Looking for cool festivals, crafty workshops, stage performances and family-friendly parties this long weekend? We’ve got a whopping list of 17 fun things to do!
Not only have we got all the Mid-Autumn fun to celebrate this weekend, but we’ve got an extra day off on Monday for the Hari Raya Haji festivities too! Even more reason to get out and have some serious fun with the kids. Look out for an awesome birthday party for one of our all-time favourite authors, a festival at a farm, a ton of workshops for kids to get crafty at, and even the chance to fine-tune your singing talents at a Chinese Opera workshop for kids and grown-ups!
1. Get into fabric printing with Fictive Fingers (we have a parent-child pass to give away!)
Lovely local textile designers and screen printing studio, Fictive Fingers, is throwing a printing party for parents and kids! Come along to one of the cool Textile Club workshops for parents and kids, for this hands-on and interactive program ideal for kids age four to 12. During the 1.5hour programme, children will to get to know a material that is part of their everyday lives, learn about artistic expression through printing and have a go at printing their own fabric! Want a chance to win a spot at the workshop of your choice? Head on over to the HoneyKids Facebook page to enter!
When: 9 – 11 September, various timings
Where: Fictive Fingers Studio, 317A Geylang Road, 389356
Cost: $89 per parent/child, and includes all materials and snacks
Registration: At www.docs.google.com
www.fictivefingers.com
2. Join Roald Dahl’s birthday tea party
It’s our favourite author’s 100th birthday, and Woods in the Books and Books Ahoy are throwing a tea party in his honour to celebrate the wonderful stories of Roald Dahl. Kids, age six and up, will love the heap of games, fun and activities in store, plus the chance to win some great prizes if they dress in a Dahl-inspired character costume. Now, who’s coming as Willy Wonka, The Twits or the BFG?
When: 12 September, 3pm
Where: Books Ahoy! 583 Orchard Rd, 02-03 Forum The Shopping Mall, Singapore 238884
Registration: Via goo.gl/forms/82XJCjc3tyzuzzs93
www.woodsinthebooks.sg
3. Sing along with Barney the Dinosaur
Expect audience participation and a whole lot of purple: Barney the Dinosaur is coming to Singapore! Join Barney and his old friends, Baby Bop, BJ and Riff, for a musical adventure to celebrate 25 years of our favourite singing dino! The all-singing, all-dancing performance will take audiences on an imaginative tour of musical castles and outer space (to a purple planet of course!).
When: 9 – 11 September, various timings
Where: The Theatre at Mediacorp, 1 Stars Avenue, Singapore 138507
Cost: From $48 per ticket
www.vizpro.sg
4. Make your own Mid-Autumn lanterns
Kids age four to nine years old can get their craft on over at the Esplanade by making their very own Mid-Autumn Festival lantern. All materials are provided in this fun, hands-on, 90-minute workshop, and kiddos will take home their fabulous creations at the end of the session.
When: 10 September, 10.30am and 3pm sessions
Where: Bay Room, Esplanade Theatres on the Bay (meet up at Concert Hall entrance 15 minutes prior to workshop)
Cost: $8 per child
www.esplanade.com
5. Make a fluffy jade rabbit
Free workshop alert! Head to the Concourse at the Esplanade for a fun session to make your own fluffy jade rabbit as part of the Mid-Autumn festivities. Recycled materials such as toilet paper rolls and colourful crepe paper will be provided: you just need to bring the kids and their imaginations!
When: 10 – 11 September, 2-6pm daily
Where: Concourse, Esplanade Theatres on the Bay
www.esplanade.com
6. Whip up some mooncakes at a parent-child workshop
We are all for letting the kids try their hand at cooking, so can’t wait for the Make Your Own Mooncake sessions over at the Esplanade! At this parent and child workshop you’ll learn all there is to know about making sweet, colourful snowskin mooncakes and you get to bring home your tasty creations to share with the family! Sessions run for two hours and are recommended for children age six to 12 years.
When: 11 September, 11am and 2.30pm sessions
Where: Rehearsal Studio, Esplanade Theatres on the Bay
Cost: From $30
www.esplanade.com
7. Head to Serangoon Country Club for a free kids’ party
Serangoon Country Club is hosting an ‘Under The Sea’ party for kids and we’re all invited! Little ones are going to love the bouncy castle, game stalls and underwater-themed puppet show . We should probably also mention the cool prizes on offer and the chance to take a personal tour of the club while you’re there too!
When: 10 September, 11.30am-2.30pm
Where: Kensington Ballroom, Serangoon Gardens Country Club, 22 Kensington Park Road Singapore 557271
Registration: www.sgcc.com.sg/jgparty
8. Watch Jack and the Beanstalk on stage
Catch Jack in this giant show for the whole family! This classic tale has given the LYNGO and Act 3 International treatment: expect audience participation and big smiles all round!
When: 6 – 18 September, various timings
Where: Drama Centre, Black Box Theatre, 100 Victoria St, #05-01 National Library Building, 188064
Cost: From $28 per person
www.act3international.com.sg/theatre-season-sept-2016-jack/
9. Sing it loud at the Discovering Chinese Opera workshop
Now here’s a workshop with a difference: discover the colourful traditional art of Chinese opera with your kids! These interactive sessions will have you and your child stepping into some cool acting roles, transforming your face with traditional makeup, checking out some funky props and, of course, trying a bit of operatic warbling! This is a parent and child experience, and kids should be between six to 10 years to join in the fun.
When: 10 September, 11am and 2.30pm sessions
Where: Theatre Studio, Esplanade Theatres on the Bay
Cost: $30 per parent-child duo
www.esplanade.com
10. Hang out at a farm for a Mid-Autumn festival
If your kids love a bouncy castle, free ice cream and candy floss, balloons, games and photo booths, and are rather partial to farm animals, then head on over to Farmart this weekend for a free Mid-Autumn Festival. Say hello to the frogs and pick up some fresh eggs while you are there too…
When: 10 September, 11am-4pm
Where: 67 Sungei Tengah Road, Singapore 699008
www.facebook.com
11. Create some Batik art at a Crafty Singapore Workshop
Kids age 11 and up who fancy learning Batik (a traditional method of decorating fabric using a wax-resist dyeing technique) will love this Crafty Singapore Workshop session run by Vabrika Arts. Expect hands-on fun as mini-artists paint their own fabric using tools such as tjanting, hot wax and colour dyes.
When: 10 September, 2.30-4.30pm
Where: Block B #03-19 Goodman Arts Centre, Goodman Road
Cost: $60 per person
www.craftysgworkshops.tictail.com
12. Light up your evening with a lantern walk
Grab all your friends and family and join a mass lantern walk under the full moon, amidst the beautiful displays in Chinatown. It’s set to be a spectacular night, with dragon and lion dance troupes, a percussion band and cheerleaders accompanying the walk.The lantern walk will conclude with stage performances and a seriously cool fireworks display!
When: 11 September, 7pm-10pm
Where: Starting Point – Kreta Ayer Square
www.chinatownfestivals.sg
13. Practise your mandarin with Alice in Wonderland!
After a sold-out tour across China, and for the first time in Singapore, Alice in Wonderland is coming to the stage over at Resorts World Theatre: in Mandarin! Join Alice on an enchanting musical adventure and experience cool 3D virtual performances in this fun production suitable for the whole family. Mandarin not up to par? There are English subtitles too!
When: 11-12 September, 2pm and 5pm daily
Where: Resorts World Theatre, Resorts World Sentosa
Cost: From $38 per person
www.rwsentosa.com
14. Join the light festival at Gardens by the Bay
Watch as Gardens by the Bay gets lit up by the glow of handcrafted lanterns and gorgeous displays of light and colour: this event gets better every year! Look out for performances by local artists in collaboration with the National Arts Council, cultural activities, craft booths and a food street serving up fabulous fare.
When: Now until 18 September
Where: Gardens by the Bay
www.gardensbythebay.com.sg
15. Light up your weekend with a performance of The Magic Lantern
Kids age five and up will love the traditional puppets that star in this lively musical Mandarin performance (with English subtitles). Based on a traditional Chinese folktale, The Magic Lantern, it follows Chen Xiang, a boy who has a Goddess for a mother and a human for a father, as he battles the forces of evil in this action-packed fun performance.
When: 10 – 11 September, 2pm and 6pm daily
Where: Theatre Studio, Esplanade Theatres on the Bay
Cost: $20 per person
www.esplanade.com
16. Catch a mouse at the Asian Civilisations Museum
Head over to the Asian Civilisations Museum for a last chance to help search for Mr Mouse in this interactive story adventure around the museum. Based on children’s book, The Missing Mouse by Melissa Viswani, young sleuths age seven to 12 years will be given a guidebook and clues to help on their adventure to find the vanished mouse. The trail will take the family through the museum’s artefacts and exhibits, and the aim of the game is to get young minds exploring on their own.
When: Now until 11 September, 10am – 5pm daily
Where: Asian Civilisations Museum, 1 Empress Place, Singapore 179555
www.acm.org.sg
17. Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival at the library
Hands-on craft, riddle-solving and games are the what we are talking about over at Tampines Library this weekend as part of the Mid-Autumn Festival fun. No registration needed: just pop in and enjoy!
When: 10 September, 10am-3pm
Where: Children’s Playhouse in Tampines Regional Library
www.nlb.gov.sg