April and May Highlights from The National Heritage Board for Families

Take your pick from walking tours, art installations, workshops, and Easter egg hunt to bond over with your kids and family!

The National Heritage Board (NHB) manages our museums and heritage centres, and they have a host of family-friendly activities and programmes in-store at various venues.

Here's what you can look forward to at the different museums in April and May 2022.

Tamil Language Festival 2022

Image credits National Heritage Board

Date: 1 Apr - 1 May 2022

The Tamil Language Festival 2022 will take place in a virtual format from 1 April to 1 May 2022. Partners to the Tamil Language Council will present a range of exciting literary, oratorical and cultural events for the Tamil-speaking community, to encourage them to “Love Tamil, Speak Tamil”, to embrace their mother tongue and to use it in their daily lives. The launch of the Tamil Language Festival will be telecast LIVE at 9 pm on 2 April 2022, on Mediacorp Vasantham.

The full festival calendar is available here. 

Community Gallery Tours: Discover Kreta Ayer’s History and Heritage

Venue: Kreta Ayer Heritage Gallery
Date: 16 Apr 2022
Time: 2 pm – 3.30 pm & 2.30 pm – 4 pm (2 runs of the same tour)
Fee: $5 - Tickets

Kreta Ayer’s history is defined by an intriguing mix of immigrants, who came in search of better lives and opportunities in Singapore. Join this walk and take a look at the lives of our forebears – samsui women, opera singers, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and coolies alike!

This tour will be conducted in English.

Community Gallery Tours: Discover Geylang Serai’s History and Heritage

Venue: Geylang Serai Heritage Gallery
Date: 17 Apr 2022
Time: 2 pm – 3.30 pm & 2.30 pm – 4 pm (2 runs of the same tour)
Fee: $5 - Tickets

One of Singapore’s oldest Malay settlements, Geylang Serai got its name from the extensive cultivation of serai (lemongrass) in the district in the latter half of the 19th century. Learn about the history of the area and traditions of food and festivals celebrated here in this walking tour.

This tour will be conducted in English.

Singapore HeritageFest 2022

Venue: Various locations & online
Date: 2 – 29 May 2022

The Singapore HeritageFest celebrates its 19th edition this year. Come May, discover the lesser-known stories of Singapore’s vibrant travel history and rich natural heritage through a mix of on-site and online experiences.

Pack your bags and go on a journey to explore the evolution of travel to and within Singapore, while reflecting on Singapore’s role as a dynamic tourism hub; or dive deep into Singapore’s natural heritage, discover flora and fauna native to the region and discuss Singapore’s growth as a “Garden City”.

From exhibitions and guided tours to hands-on workshops and a variety of online offerings, NHB presents over 100 heritage programmes together with passionate members of the community and festival partners. 

More information will be updated on sgheritagefest.gov.sg soon. 

Programmes by Children’s Museum Singapore

Talk for Parents & Educators - Enhancing Children’s Learning Through Movement and Play

Image credits Children's Museum Singapore

Venue: Online (Microsoft Teams) and Onsite - The Salon, National Museum of Singapore
Date: 2 Apr 2022
Time: 10.30 am - 11.30 am 
Fee: $5 refundable deposit (register)

Find out how movement activities can enhance your child’s brain function and learning. Join Mabel Yong and Karen Low, Master Teachers from the Physical Education and Sports Teacher Academy (PESTA) as they share how you can develop fun, spontaneous and imaginative movement activities for your children.

Easter Egg Hunt 2022

Image credits Children's Museum Singapore

Venue: Fort Canning Park; Meeting Point @ Children’s Museum Singapore
Date: 16 & 23 Apr 2022
Time: 9 am - 10 am | 11 am - 12 pm
Fee: $16/child (inclusive of 1 accompanying adult per child) - Tickets

Hunt for hidden eggs at Fort Canning Park in this family activity for kids. Discover Fort Canning Park’s history and nature as you complete challenges along the way.

This programme is recommended for kids from 5 to 10 years old. 

Tickets are currently sold out, but do check back to see if new dates are added for the popular event. 

Draw My Stamp Story Art Competition 2022 (for primary school students)

Image credits Children's Museum Singapore

Create drawings with Singapore stamps to tell a story and appreciate the interesting designs on postage stamps. Send in your vibrant, bold, aesthetically pleasing, creative, humorous and thought-provoking artworks.

Registration closes on 20 May 2022. More information can be found here.

Programmes by the Indian Heritage Centre

Indian New Year Open House 2022

Image credits Indian Heritage Centre

Venue: Indian Heritage Centre, 5 Campbell Ln, Singapore 209924
Date: 9 & 10 Apr 2022
Time: 10 am - 5 pm

Celebrate the Indian New Year with a weekend open house of fun drop-in activities at the Indian Heritage Centre. Visit the museum to enjoy free admission to the galleries, explore a community display of different Indian musical instruments, and try out thematic craft activities and art workshops that showcase elements of our rich cultural heritage that are practised during these festivals.

Admission to the museum is free with some ticketed programmes. More information will be updated on indianheritage.gov.sg.

Programmes by the Malay Heritage Centre

Cerita (Stories) Special Exhibition

Image credits Malay Heritage Centre

Venue: Malay Heritage Centre, 85 Sultan Gate, Singapore 198501
Date: 29 Jan – 31 Jul 2022 (closed on Mondays)
Time: 10 am - 6 pm (last entry: 5.30 pm)

Over the years, the Malay Heritage Centre (MHC) has presented an array of exhibitions and programmes along the four thematic categories of Bahasa (Language), Adat (Culture & Customs), Nilai (Values) and Bangsa (People/Nation). At the heart of this approach was the desire to promote discussions on who are the Malays i.e Melayu, what is the ‘Malay language’, and survey Malay culture through cultural and heritage materials from the vast Nusantara or Malay Archipelago.

Envisioned more as a pit-stop on a journey that will continue after the planned museum revamp, this exhibition is a timely occasion for all of us to reflect on the past and imagine the future together. Cerita shines the spotlight on the shared stories as well as the role of the storyteller via a survey of selected artefacts and signature collaborations that MHC has presented over the past decade.

Guided by the two signposts of Kita (Us/ We) in Gallery 1, and Me-reka (Them/Crafting) in Gallery 2, Cerita (Stories) Special Exhibition hopes to indulge both returning and new visitors, to discover fresh insights and perspectives on Malay culture and heritage.

What’s Nenek’s Occupation?

Venue: Malay Heritage Centre
Date: 29 Jan - 31 Jul 2022 (closed on Mondays)
Time: 10 am - 6 pm (last entry: 5.30 pm)

Put on your detective hat because Agent Laila has a mission for you!

Uncover the occupation of Laila’s grandmother through this detective game where you would need to solve riddles and quests in the mission cards. The answers will be clues that will lead you to a location in the exhibition for the grand reveal.

Students and families can explore MHC’s latest exhibition, Cerita (Stories) through this self-exploratory hunt game and learn about various aspects of Malay culture, heritage and arts that.

This programme is available in English and Malay. Admission is free.

Tales from the Nusantara Storytelling Video Series

Image credits Malay Heritage Centre

Venue: Online
Fee: Free

Staying home during the school holidays can be a lot of fun with MHC's storytelling series showcasing folktales from the Nusantara (Malay world). Check out their YouTube Channel for pre-recorded storytelling videos that you can tune in at home or in school.

Activity sheets in both Malay and English are available for download for selected videos.

I am a Little Jewellery Designer

Image credits Malay Heritage Centre

Venue: Online
Fee: Free

Did you know that a diamond village called “Kampong Intan” used to exist in Singapore? It was bustling with diamond traders and jewellery designers.

Join Laila and Oreo in this interactive video game where you can harvest your own intan (diamond), polish it and set it in a beautiful piece of jewellery. Your creation will also be available for download as an image file to keep forever.

Additionally, you can redeem a specially designed sticker at the Malay Heritage Centre if you flash your creation (while stocks last). 

My First Wayang Kulit Show

Venue: Online
Fee: Free

Explore the wonders of wayang kulit together with Laila in this interactive online game. Get a chance to be a little dalang (puppeteer), put up your first Ramayana performance and get a chance to learn what goes on behind the screen in a wayang kulit show.

Cerita In-Gallery Conversations Series

Venue: Malay Heritage Centre
Date: 2 Apr 2022
Time: 2 pm - 4 pm
Fee: Free - $5 refundable ticket

Speaker: Rossman Ithnain

In-gallery conversations, in conjunction with the special exhibition Cerita, spotlights the historical and heritage experiences from lenders. This session, which only pioneered in 2019, is a specially curated discussion session where lenders will be seated in the gallery with an audience while sharing their perspectives on collection, heritage and history of their personal experiences.

Rainbow Connection

Venue: Malay Heritage Centre
Date: 22 Apr - 29 May 2022

The Rainbow Connection is a display of solar light modules suspended to form a shifting prismatic projection on the ground. Co-created by Lee Yun Qin and the MacPherson estate community, the art piece is a portrayal of the social fabric that holds individuals together. While every individual is different, every individual has a part to play and forms part of something bigger. As the modules gently rotate and sway in the wind, the sculpture seems to come alive with shifting shadows, projecting the imagination of the creator.

Selera Warisan: Nasi Engkong with Almatin Yatim

Venue: Online - MHC Facebook
Date: 29 Apr 2022
Time: 6 pm

Selera Warisan is MHC’s monthly cooking series that features different personalities and highlights their delicious cooking filled with tradition, heritage and memories.

This month, MHC features Mr Almatin Yatim and his father, as they prepare Nasi Engkong.

Hari Raya Open House 2022

Venue: Onsite & Online
Date: 27 - 29 May 2022
Time: Various timings
Fee: Free & ticketed

Revel in the festivities of Ramadan and Syawal at the Malay Heritage Centre’s annual Hari Raya Open House. This year’s celebrations will be taking place both onsite and online, serving you a wide plethora of programmes and activities to engage in.

Being the last edition before MHC presses the pause button for a centre revamp, visitors can expect an energetic big bang “last kopek” weekend with entertaining live performances, vibrant art installations, fun drop-in craft workshops, storytelling sessions fit for the family and many more.

Programmes by Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall

Relief Print Making Workshop (Children)

Image credits Ms Susanna Tan

Venue: Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
Date: 16 Apr 2022
Time: 10 am
Fee: $20/pair 

In this two-hour workshop, children can enjoy a hands-on experience in creating their own relief print of Nian Hua (new year prints) using styrofoam instead of the traditional wood block method. Participants will also learn about the tradition, elements and symbolism of Nian Hua, and a short introduction of the original relief woodblock printing will also be shared.

Through a quick discussion on the auspicious symbols which children may associate with the festive season, workshop participants will be guided in creating their own composition of a Nian Hua print with a styrofoam sheet, and water-soluble markers and pigments. A demonstration on creating the relief print will also be shown.

Public Talk - Why Look At Animals? Reading Tiger and the Animal World in East Asian New Year Picture

Venue: Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
Date: 16 Apr 2022
Time: 2 pm
Fee: Free for all Singaporeans and PRs

From Chinese prints featuring Taoist Celestial Master Zhang and his tiger, to the foolish tiger and the witty magpie in Korean hojakdo paintings, new year pictures of tigers and other animals are not only embedded with festive symbolisms, they also reflect people’s changing perceptions of, and relationships with, the animal world.

Through reading a selection of traditional and contemporary new year pictures, this talk will lead you into the colourful and imaginative worlds of multi-species coexistence as seen through this fascinating form of folk art

Wan Qing Dragon Boat Festival 2022 (Onsite + Digital programme)

Venue: Onsite & Online - SYSNMH Facebook 
Date: 16 May - 3 Jun 2022

The Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall will be offering a host of exciting activities to celebrate Chinese arts, culture, and heritage at Wan Qing Dragon Boat Festival 2022. 

Discover the story and traditions behind Dragon Boat Festival, one of the oldest cultural festivals in the world, and revel in the rich historical and cultural significance of the festival with a line-up of live performances, cultural workshops, heritage walking tours, storytelling sessions, and more during the weekend open house.

In addition, you can also look out for festival related digital content on the memorial hall’s website and Facebook page throughout the festive period.

More information will be available at sysnmh.org.sg closer to the event date.

不怪的“怪”兽 Meet My Unusual Family

Image credits Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall

Venue: Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
Date: 28 - 29 May 2022
Time: 4.30 pm - 6 pm
Fee: $20/pair - Tickets

不怪的“怪”兽 Meet My Unusual Family is a fun-filled, tactile, and interactive storytelling session about self-discovery and acceptance.

Guai Guai is a magical monster who is always teased by her family of magical monsters for not being monstrous enough. Tired of feeling bad for herself, Guai Guai needs your help to find her special monster power.

This storytelling session is recommended for children aged 4 to 8 years old and will be conducted in Mandarin.

Held in conjunction with the Nian Hua: Of Deities, Guardians and Auspicious Art special exhibition. This programme is brought to you by Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall and The Theatre Practice, as part of SYSNMH’s school holiday programming.

Nian Hua: Of Guardians, Deities and Auspicious Art Exhibition

Image credits Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall

Venue: Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
Date: 21 Jan - 25 Sep 2022 (closed on Mondays)
Time: 10 am - 5 pm (last entry: 4.30 pm)
Free: Free for all Singaporeans and PRs

A collaboration between Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall and Three Gorges Museum in Chongqing, Nian Hua: Of Guardians, Deities and Auspicious Art exhibition showcases new year prints from different provinces of China produced during the Qing dynasty and Republican period. Since the iconography of these prints was deeply rooted in popular beliefs and folk customs, a close examination of these prints provides insights into the rarely-documented attitudes and values of the common people in China in the past.

Festive Installation: Blessings Come A-Knocking 祈福临门

Image credits Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall

Venue: Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
Date: 11 Jan - 24 Jul 2022 (daily)
Time: 10 am - 5 pm
Fee: Free (no registration required)

Titled “Blessings Come A-Knocking”, this lawn installation is a collaboration between the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall and artist Ng Tik Ka (Tik Ka From East), a Hong Kong artist, illustrator and designer. It features two of the artist’s artworks “Eat Good West” and “Big War” and showcases his signature style of depicting familiar pop culture figures in the traditional style of new year prints.

This installation represents the memorial hall’s wish for protection against the trials and tribulations brought about by the pandemic for Singapore, and personal protection for Singaporeans against the COVID-19 virus. It also embodies their hope to enjoy more healthy and prosperous years, and gives thanks as Singapore continues to persevere on its path to live with COVID-19.