Get into the holiday spirit this November 2017

Image adapted from: @anotherporridge

We’re a month from December, which means it’s almost time to put up the tinsel and Christmas stockings! Everyone everywhere is slowly moving into holiday mode, so here’s a slew of things to start pencilling into your calendars for when you clear all your remaining leave.

Events

1. Etsy Made Local 2017

Back for its 2nd edition, Etsy Made Local will bring skilled craftsmen from Australia and Southeast Asia on Etsy to a physical store at The Star Vista – for just 2 days. Think about all the pretty, handmade items you’ve browsed through online – you might be able to actually get them here – minus the shipping fees!

Image credit: @typewrite_sg

As Christmas is rounding the corner, it’ll be a good place and opportunity to secure some holiday shopping while you’re at it.

Date: 25 – 26 Nov (Sat & Sun)

Time: 12-7PM

Venue: Capitol Piazza, 13 Stamford Road, Singapore 178905

2. Stärker Music Carnival

When there’s going to be music and beer, you know fun times are ahead. Jam to local bands and artistes at the Stärker Music Carnival on 4 November, where The Façade, Disco Hue, Jasmine Sokko, Lingkai and Alfred Sim will be hitting the stage. There’ll also be a competition between 4 Starker Music Jams finalists to win a sponsored recording by Starker Music – and they might even get signed by Cross Ratio Entertainment, so don’t miss their performances!

The Façade. Image credit: Cross Ratio Entertainment

Music may feed your soul, but you still need actual grub to tamp down those hunger pangs. That’s where your stamp card you’ve gotten after paying the entrance fee comes in. You’ll get criss-cross cheese fries and a cup of Starker beer with the standard $25 ticket, and you can also redeem 2 beer games and 1 photobooth op.

For ticket info, go here.

Date: Sat, 4 Nov

Time: 3.30-10.30PM

Venue: Starker Signature @ Tanjong Pagar Centre

Tickets: Standard – $25, VIP – $158

3. Big Bad Wolf Music Festival

If you didn’t get enough of Halloween celebrations in October, here’s a jamfest to look out for at Siloso Beach. Get into the Jack-o’-lantern and flying witches atmosphere for the last time this year at the Big Bad Wolf Music Festival on 11 November. Bop along to international DJs’ beats and mixes and play Halloween-themed games too!

Image credit: Big Bad Wolf

Come out in full dress-up force with your squad against its medieval backdrop setting – it’ll feel like you’ve just landed right in a Michael Jackson Thriller MV set! Tickets start from $55.

Date: Sat, 11 Nov

Time: 8PM-4.30AM

Venue: Siloso Beach, Sentosa

For ticket and general event info, go here.

4. Whisky Live Singapore 2017

Image credit: @whiskylivesingapore

Set your tastebuds alight at Whisky Live Singapore 2017, the whisky and spirit tasting event of the year. From 25th-26th November, explore over 70 brands of whisky and spirits. It matters not if you’re a newbie to this world – there’ll be a series of masterclasses and exhibitions where you can learn more about different brands and pairings!

Image credit: @whiskylivesingapore

In addition to that, you can look forward to a whole pop-up street of food and cocktail booths will be set up at Robertson Quay from 2.30-9.30PM during these 2 days.

Date: 25 – 26 Nov (Sat & Sun)

Time: 1.30-8.30PM

Website

5. ISU-1 Endurance Race Singapore

Image credit: @kokuyo_sg

The ISU-1 Endurance Race is probably the cutest race you’ll ever see: instead of running, you roll on office chairs in a relay race to get to the finish line! This funny marathon originates from Japan, with the word ‘ISU’ coming from the Japanese word for chair.

Don’t miss this hilarious 30-metre race – form teams of 3, sign up, and get rolling!

Date: Sat, 4 Nov

Time: 11AM-7PM

Venue: Singapore F1 Pit Building

Price: Standard – $264 for a team of 3

Sign up here.

Note: There are student discounts of $30 per person, so check the right category when signing up!

6. Singapore Writers Festival 2017

Image credit: @miki_hatori

The Singapore Writers Festival will be back again from 3-12 November, and like always, they’ve got a truckload of programmes planned for bookworms. Some of your fav authors like Ken Liu and Jay Asher, the author of Thirteen Reasons Why, will be participating in seminars and talks as part of the festival.

If you’ve never attended this festival and want an idea on what to expect, let our article here serve as a prelude. There’ll be something for everyone here – from performances to even IG travel writing workshops – and you’ll be struggling to squeeze them all into your sched. Get the Festival Pass to gain entry to over 100 events, panel discussions, performances, workshops, and more!

Date: 3 – 12 Nov

Price: $25 for Festival Pass. Get them here.

Visit their website to get the full programme.

7. Downtown East’s Panic in the Park 2017 – part of the Singapore Halloween Festival 2017

If you didn’t get your full dose of Halloween frights, get your final scare at Downtown East’s Panic in the Park on 4 & 5 November, the first Halloween run to take place at a waterpark. Think of it as a cross between Running Man and The Walking Dead.

The end goal is to reach Wild Wild Wet with at least one ‘Soul Tag’ left on your person while ghouls and the like trying to steal your tags throughout the 5KM course – shudders.

Image adapted from: Singapore Halloween

There’s a whole lot of other scare-tastic events they have planned, so check out this article to get the lowdown.

Date: 4-5 Nov (Sat & Sun)

Time: 4-7PM

Venue: Downtown East

Book your tickets here.

8. Anime Festival Asia 2017

Image credit: @akira_takahiro

Calling all manga enthusiasts and otakus out there: the Anime Festival Asia will be back in Singapore from 24-26 November! This is the perfect place to hang out with fans of Japan’s culture and music, and of course, to grab merchandise of your fave comic books and tv shows. Booths aside, look forward to the concert acts on all 3 days, where popular anisong artistes May’n and fripSide will be performing.

Date: 24 – 26 Nov (Fri – Sun)

Time: 24-25 Nov: 9.30AM-8PM, 26 Nov: 9.30AM-7PM

Venue: Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre

Go here for more info.

9. French Film Festival

Film noir buffs – this one’s for you. Catch The French Film Festival from 9-19 November, where 16 award-winning and/or critically-acclaimed French films will be screened at Alliance Française, Shaw Theatres Lido, and The Projector.

Take this chance to dive into a lesser-known genre of movies during this period. Visit their website for movie venues and showtimes. For ticketing info, click here.

Date: 9 – 19 Nov

Venues: Alliance Française, Shaw Theatres Lido, and The Projector

10. Pop-up Night at Sentosa

While Orchard Road will already be merry and bright with their yearly Christmas light-up, Sentosa’s Pop-up Night is another way you can get a spectacular light show for the rest of the year!

Image credit: @mellykonggg

It’s going to be a lit fest – literally. Neon is the running theme this year, so there’ll be UV neon art installations, UV tattoos, light painting, interactive doodle walls, and neon volleyball!

Image credit: @laokayu

Image credit: @njrdesign_

Pop-up night is currently ongoing from now to 12 November at Siloso Beach from 7-11PM every night, but don’t be disappointed if you miss this first round, because they’ll be moving to Imbiah Lookout Area from 24 November all the way to 1 January 2018.

Date: Siloso Beach: 20 Oct – 12 Nov, Imbiah Lookout area: 24 Nov 2017 – 1 Jan 2018

Time: 7-11PM

Website

Note: Admission is free

Things to do

1. See Sungei Road Thieves’ Market come to life again at the Illegal Black Market

Image credit: @butterfly_musings

Few of us have probably been to the Sungei Road Thieves Market, the market famous for selling “stolen” wares. Well, Singapore Polytechnic is having an event – the Illegal Black Market – to bring back this timeless market for 3 days so that we can get a taste of what it was all about before they closed earlier this year.

Look forward to heaps of antique items at this event! There’ll be lots of food stalls spread out all around the area, and well-known vendors like Kombi Rocks will be there too, selling food and drinks while also showing off their collection of vintage vehicles.

Date: 2-4 Nov (Fri – Sun)

Time: 10AM-7PM

Venue: Singapore Polytechnic

2. Swap your books for new ones at Books & Beer #38

Buying books is potentially an expensive affair, especially if you’re the trigger-happy sort who gets a few at a time. If you have a few titles you wouldn’t mind giving up, join Books & Beer at Wild Market restaurant, where you can swap up to 10 books with others over a cold one. This way, you can get new reads without spending a cent.

Image credit: @booksandbeersg

Note: Beer isn’t FOC at this event.

Date: Sat, 4 Nov

Time: 3-6PM

Venue: Wild Market, #01-27/37, 100 Beach Road, Singapore 189702

3. Get fresh produce and pastries at the Cedele Marketplace 2017

Make grocery shopping more than just about grabbing your daily necessities – visit Cedele Marketplace, where you’ll be able to soak in a farmers’ market-like atmosphere with fresh produce galore.

Image credit: @cedelesingapore

The plaza will be bustling with activity, with tables bursting with fresh produce, dry goods, as well as Cedele’s renowned scrumptious pastries and breads. It’ll be a full-day affair from 9AM-6PM, so you’ll have plenty of time to browse and appreciate everything they’ll have out there before buying!

Date: Sun, 5 Nov

Time: 9AM-6PM

Venue: B1, Star Plaza, The Star Vista

Website

4. Explore new date ideas to achieve #couplegoals

You’ve seemingly combed every inch of date-worthy places that you and your partner run the risk of becoming like an old married couple – either hanging out at the same places all the time, or just staying in. While Netflix-and-chill is a cosy option, there are other fun and new couple activities you can do as a Singaporean couple.

Go for a romantic outdoor picnic-cum-glamping sesh at East Coast Park, visit a Vintage Camera Museum, or scale an augmented reality climbing wall – check this list out for more inspiration.

5. Check out wallet-friendly bars around your neighbourhood

While the party vibes are slowly but surely sinking in, holidays are still a couple of weeks away. Reward yourself for all the toiling and lift those work or study blues by paying a visit to these affordable bars hidden in the heartlands.

Asahi Black beer tower for $55! Image source: @andyeo93

You can get beer towers that go for $55 the whole day at Greenwich Village, and you can even have dinner there for under $10 before getting started on the drinking sesh will your pals, so jio as many friends as possible.

Go here to find out which ones are near or in your ‘hood!

6. Learn how to make Swedish treats at Fika’s A Fine Scandi Day

If you’re a fan of Swedish nosh, you’re in for a treat, because Fika Swedish Cafe & Bistro is planning an entire day of Scandinavian fare on 18th November. Aside from sampling treats like Semla buns, you’ll also be learning how to make them yourself!

Image credit: @fikacafesg

For just $13, you’ll be given a DIY kit comprising 2 buns and 2 raspberry cuts, and you can proceed to fashion your own Raspberry Semla bun – a brioche with marzipan and whipped cream. You’ll also get a cup of hot chocolate FOC. If you’re making it a family or squad affair, the group DIY kits cost $10 (for 4 people or more).

Let loose and have a fun afternoon of chilling and eating. Tag Fika when you post your handmade goodies and you could win a tea set!

Date: Sat, 18 Nov

Time: 2-5PM

Venue: Fika Swedish Cafe & Bistro, 257 Beach Road, Singapore 199539

Website

7. Sing along to your favourite musicals at Sing’theatre Academy’s Musical Theatre Open Mic Night

Channel your inner Glee Club soul at Sing’theatre Academy’s Musical Theatre Open Mic Night on 6 November. It’ll be a night of belting out Broadway Classics, so if you know the lyrics to most musicals, now’s the time to shine!

Blu Jaz Cafe. Image credit: @kc.diaries

Local musical theatre performers will be there too, so it’ll definitely be a fun-filled night with fellow musical-lovers. Held at the Blu Jaz Cafe, you can either buy your tickets at Peatix or at the front of house on the day itself.

Date: Wed, 6 Nov

Time: 8-11PM

Venue: Blu Jaz Cafe, 11 Bali Lane, Singapore 189848

Sing’theatre Academy’s website

Get your tickets here.

8. Attempt yoga while drinking beer at Funzing’s Beer Yoga & Citylights

Image credit: @selinsungur91

Many of us may have attempted yoga before, but what about doing yoga while drinking beer? You can try this unique combo of doing a literal balancing act with a bottle of beer while attempting yoga poses at Funzing Singapore’s Beer Yoga & Citylights.

It’s $29 for the session, including 1 free bottle of beer. If you’re not partial to alcohol, they’ll have a selection of non-alcoholic beverages on the ready.

Note: You have to bring your own yoga mat and towel.

Date: Fri, 3 Nov

Time: 8-9PM

Venue: Around Downtown/Raffles Place MRT (exact address will be given after booking tickets)

Book your tickets here.

9. Catch the spooktacular Addams Family Musical

Our favourite twisted cartoon has been transformed into a musical theatre piece – The Addams Family Musical.

Image credit: @jakefisher17

This time, the wacky Addams Family will be thrown a curveball when Wednesday Addams wants to introduce her everyday, boy-next-door kind of boyfriend to the family. Hilarious antics are bound to ensue, and here’s some more details of the musical to check out if you’re dying to find out more.

Date: 15 Nov – 3 Dec

Time: Tue – Fri: 8PM, Sat & Sun: 2.30PM & 8PM

Venue: MES Theatre at Mediacorp

Prices: $65, $95, $135, $165 (excluding booking fee)

Book your tickets here.

10. Go on the hunt for the best kaya toast twist

Taro toast! Image credit: @cknomnom

When you’ve run out of brunch ideas, embark on a mission to conquer all the traditional kopitiam breakfast hotspots in SG. These 10 places give their own spin on our favourite kaya toast + kopi combo – there’s one with taro, earl grey, and key lime spreads! Try something different – you might be amazed at just how many creative renditions there can be of kaya toast.

Things to do in November 2017

Shop, eat, and chill to your heart’s content this November as we start to rev up our engines for Christmas. Everyone looks forward to this time of year, and the great thing is, it’s just beginning! Take this month to ease into the holiday feels and reward yourself for a hard year’s work.