7 ways to fill up on arts and culture in Singapore’s historic districts. 

#1 Wall murals in Kampong Glam

Set aside a few hours if you want to hit all the wall murals in Kampong Glam – there’s one in almost every street including Haji Lane, Bali Lane, Sultan Gate, Aliwal Street, Baghdad Street, Muscat Street, Jalan Klapa and Jalan Kledek. One of the most photographed murals is a depiction of Aztecs on the exterior of Piedra Negra cafe. This is the work of Didier Haba Mathieu, a Colombian-born graffiti writer and street artist who also painted much of the art along Haji Lane. Self-taught local artist Yip Yew Chong has contributed seven wall murals to Kampong Glam. These include one on 92 Arab Street, 29 Sultan Gate, 58 Arab Street, 78 Arab Street as well as the corner of 123A Arab Street and North Bridge Road.htt https://visitkamponggelam.com.sg/attraction/wall-murals/
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#2 Explore Little India

The streets and grocery stores here are always bustling. Soak in the colorful offerings through Indian food, fashion, gold jewelry and Hindu temples. Pay a visit to one of the most colorful and the oldest temples in Singapore. The Sri Veeramakaliamman temple was first constructed in 1855 and had undergone extensive renovation in 2014. The temple was built as a shrine initially and dedicated to the goddess Kali and serves as an important place of worship and rituals for Hindus living in Singapore.

#3 Visit Buddhist Temples

Temples are rich in art and architecture and there are many in Kallang. Including a 15m high statue of a seated Buddha covered in gold leaf at the Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple as well as other rare relics at Thekchen Choling Singapore. Don’t miss one of Singapore’s most famous Buddhist temples, the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. Located a 25-minute bus ride away in Chinatown, the temple is named after what’s regarded as the left canine tooth of Buddha that’s displayed in the temple. Other Buddhist artefacts include Buddha bone and tongue relics. The temple also has a dining hall that serves delicious vegetarian food where payment is by donation of any amount.

#4 Art and architecture walk

Discover the different architectural styles, museums, galleries and street art in Bras Basah-Bugis, Arab Street-Kampong Glam and Little India through various routes. The Bugis-Bras Basah walk covers architecture projects steeped in heritage on Victoria Street, Queen Street, Middle Road and Waterloo Street such as the National Design Centre (previously a convent school), Bugis Junction, and School of the Arts, among others. The Arab Street-Kampong Glam tour goes back to the street art the area is known for and how this contributes to the architecture of buildings here. Skip the usual spots in Little India and instead discover its non-Indian heritage through a historic Chinese bungalow-style residence, heritage conservation design of a previous school, post-war church as well as a mosque that’s a gazetted national monument. https://www.archiwalks.com/ https://www.archiwalks.com/

#5 Goodman Arts Centre

Right off Mountbatten road, the building formerly housed the Laselle College of the Arts and is now a hub for arts communities in modern arts, dance, literature, opera and fine arts, among others. Every day, artists gather to practice, hold classes, oversee exhibitions and perform. There are also workshops to learn artistic pursuits from crafting leather jewellery to dance, design tinkering, movement and more.

#6 Visit the Singapore Chinese Opera Museum

Chinese opera used to be widely popular in the streets of Singapore but has slowly died out over the past 30 years. The museum traces the development of Chinese opera in Singapore since the first Southern Chinese arrived on the island and spans over a hundred years. You’ll get an in-depth look at the various Chinese operas of Cantonese, Teochew, Hokkien, Qiong and Yue.

#7 Listen to live jazz music

An institution for live jazz music not to be missed is Blu Jaz Cafe in Kampong Glam. For over a decade, it’s been hosting live jazz bands and jam sessions accompanied with hearty bites, beverages and warm, friendly service. Over at the Whiskey Library and Jazz Club, the vibe is more luxurious during their Jazz & Whiskey Nights. Choose your tipple from over 1,000 rare and unique whiskeys from major whiskey producing countries as live tunes fill the room. Reservations are required for the latter.

#8 Admire contemporary art in museums

Singapore has a vibrant contemporary art scene and two places that bring vibrancy to this scene are the ArtScience Museum and the National Gallery Singapore. The ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands fuses arts and science in the touring exhibitions that it hosts. Some of the renowned names it has collaborated with include American Museum of Natural History, Science Gallery of Dublin, the Smithsonian Institute, DreamWorks Animation and furniture designer Herman Miller. The National Gallery Singapore showcases the world’s largest public collection of modern Singapore and Southeast Asian art. Its building itself is a piece of art – it comprises the former Supreme Court and City Hall buildings, outfitted with modern luxuries and even a rooftop cocktail bar that serves art-inspired cocktails. The National Gallery Singapore is one of the most visited art museums in the world – it