Running from 15 to 30 May, SIFA 2026 will transform Singapore into an open-air playground with performances, installations, workshops and late-night celebrations.
The Singapore International Festival of Arts is set to return this May with a vibrant new edition that promises to bring performance, creativity and community into the heart of the city. Running from 15 to 30 May, SIFA 2026 will once again place the spotlight on Singapore’s dynamic arts scene while welcoming an exciting roster of international talent.
For two weeks, stages, parks, riversides and city streets across Singapore will be reimagined as immersive cultural spaces. Designed to invite audiences of all ages to engage more freely with the arts, this year’s festival embraces a playful spirit, turning everyday public spaces into places for discovery, conversation and performance.
The 2026 programme is built around five key pillars. Festival Stage will present large-scale productions featuring both homegrown and international artists, while Festival Village will take over Empress Lawn and Anderson Bridge with free interactive installations and outdoor performances inspired by the energy of the Noughties. Festival Play!Ground will offer hands-on collaborative projects, creative experiments and participatory activities, while Festival House will host talks, workshops and immersive experiences. Festival Late Nites will keep the momentum going after dark with a series of parties and evening events.
Among the standout productions is Just Keep Swimming, a lively music-and-movement experience that encourages audiences to join in the choreography. Rupture offers a striking dawn sound installation inspired by volcanoes and mythology, while Makan Culture blends theatre, storytelling and Singaporean flavours into a multisensory performance. Another major highlight is Noli Timere, a spectacular aerial work staged at Nexus in Punggol, created through a five-year collaboration and performed on a vast suspended net.
Alongside Singaporean talent, SIFA 2026 will also welcome artists and companies from France, South Korea, Peru, Sweden, Brazil and Japan. The line-up spans transcultural dance, experimental theatre and contemporary interpretations of established classics, including Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman.
This year also marks the beginning of Festival Director Chong Tze Chien’s three-year curatorial vision titled Legacy. The theme will explore the artists, performances and stories that have shaped Singapore’s creative identity. It will be followed by Roots in 2027, focusing on cultural reconnection and cross-generational dialogue, and Renaissance in 2028, celebrating emerging artists who reinterpret tradition through a contemporary lens.
Early bird tickets are on sale now, and selected programmes are eligible under the SG Culture Pass. For those looking to experience Singapore through a more imaginative lens, SIFA 2026 looks set to be one of the city’s cultural highlights of the year.
GO: Visit https://sifa.sg for more information.