The fourth edition of this privately-run community festival offers unique and immersive educational tours and experiences aimed at spotlighting the unseen heritage in our everyday activities.

My Community Festival 2023 kicks off from 4 to 20 August 2023 with a slate of living heritage events and tours aimed at engaging a new audience of residents and tourists. Organised by non-profit organisation My Community, and supported by the Singapore Tourism Board, this year’s My Community Festival carries the theme ‘Love My Neighbour’.

This year’s festival reprises popular immersive tours showcasing Singapore’s living community heritage, such as old-school market vendors and the stories beyond the wares they trade in. There will be a bumper crop of over 100 events spread across eight programme series, with activities ranging from a duration of 1.5 to 11.5 hours, making it the biggest My Community Festival yet. Every activity is interactive and intimate, and festival-goers can get up close and personal with hawkers, shopkeepers, fishmongers and ordinary residents.

A new addition to this year’s festival is a day tour to our closest neighbour, Malaysia, where festival-goers will be able to learn about the farms that supply 42% of Singapore’s imported vegetables in this edition’s new MY-SG programme.

“We might be neighbours by chance, but we should also be friends by choice. That is what makes a community come alive, and part of a living heritage. At My Community, we believe that all heritage is intangible, and any tangible asset – such as buildings and places – are only meaningful if we attach our interactions, stories, and memories to them,” said Kwek Li Yong, Festival Director of My Community Festival.

My Pulau Hantu with Richard Kuah

“Back for the fourth year running, My Community Festival offers an exciting line up of appealing and innovative experiences that celebrate Singapore’s heritage. We are excited for locals and visitors to rediscover familiar places and uncover hidden gems, and hope that the opportunity to participate and immerse in the festival activities will foster a deeper understanding of the rich tapestry of living heritage by communities who call Singapore home,” said Lim Shoo Ling, Director, Arts & Cultural Precincts, Singapore Tourism Board.

Information on festival activities

My Lepak Corner features unique niches around Singapore, including the sleepy Changi Boatel, still a haven for the small community of fishermen around Singapore’s eastern coast.

Festival-goers can join residents in decorating common shared spaces around their homes in the Decorate My Hood programme – ensuring that void decks are never void. In the What’s For My Dinner programme, they will also sample an exchange of cuisines between neighbours with diverse dishes originating from the culinary traditions of Esarn Thai to Bengaluru, and Italian to Hakka.

Additionally, in what has become one of My Community Festival’s favourite programmes, Hello! My Chinatown is a series of interactive, conversational events where festival-goers would be able to acquaint themselves with some of the interesting vendors in Chinatown Complex, such as pyjamas sellers, jade dealers and effigy collectors.

My Prayers and Practices

There are more than ten major religions in Singapore, and festival-goers will get to discover more about the lesser known ones which have had a longer history in Singapore than most people would have imagined. Join the practitioners of the Jain and Baha’i faiths as they explain their beliefs, or understand why the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas in January.

After Hours @ My Community

Our city that never sleeps – at least for the people who work in vegetable wholesale markets, fishery ports, or simply a heritage enthusiast who is an expert on the over 100,000 tombs in Bukit Brown Cemetery. This year’s event is also significant in that it is likely to be the last tour of Senoko Fishery Port as it has been slated for permanent closure.

A key highlight for the festival this year is Chinatown Complex, a heritage stronghold that goes beyond its wares. Weaving the stories of decades-long friendships and the finesse of skilled craftsmen, retrace the daily routes and routines of these friendly shop owners with close to 50 different activities around the complex to choose from.

• My Chinatown Complex Tours: From fruit juice sellers to cheongsam makers, join some of these stallholders and shopkeepers as they give you a tour of Chinatown Complex, a building that is more than mere function, packed with stories and conversations.
• Let’s Talk About My Chinatown Complex: Domain experts such as artists, photographers, food bloggers, architects and historians will be here to share on the things that give Chinatown meaning.
• Performances @ My Chinatown Complex: Chinatown Complex is a hub of artistic activity, and this programme has events ranging from Chinese Opera to calligraphy and seal-carving, for an enriching hour of performances.

Tickets are available for purchase from 18 July 2023.

Singapore’s National Day 2023

Singapore’s 58th Birthday is just around the corner. Check out our list of Fun Things To Do This National Day 2023 in Singapore.

It’s the weekend and are you looking for things / activities to do? Check out our weekly roundup of Things To Do This Weekend In Singapore.

For other upcoming events, visit Events in Singapore.

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