PUBLISHED August 31st, 2014 10:00 pm | UPDATED May 9th, 2018 03:13 am
September arrives with a slew of super exciting festivals, and it’s our pleasure to take you through our recommended itinerary this week. Eat your way through gourmet Italian food, catch up on the local art scene, see an aesthetic-centric movie at Shaw Lido, drink enough coffee to keep you awake till the next weekend, and spend last month’s paycheck on some designer furniture – yep, sounds about right.
For the gourmands – Gusto Italiano
In this day and age where the term ‘Italian food’ can be applied to almost any eatery offering pasta and pizza, Gusto Italiano – Singapore’s Italian fine dining festival that showcases the country’s range of regional cuisine, produce, and culinary talents – is a worthwhile annual splurge. Besides indulgent dinners by international guest chefs, like Gennaro Esposito and Enrico Bartolini, our resident chefs (such as Chef Michele Pavanello from OTTO Ristorante and Chef Emanuele Faggi from Gaia) will be conducting Flavours of Italy culinary workshops at ToTT Cooking Studio this weekend. Some of the dinners are sold out already, so grab your tickets ASAP.
Gusto Italiano is happening 1 September – 1 October 2014. For more information and tickets, see website.
For the supporters of local art – Septfest
Singapore’s first independent, contemporary arts centre, The Substation, celebrates its birthday every September with Septfest. This year (their 24th) is a little special, as Septfest would be centred on raising funds to renovate The Substation Gallery. So check out its fundraising exhibition – works on display are donated by the respective artists for sale in two silent auctions held on 13 and 27 September. They’re holding their very first crowdfunding campaign as well; rewards include stickers by SKL0 and tote bags by MessyMsxi. We also can’t wait to see their building façade ‘yarnbombed’ with colourful knitted pieces for the occasion.
Septfest is running 1-27 September 2014. For more information, see website. See their crowdfunding page here.
For the documentary aficionados – A Design Film Festival
The film festival devoted to design and the design related is back, and we think the curators of this year’s edition have done an awesome job of picking which works to feature in the lineup. Expect the incandescent biopic of fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, as well as the portraiture of Japanese architect Tadao Ando and his world-famous buildings. Most of the tickets are sold out but there might be rush tickets (à la Broadway where you can join the standby line 30 minutes before showtime to snag the empty seats) available so head down there anyway!
A Design Film Festival is running 5 – 14 September 2014. For more information and tickets, see website.
For the coffee-and-café crazy – Café Fest
You know Singapore is really obsessed with cafes when there’s a festival dedicated to it. Gathering some of Singapore’s most popular caffeine-fueling spots like Jimmy Monkey, Maison Ikkoku, and Toby’s Estate, The Waterfront Promenade will probably look like a coffee junkie’s version of heaven this weekend. Not that into coffee? Tiong Bahru Bakery, Hatter Street, and I am… are a few of the vendors providing munchies, and local musicians like 53A and The Sessionists will be playing, so you’ll definitely walk away happy.
Café Fest is taking place at The Waterfront Promenade 6 September, 10am-8pm, and 7 September, 10am-7pm. For more information and tickets, see website.
For those who need some renov-aid – Dream Tent Sale
If your humble abode is up for some R&R (we mean revamp and renovation), there’s no better place to start than the Dream Tent Sale this weekend. On top of designer furniture and homewares, the event will also see local F&B vendors like The Traveling C.O.W, Island Creamery, Dong Po Colonial Café, and The Great Beer Experiment providing sustenance for shoppers. Brands from other retail sectors such as The General Company, Threadbare & Squirrel, and Fittonia Mania will also be popping up.
The Dream Tent Sale is happening 6-7 September, 11am-7pm, at Dream Interiors, 456 River Valley Road, Singapore 248342. For more information, see their Facebook page.
Written by Emily S