8 Music Festivals In Singapore You Can Expect Every Year

Do you like festivals? (Credit: Ultra Singapore Facebook page)

When I travel, it’s often for two reasons – food, and music festivals. There are a gazillion reasons why I’d justify the latter, but one of them is not because there is a scarcity of music festivals in Singapore. Sure, we don’t have anything of the same almighty scale as Awakenings or Coachella, but we do have a bunch of full-fledged events that are enchanting and ambitious in their own little way. From jazz jamborees to indie marathons, and even dance extravaganzas for both EDM and house junkies, here are some music festivals you can discover in Singapore.

Garden Beats

This festival isn’t a party pooper when it comes to bringing your own food at festivals. While other events frown upon this, Garden Beats encourages it as Singapore’s most prolific electronic picnic festival. Hosted by the party-throwing chieftains from Sunshine Nation, Garden Beats takes over Fort Canning Park for a revelry of eats and beats. Aside from a lineup of vocal house, deep house, indie and r&b acts, the foliage-surrounded sanctuary is also bustling with art installations, workshops and lawn games for the young-at-heart.

Garden Beats happens around March. For more information, visit its website.

SingJazz

Jazz junkies, this one’s up your alley. Affectionately known as SingJazz, the Singapore International Jazz Festival is a celebration of the revered genre in all its charm and idiosyncrasies. And with this, you’ve had adroit masters of the art come down for the festival, such as Incognito, Jamie Cullum, Corinne Bailey Rae, Lauryn Hill, and Esperanza Spalding. The festival has also ventured into other upbeat genres for their after-parties, inviting the likes of Rudimental and Basement Jaxx.

SingJazz happens around April. For more information, visit its website.

One of the world’s biggest festivals has a home in Singapore too (Credit: Ultra Singapore Facebook page)

Ultra Music Festival

Another milestone that cemented Singapore as a stopover for any dance music devotee, the Ultra Music Festival franchise set up shop in the Lion City in 2015. As one of the world’s most adored dance festivals, the Miami-born behemoth made its mark in Singapore right outside Marina Bay Sands, boasting commercial and underground lineups that’ve included Nicole Moudaber, deadmau5, Sasha, Alesso, John Digweed, Above & Beyond, ANNA and more. And naturally, with crowds that span tens of thousands, it’s an event of ultra proportions.

Ultra Music Festival happens around June. For more information, visit its website.

IGNITE! Music Festival

Much like Baybeats at The Esplanade, IGNITE! Music Festival has, over the years, turned into a household name amongst advocates of the local music scene. The difference? IGNITE! is a large-scale, formidable effort that’s run by the gung-ho students of Republic Polytechnic. But this doesn’t mean that the festival is a treat for just its student body; in fact, IGNITE! is a nation-wide phenomenon that’s open to all, garnering vast acclaim from the industry as a whole. An opportune showcase to catch the trendiest acts in the scene, IGNITE! has hosted everyone from the hardcore veterans of Caracal to synth-pop NKOTB, Disco Hue.

IGNITE! Music Festival happens around July. For more information, visit its website.

Baybeats

A veteran band summoning a circle pit and crowd-surfers; an enthralling singer-songwriter churning out folk lullabies in the concourse; an electronic duo having their own little mini-rave; or new kids on the block channelling their indie-rock heroes on stage. At Baybeats, you get a fusion of all these passions from the local music scene, and you’ll never know what you’ll discover next. Baybeats is a three-day annual spectacle at The Esplanade dedicated to alternative sounds around the region, and a bona fide cornerstone of Singapore’s music industry.

Baybeats happens around August. For more information, visit its website.

The entertainment is almost as loud as the race cars (Credit: F1 Singapore Facebook page)

Singapore Grand Prix

Drifting into Singapore in full gear for F1 season in September? When the world’s top Speed Racers come to town, the entertainment whizzes beyond the track action. The prominent Marina Bay area transforms into a mega festival filled with family-friendly activities, VIP parties, and a star-studded ensemble of live acts that rock out on multiple stages. Past legends have included Pet Shop Boys, The Killers, Queen + Adam Lambert, Duran Duran, Ariana Grande and many more.

The Singapore Grand Prix happens around September. For more information, visit its website.

Music Matters Live

The future of the live music industry is always changing, and Singapore is playing a part in its evolution with All That Matters, an annual conference that addresses issues in the music industry et al. Music Matters Live is the culmination of the influential happenings that grace this event, and for punters, this translates into a multi-day music festival at Clarke Quay. Popping up around different bars and stages in the vivacious habitat are international bands from countries as far as Scotland and South Africa, plugging everything from folk to blues. As a hefty majority of these bands are nascent newcomers or under-the-radar bubblers, Music Matters Live is a great opportunity to spot hidden talents from all around the world.

Music Matters Live happens around September. For more information, visit its website.

This isn’t your average voyage (Credit: All Is Amazing x Colossal Photos)

It’s The Ship

Ready your sea legs and prep your sailor’s cap, for this is yet another outrageous music festival for beat-craving swashbucklers. As its name implies, It’s The Ship is a multi-day party quest that takes place on a decked-out cruise liner; past festivals have taken place on prestigious Royal Caribbean and Genting vessels with casinos, pool, outdoor gyms and other swish facilities. Since embarking on its maiden voyage in 2014, the annual adventure has brought down international acts in EDM, trance, hip-hop and tech-house, orchestrating a diverse party experience for all shipmates. And did I also mention a buffet that’s open 24 hours?

It’s The Ship happens around November. For more information, visit its website.