Expanded Light to Night Festival returns to Civic District

SINGAPORE: Fans of the arts can look forward to an expanded Light to Night Festival as it makes its return later this month, the National Gallery Singapore announced on Thursday (Jan 4). 

Themed “Colour Sensations”, the second edition of the festival will feature indoor and outdoor interactive art installations, a food and craft market space, and performances throughout the Civic District area. The festival will run from Jan 19 to 28, during which St Andrew’s Road will be closed from 4pm on Fridays until 1am on Saturdays.

“The Civic District is home to major cultural institutions in Singapore and prides itself as an arts and cultural hub right in the heart of the city. Light to Night Festival aims to extend this experience beyond the walls of these timeless monuments and into the public spaces for a multi-generational audience to gather and enjoy the art around them,” said festival director Suenne Megan Tan, who is also director of Audience Development and Engagement for the gallery.

Various events will be held at institutions like the Arts House, Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, Asian Civilisations Museum and The Esplanade, which will be extending their opening hours until midnight on Friday and Saturday.

Visitors can participate in some of the works. For instance, A Stitch in Time by Filipino artist David Medalla – a piece inspired by his chance reunion with a handkerchief that he had given to his former lover years ago – encourages visitors to stitch words or objects onto a canvas as a display of interconnectedness and accidental discoveries. 

There will also be an installation of large illuminated city streetscapes on the facade of the National Gallery for the first time.

Other events taking place elsewhere include Art Skins on Monuments – coloured light projections by 30 artists, illustrators and multimedia designers – as well as music performances, poetry recitations and talks by artists.