Singapore River Festival to Take Place 25 June to 3 July 2010

The Singapore River Festival, returns for the third year from 25 June to 3 July 2010, for nine nights of performances, great music and chic fashion shows.

Following the success of Singapore River Festival 2009, stakeholders from the quays – Boat Quay, Clarke Quay, Robertson Quay and Empress Place – have united to form the Singapore River Festival Working Committee to oversee this year’s festival.

“Over the past two years, the Singapore River Festival has helped drive traffic to the precinct and increase spending at the various outlets along the river. This has encouraged the stakeholders to take a greater interest in the festival by forming a working committee to drive and shape the festival. We hope that this marks the beginning of greater stakeholder co-operation to develop Singapore River into a must-visit destination for locals and visitors,” said Ms Ranita Sundramoorthy, Deputy Director of Arts & Entertainment at the Singapore Tourism Board.

Surveys carried out during the Festival last year showed more than 40% increase in business revenue and record footfall of close to 300,000 people over the nine nights.

The Singapore River has an important story to tell – what was once a busy trading port has now become a key 24-hour entertainment precinct offering intimate waterfront dining and entertainment experiences.

 Mr Edward Chia, Singapore River Festival Working Committee spokesperson said, “With most of the events being nonticketed and targeted at the general public, we hope to welcome more people to this year’s event.”

For the first time, the Singapore River Festival features a core event, ‘AIR’, that will anchor the festival. Other supporting events will take place along the river and at the various quays. Festival goers will be spoilt for choice with a breathtaking aerial and water spectacle, a bumboat parade, mobile live performances, an interactive art installation by the river, a wine and jazz festival and promotional deals.

Singapore River Festival 2010 - Event highlights

Over the River – Aerial and Water Spectacular: The core event for Singapore River Festival 2010, a breathtaking aerial and water spectacle, ‘AIR’, a locally directed and created production – will kick start this year’s festival on 25 June 2010.

Directed by Stan Lee, Executive Creative Director of Muse Inc. who is the appointed event organiser for Singapore River Festival, ‘AIR’ is an aerial aquatic production of surrealism and romance. Inspired by the concept of infinity of air and the elegance of water, it is a celebration of life. The show pays tribute to the river as a source of life.

 Blending aerial acrobatics, dazzling choreography, larger than life costumes and a whimsical character ensemble, the show takes the audience on a fantastical journey between dreams and reality.

‘AIR’ combines different performance arts disciplines, from theatre, dance to acrobatics in a unique aerial performance setting. Working with steel wire rigging, artists will perform on and above the river surface between Clarke Quay, Central and Read Bridge.

Cruising the River: The HiPPO River Show offers live music as it cruises down the picturesque river. Party-goers looking for a new pubbing experience can enjoy the HiPPO River Pub at this Singapore River Festival.

Bumboat Parade: A colourful parade on water that will bring back glowing nostalgic memories of childhood and growing up along Singapore River in the yesteryears. View the transformation of five traditional bumboats into whimsical larger-than-life play things from childhood memories. Catch the “Chinese Wooden Clog” Bumboat Float, “Giant Paper Boat” Bumboat Float, “Toy Sail Boat” Bumboat Float, “Newspaper Sampan” Bumboat Float and “Horse Racing Calendar” Bumboat Float during the Bumboat Parade which will sail past Clarke Quay, Boat Quay and Marina Bay.

On festival weekends there will be performances by local dance company Fireflys during the Bumboat Parade on the “Chinese Wooden Clog” Bumboat Float and the “Giant Paper Boat” Bumboat Float. With the Singapore River and its rich history as the main inspiration, the performances will be a celebration of the wealth of heritage and culture that the river holds.

 Fusing elements of dance, music and fire while floating on water, this will be the first time that Fireflys will be performing on boats at the Singapore River.

Visitors can also embark on a unique and an interactive bumboat journey and sail back in time with fascinating characters, a satay seller and a popular courtesan and songstress. ‘Sailing Past – Reliving the River’ Heritage Bumboat Cruise is conceived, written and directed by multi-talented Artistic Director, Jonathan Lim.

Central - exploring the magic and poetry of water: The first-ever performance, Fountain of Fantasy, original water spectacle created exclusively for SRF. The audiences will be presented with a choreographed dance and statuesque Pantomimes dressed as fountain sculptures. Watch them come to life and be prepared for a wet and wild fantasy ride at Central.

Robertson Quay: Wine enthusiasts will have the opportunity to meet with sommeliers from different wine houses, taste their best wines - Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Riesling - and more, while enjoying performances by some of the top jazz acts from the region.

Empress Place – KinestAsia: Empress Place presents a multi-genre Asian Music Festival featuring Asian talents from the rock, Indie and traditional music scene. Headliners include Labjacd (Australia), T- bone (Thailand) and Alarice (New Zealand).

Clarke Quay – La Dolce Vita: Inspire your inner fashionista by catching this season’s trendiest threads from local and international labels at Fashion Rocks Clarke Quay – Clarke Quay’s first ever fashion show at the Read Bridge.

Special Promotions: As part of the celebrations, festival-goers will be treated to special deals and promotions at the various outlets located along the river.

The Asian Civilisations Museum will also be offering free late night admission (5pm till 1am) to coincide with their blockbuster exhibition, Treasury of the World.

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