicy Laksa (coconut curry) variant to the mushroom-forward Herbal blend. The restaurant’s interiors are equally sumptuous, with cosy booth seats in a textured space, rounding out a memorable experience.

Magpie

Location: 57 Eng Hoon Street, #01-88, Singapore 160057
Price: Dishes start from 9 SGD (7 USD)

Set in an Art Deco housing complex in Tiong Bahru, Magpie’s dishes may defy categorisation but are always full of flavour. New Zealander chef-partner Tim Eliot has drawn novel ideas from the many places he has visited, and mashed them into what he calls
“borderless soul food”. The lamb T-Bone steak, for example, is served with yoghurt, burnt aubergine and Urfa chilli butter – a result of Eliot’s time in both London and Turkey. The interiors have been designed by Singapore studio Drawn and draw on Eliot’s Polynesian
roots and love of reggae, with plenty of statement art. You won’t miss the striking 2.5-metre hanging sculpture that resembles a giant necklace, created by New Zealander artist Chris Charteris.

2050 Coffee Singapore

Location: 267 Beach Road, #01-01, Singapore 199545
Price: Coffees starting from SGD 4

2050 Coffee is the latest venture from Yozo Otsuki, who is also the founder of Japanese roaster Kurasu. Its name refers to what the coffee industry refers to as the ‘2050 problem’, which predicts that half of the arable land for growing Arabica coffee will no longer be suitable in 25 years’ time, leading to a global scarcity. The futuristic self-service coffee shop, which launched in Kyoto, offers house blends and matcha lattes on tap. 2020 Coffee works directly with farms that practise regenerative methods, and shine a light on lesser-known producers around the world. Check out more of Singapore’s best coffee shops here.

Seasonal things to do in Singapore

Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA)

When: 16 May–1 June 2025
Location: Various
Price: Various

Now in its 48th edition, this performing arts festival is held in celebration of the nation’s 60th Anniversary. This year goes big on Singapore talent by showcasing 15 commissioned works spanning theatre, dance and music, including reimaginings of Animal Farm and LEAR. This is a great platform to get acquainted with the local arts scene. Don’t miss the Singapore Ballet, traditional Malay ensemble Nadi Singapura and multidisciplinary artist weish. If you’ve got little ones in tow, be sure to check out Little SIFA, which sets up camp at Empress Lawn.

Rainforest Wild Asia

Location: 20 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore 729825
Price: From SGD 31

Mandai Wildlife Reserve, home to Singapore Zoo, has opened its fifth wildlife park, Rainforest Wild Asia. Billed as “Asia’s first adventure-based zoological park”, visitors can explore a Southeast Asian rainforest through open-concept habitats and look out for Malayan tigers, Javan langurs and lesser mouse-deer. Pay a little extra to embark on a three-hour-long guided adventure tour, including free-falling from a 20-metre platform and crawling through a 60-metre-long cave tunnel. If you’re visiting from April onwards, consider staying overnight at the new Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree – there are, after all, four more parks to discover.

Pulau Ubin

Location: Board from Changi Point Ferry Terminal, 51 Lorong Bekukong, Singapore 499172
Price: Free, bumboat ride costs 4 SGD (3 USD) for a single trip

Now that Singapore’s monsoon season has passed, it’s the perfect time to head out for an outdoor adventure, and there’s no better place than offshore island, Pulau Ubin. A 15-minute bumboat ride will whisk you to this rustic sanctuary, where one of Singapore’s last remaining kampongs (traditional villages) still remain. There’s lots to explore here, from abandoned quarries to wildlife haven Chek Jawa Wetlands. My favourite way of exploring this isle is actually on a kayak, which will take you through the mystic mangrove forests. Wind around the tranquil waters in the morning and then refuel with fresh seafood dishes at a no-frills eatery.

Jurong Lake Gardens

Location: Yuan Ching Road

Been to Gardens by the Bay and Singapore Botanic Gardens? Try this lesser-known green space – Singapore’s only national garden situated outside of the city centre. This 90-hectare plot may be located on the western side of Singapore, but it’s worth the journey, especially following the recent reopening of the Japanese and Chinese Gardens after a five-year makeover. Apart from restoring iconic sites like the waterfront Twin Pagoda, there are numerous new attractions including the Water Lily Garden – home to Singapore’s largest collection of these hydrophytes – and the Sunken Garden, which features a cenote-inspired centrepiece. If you’re looking to take a little breather from the city’s thrum, the Jurong Lake Gardens offers an enjoyable respite.