1.1 Singapore facts

Festivals

As a melting pot of many cultures, Singapore enjoys many colourful festivals. The Chinese celebrate Chinese NewYear, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid Autumn Festival with mouth-watering delicacies created just for those occasions. TheMuslims look forward to Hari Raya Puasa&Hari Raya Haji and the Hindus have Thaipusam and Deepavali. These festivals areoccasions for all Singaporeans to come together to share their culture and traditions - visitors are welcome to join us! To findout more about festivals in Singapore, please visit Singapore Infomap .

Arts

Singapore is a City for the Arts. We have a burgeoning arts scene and there are drama, music and danceperformances all year round at various locations, culminating in the Singapore Arts Festival in June. Catch some of our free roadshows and performances at the local gardens and parks.

The National Arts Council, the national agency spearheading the development of the arts in Singapore, managesKallang Theatre (1,744 seats), Victoria Theatre (904 seats) and the Drama Centre (326 seats). The other major arts venue is theEsplanade - Theatres on the Bay. Opened Oct 2002, the arts centre is managed by The Esplanade Co Ltd and comprises a 1,600-seatConcert Hall (with 200 additional seats in the Gallery), a 2,000-seat Theatre, a 250-seat Recital studio, a 220-seat TheatreStudio, a rehearsal studio, outdoor performing spaces and Esplanade mall.

There are currently 3 National Museums, namely the Singapore History Museum and the Singapore Art Museum and theAsian Civilisations Museum. The Singapore Philatelic Museum is a subsidiary museum. Other museums maintained by various private andpara-governmental agencies include: Fort Siloso and Images of Singapore in Sentosa, The Battle Box at Fort Canning, Lee KongChian Art Museum and Ng Eng Teng Art gallery at the National University of Singapore, Changi Chapel&Museum, Fuk Tai Chi Museum at Telok Ayer Street, Sports museum, Sun Yat Sen Nanyangmemorial Hall, Civil Defence Heritage Gallery, and Chinese Heritage Centre.

To find out more about Singapore arts performances and activities, please visit Singapore Arts Festival .

Food paradise

Singapore is indeed a gourmet’s paradise, offering a cosmopolitan range of cuisines ranging fromMongolian to South African and Japanese to a host of European choices. Of course, you should not miss Singapore’s famedlocal specialities, Chilli Crab and Hainanese Chicken Rice. You should also try Laksa (rice noodles in coconut curry gravy withshrimp, egg and chicken as garnishing) and Nasi Padang (rice with various spicy dishes). For casual dining, eat at a kopitiam, whichis a traditional type of coffee shop serving a large variety of local food. For breakfast, order some Kaya (sweet coconut egg jam)on charcoal-toasted bread and enjoy with a cup of local coffee. Another great combination is roti prata (Indian pancake) and tehtarik (“pulled” tea). Find out more about these interesting culinary delights from Unique Singapore .

Shopping paradise

Besides being a food paradise, Singapore is also a shopper’s paradise. Have fun buying everything fromarts and crafts, antiques, gold-plated orchids, electronic goods, computer software to the hottest fashion! Check out the shoppinglist from Planet Gypsy .

Places of interest

There are many places of interest including Chinatown, Little India, Jurong Bird Park (with the world's largestSoutheast Asian bird collection), the Night Safari, the Singapore Zoological Gardens and the Singapore Science Centre. Sentosa Islandis a resort island, which is accessible by bus, cable car or ferry. It has a lot of attractions including Underwater World (Asia'slargest tropical oceanarium), and Volcano Land. For more information, please visit OTAH .

Time

GMT/UTC+8

Electricity

220-240V, 50 Hz

Country code

+65

Mobile phone network

GSM 900, GSM 1800

Weights&Measures

Metric with local variations