Every May, Singapore’s arts scene comes alive in the most unexpected ways. But in 2026, the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) is inviting everyone to experience it with a refreshing new mindset: Let’s Play!
Running from 15 to 30 May 2026, this year’s festival transforms stages, city spaces and even riverside mornings into playgrounds of creativity. Imagine starting the day with soundscapes drifting along the river, then ending the night watching aerial performers suspended high above the ground at Punggol. Across the island, SIFA 2026 encourages audiences to explore, experiment and rediscover the joy of gathering through the arts.
Organised by Arts House Limited and commissioned by the National Arts Council, the festival celebrates nearly five decades of artistic excellence while stepping confidently into a bold new chapter.
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| Chong Tze Chien, Festival Director of the Singapore International Festival of Arts. (Image Credit: Arts House Group) |
A Festival That Looks Back and Moves Forward
This year marks SIFA’s 49th edition, and with it comes the beginning of an ambitious three-year vision curated by Festival Director Chong Tze Chien. Rather than a single theme, the festival unfolds as a narrative trilogy that explores Singapore’s performing arts landscape across time.
The journey begins in 2026 with “Legacy”, a reflection on artistic heritage and the foundations that shaped contemporary practice. It asks powerful questions about cultural memory, lineage and what we choose to carry forward.
In 2027, SIFA celebrates its 50th anniversary with “Roots”, revisiting the pioneers and movements that helped shape Singapore’s arts community while sparking conversations between generations of artists.
The trilogy culminates in 2028 with “Renaissance”, where the festival turns toward experimentation, hybrid art forms and the emergence of bold new creative voices.
Festival Director Chong Tze Chien describes the vision as an evolving dialogue between artists and audiences - one that invites people to step into the conversation, discover new perspectives and experience the energy of the arts in ways that feel both personal and collective.
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| SIFA 2026 Festival Map. (Image Credit: Arts House Group) |
A Festival Designed for Every Kind of Audience
One of the most exciting aspects of SIFA is how the festival is structured to allow visitors to engage with the arts in different ways. 5 programme pillars form the backbone of the festival experience, each offering its own unique atmosphere.
Festival Stage showcases major productions from Singapore and around the world, presenting large-scale performances that anchor the festival programme.
At the heart of the celebrations is the Festival Village, a lively hub of installations, outdoor performances and communal encounters. Returning this year with a nostalgic festive spirit reminiscent of early SIFA editions, the Village brings audiences together through art, food and spontaneous discovery.
Families and curious first-timers will find plenty to explore at Festival Play!Ground, where participatory works, parades and interactive experiences make the arts accessible to all ages.
Meanwhile, Festival House offers workshops, performances and discussions designed to deepen appreciation for the creative process.
And for those who thrive after dark, Festival Late Nites delivers experimental programming where film, music, performance and technology collide in surprising ways.
Together, these pillars create a festival that stretches across indoor theatres, public parks and urban spaces, turning the entire city into a living stage.
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| We Live Here. (Image Credit: Arts House Group) |
The Return of the Festival Village
One of the most anticipated highlights of SIFA 2026 is the return of the Festival Village, which will take over Empress Lawn and stretch towards Anderson Bridge. Designed as a vibrant open-access space, the Village becomes the heart of the festival which is a place where visitors can gather, wander and encounter art in unexpected ways.
Inspired by the festive atmosphere of the 1990s and early 2000s editions of SIFA, the Village blends indoor and outdoor experiences, late-night performances and interactive installations that continue well into the early hours.
Inspired by the lively spirit of SIFA in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Festival Village blends indoor and outdoor experiences, late-night performances and interactive installations that stretch well into the night.
Visitors may encounter “Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming” by The Theatre Practice, a communal music and movement experience centred on intergenerational storytelling, or RUPTURE by The Observatory, a haunting dawn sound installation inspired by seismic research and mythology.
Another intriguing highlight is We Live Here (Korea), an interactive movement experience that reveals the hidden choreography within everyday life. Created by artists trained in Biomechanics and Laban Movement Analysis, the work explores how simple gestures evolve into shared rhythms between people. Guided by visual prompts, audiences are invited to step in, move, and experiment together — no dance training required — transforming ordinary actions into expressive encounters at the heart of the Festival Village.
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| Makan Culture. (Image Credit: Arts House Group) |
Even Singapore’s beloved food culture becomes part of the artistic experience through Makan Culture at the Festival Market, where puppetry, theatre and music celebrate the nation’s culinary identity.
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| AUTOMATA_ Excess Without Return. (Image Credit: Arts House Group) |
For night owls, the AUTOMATA series curated by Singapore collective Hothouse pushes creative boundaries with late-night encounters between filmmakers, musicians, movement artists and machinists exploring the idea of ritual and repetition through sound, film and performance.
Connecting Artists Across Asia
SIFA 2026 also introduces Diversity Futures: A Transnational Creative Think Tank, a three-year initiative that connects emerging artists from Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong.
Through residencies, creative labs and collaborative projects, the initiative seeks to explore how artistic practice can become more inclusive and sustainable within the Asian cultural landscape. By bringing together diverse voices from different artistic ecosystems, the programme aims to spark new forms of collaboration and experimentation.
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| Noli Timere. (Image Credit: Arts House Group) |
Bringing the Festival into the Heartlands
While the Festival Village anchors the experience in the city centre, SIFA continues its mission to bring the arts into everyday spaces across Singapore. Following the positive response to last year’s community activations, Festival Play!Ground expands to Nexus at Punggol Digital District, inviting residents to experience large-scale artistic works right in the heart of their neighbourhood.
After debuting at the Festival Village, the performance travels to Punggol, transforming public space into a shared moment of wonder.
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| SALESMAN之死. (Image Credit: Arts House Group) |
From Singapore to the World
SIFA 2026 continues to bring together artists from across the globe while celebrating Singapore’s own creative voices.
Among the highlights is “Lush Life” (Singapore), an intimate documentary-style musical collaboration between jazz vocalist Jacintha Abisheganaden and Singapore pop icon Dick Lee, directed by internationally renowned theatre director Ong Keng Sen.
Another standout production is Salesman之死 (Singapore), a multilingual play written by Jeremy Tiang and directed by Danny Yeo. The work revisits Arthur Miller’s historic 1983 staging of Death of a Salesman in Beijing — a landmark moment that later influenced Singapore theatre pioneer Kuo Pao Kun.
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| LACRIMA. (Image Credit: Arts House Group) |
The programme also features a compelling lineup of international productions that bring diverse perspectives and artistic styles to the festival.
Among them is LACRIMA (France), an epic theatrical work by acclaimed French director and filmmaker Caroline Guiela Nguyen. Set against the backdrop of a fictional Parisian haute couture commission for a royal wedding, the production travels across workshops, families and continents, revealing the hidden human stories behind luxury craftsmanship. Through a blend of professional and non-professional performers, the piece reflects on labour, secrecy and the emotional weight carried by those whose hands create objects of beauty and desire.
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| Hedda Gabler. (Image Credit: Arts House Group) |
From South Korea comes Hedda Gabler, a contemporary interpretation of Henrik Ibsen’s classic drama. Starring legendary actress Lee Hye-young, one of the most prominent figures in Korean theatre and film since the 1980s, this striking production delves into themes of desire, frustration and societal expectations with sharp emotional precision.
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| Hamlet. (Image Credit: Arts House Group) |
Hamlet (Peru) offers a deeply moving reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy. Performed by actors with Down syndrome, the production intertwines the original text with the performers’ personal stories, creating a powerful reflection on identity, belonging and existence. At its core lies Hamlet’s enduring question — to be or not to be — reexamined through voices that are too often excluded from the stage.
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| Tempo. (Image Credit: Arts House Group) |
Another intriguing work is Tempo (Sweden/Brazil), which explores the fluid nature of time through an imaginative blend of text, movement and theatrical illusion. As gravity, speed and perception shift on stage, everyday moments transform into extraordinary experiences that challenge how audiences perceive the passage of time.
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| Planet [wanderer]. (Image Credit: Yoshikazu Inoue) |
Rounding out the international highlights is Planet [wanderer] (France/Japan), a visually arresting collaboration between choreographer Damien Jalet and scenographer Kohei Nawa. In this production, eight dancers interact with striking sculptural elements and textured scenography, creating a poetic exploration of the deep, visceral connection between the human body and the natural world.
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| Last Rites. (Image Credit: Arts House Group) |
Equally thought-provoking is Last Rites, a new cross-cultural theatrical experience that brings together five renowned performance artists from across Asia. Rather than portraying death directly, the production reflects on legacy through the voices of these artists — whose average age is 74 — as they revisit the journeys that shaped their artistic lives.
Through personal stories and reflections, the performance explores themes of perseverance, heritage and the meaning of artistic devotion. Directed by Liu Xiaoyi and presented by Emergency Stairs, Last Rites becomes a powerful meditation on what remains after the curtain falls — and whether an artist’s spirit can live on through the act of performance itself.
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| Strangely Familiar《熟悉的陌生》. (Image Credit: Arts House Group) |
Singapore artists also feature prominently, including Yang Derong’s immersive installation YOU ARE (NOT) WHAT YOU EAT! (Singapore), which reflects on Singapore’s food culture and plastic consumption, as well as Strangely Familiar by T.H.E Dance Company (Singapore), a transcultural dance production exploring how digital identities shape modern life.
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| The Lighthouse by Patch Theatre (Australia). (Image Credit: Matt Byrne) |
Little SIFA: A Magical Playground of Light for Young Explorers
For families visiting the festival, Little SIFA returns with an enchanting experience designed especially for younger audiences. This year’s highlight is The Lighthouse (Australia), an immersive promenade performance that invites children and their grown-ups to explore the fascinating world of light within the historic spaces of The Arts House.
Part installation, part scientific adventure and part playful rave, The Lighthouse transforms the venue into a house of wonder filled with glowing discoveries. As visitors wander through a series of interconnected rooms, they’ll encounter both intimate light-filled moments and spectacular visual displays, each designed to reveal a different property of light.
Every space offers hands-on experiences that encourage children to experiment, observe and interact, turning curiosity into discovery. Rather than confining the experience to a traditional theatre stage, the production places families directly at the heart of the journey, transforming the entire building into an interactive playground of illumination.
Blending science with artistic imagination, The Lighthouse becomes a conversation between art, technology and the universe itself. Through clever uses of light, sound, reflection and perspective, the experience sparks curiosity and invites visitors of all ages to see the world around them in an entirely new glow.
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| Discover the Nets with Noli Timere. (Image Credit: Arts House Group) |
When the City Becomes a Stage
With performances stretching from theatres to public parks and neighbourhood spaces, SIFA 2026 transforms Singapore into a living canvas for creativity. The festival offers a rare opportunity for audiences to experience world-class performances alongside homegrown talent, while also discovering art in unexpected places across the city.
For visitors and locals alike, it’s a reminder that art doesn’t only belong inside theatres; sometimes it appears on bridges, in parks, or even suspended high above the ground. And this year, SIFA is inviting everyone to join the game.
Because sometimes, the best way to understand the arts… is simply to play!
Singapore International Festival of Arts 2026
📅 15 – 30 May 2026
🎫 Tickets and programme details are available at sifa.sg, with early bird tickets already on sale with an offering of 20% savings.
Selected programmes are also eligible for Singapore’s SG Culture Pass.
