Singapore International Festival of Arts
Singapore International Festival of Arts is an annual arts festival held in Singapore. It is organised by for the National Arts Council. The festival is usually held in mid-year for a stretch of one month and incorporates theatre arts, dance, music and visual arts, etc. Besides local participants, many of the events are by international artists.
It began as Singapore Arts Festival, organised by the National Arts Council, in 1977, and was a biennial event until 1999. Since 2012 it has been called Singapore International Festival of Arts, run by Arts Festival Limited, and commissioned by the National Arts Council.
The Festival Director is currently Chong Tze Chien.
History
The Singapore Arts Festival started in 1977 as a national arts festival to celebrate local arts from the diverse communities in Singapore. It was a biennial event until 1999 when the Festival of Asian Performing Arts and the Festival of Arts were merged as an annual event.In 2012, an independent company, Arts Festival Limited, was set up by the National Arts Council to take over the organising of the festival and it was renamed Singapore International Festival of Arts. It is commissioned by the National Arts Council.
Festival Directors
- 1982, 1984: Anthony Steele
- 1986, 1988: Robert Liew
- 1990: Tisa Ho
- 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999: Liew Chin Choy
- 2000–2009: Goh Ching Lee
- 2010–2012: Low Kee Hong
- 2014–2017: Ong Keng Sen
- 2018–2021: Gaurav Kripalani
- 2022–2025: Natalie Hennedige
- 2026–2028: Chong Tze Chien
Local Commissions
In addition to international acts, Singaporean productions in previous Arts Festivals include ECNAD's Missing In Tall Pillars, Mark Chan's Little Toys, Opiume and Dreaming of Kuanyin Meeting Madonna.Editions
2008
The Singapore Arts Festival focused on water in 2008, with both the opening and closing shows being performed on water.The opening show of 2008, Water Fools, was performed by the French group Ilotopie. It was held from 23 to 25 May at Boat Quay. The entire performance was performed in the Singapore River. The closing show, Hydro Sapiens, was performed by The Lunatics from the Netherlands. It was held in Bedok Reservoir from 20 to 22 June.