Singapore Heritage Society

19/06/2026

"This panel discussion brings together a diverse group of collectors - David Wee (Singapore memorabilia), Jian Yang (Barbie dolls), John Koh (Historical books, photographs and ephemera) - who focus on everyday or overlooked objects, and considers how collecting can reframe the mundane as something culturally or personally significant. In this conversation moderated by Talking Objects curator, Ong Puay Khim, collectors reflect on their own interests: how objects are selected, preserved and shared, and how meaning and value emerges through these processes. Rather than treating collecting as accumulation or investment, the discussion approaches it as a way of telling stories - what is kept, how it is remembered, and why it matters.

This programme is held in conjunction with the exhibition, Talking Objects."

Talking Objects: In Conversation with Collectors of the EverydaySaturday, 27 June 20263.00... powered by Peatix : More than a ticket.

19/06/2026

"When martial artist and lion dance master Raymond Foo, the head of 光武国术团 (Guang Wu Guoshu Tuan or Guang Wu Club), was about 15 years old, he chanced upon a cape with tiger markings in the club’s storeroom. He had come across the Hainan lion in photos and trained in martial arts and lion dance since he was 12, but no one could tell him what this striped cape was. His quest for answers brought him to Hainan Island and set him on a path to reviving and preserving an art form lost to Singapore."

The unexpected find of a cape with tiger markings in the storeroom of the Guang Wu Club led a martial artist and lion dance master to revive a lost art form in Singapore.

19/06/2026

"In Chinatown, a blue signboard hangs just outside the store of an Indian tailor, saying “Velkommen Til Singapore Og Til ABBA’s Dept. Store”.

“When we were by the ships in Arial Plaza, we had many Scandinavian sailors walking by, so I thought this sign would draw them in,” said Mr Parkash Naraindas Budhrani, 69, the owner of ABBA’s Department Store, a 47-year-old tailor shop named after the Swedish music group.

“When I’m working here, I don’t need to travel; I meet people from all over,” he added."

In Chinatown, a blue signboard hangs just outside the store of an Indian tailor, saying “Velkommen Til Singapore Og Til ABBA’s Dept. Store”.

18/06/2026

SHS is a community partner for the TF-NUS Heritage Champions Programme, and we're pleased to share this event organised by one of the student groups.

Curious about the lesser-known sides of Singapore's maritime landscape, or how it looks through the eyes of a historian and a seafarer? Join the students at Stranger Conversations on Saturday, 27 June, for a talk titled "Charting the Singapore Maritime Story: Then, Now, Next."

Dr Donna Brunero, a history professor, will share insights on Singapore's maritime past, and Mr Raveen Chandran, an incoming seafarer, will speak about his own experiences at sea. Whether you're familiar with the maritime industry or simply curious, everyone is welcome.

Expect a cosy, intimate setting, capped at 32 participants, thoughtful conversation, and free food. The event runs from 1pm to 4pm at Stranger Conversation, 195 Pearl's Hill Terrace.

Seats are limited. Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1zGWBjFRWaS_1zbXpIYLhY9VFx7EE_zXwiBiRwAc9QBQ/viewform?edit_requested=true

17/06/2026

SHS is a community partner for the TF-NUS Heritage Champions Programme, which is why we're sharing this with you.

During World War II, families in Singapore lived through extreme scarcity. Rationing and uncertainty became part of daily life, but people still found ways to gather, cook, and share meals.

Wartime Tuckshop's cooking workshop explores that history hands-on. Participants will prepare simple wartime-era dishes, fried tapioca bergedil, lemak kangkong with sweet potato, and sweet boiled tapioca, while learning about the resilience that carried people through hard times. It's a chance to connect with Singapore's past through something as ordinary, and as essential, as a meal.

Two sessions are available: 27 June or 25 July, 3pm to 5pm, at Practice Tuckshop, 58 Waterloo Street. The fee is $5, and each participant receives a limited edition clicker keychain.

Two sessions are available: 27 June or 25 July, 3pm to 5pm, at Practice Tuckshop, 58 Waterloo Street. The fee is $5, and each participant receives a limited edition clicker keychain.

Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfrFioriE59X5gqWLNbtgaFeGJbWLVOEAsVKx9YHT3cZmONYw/viewform

Find out more: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZcL3NnP-Mg/

16/06/2026

"SINGAPORE: When Yishun 10 opened in May 1992, it looked like nothing else in the heartland.

Its architect, Geoff Malone, a film buff who founded the Singapore International Film Festival, was briefed to design something like “a rocket ship which had landed in Yishun from outer space”. He delivered: A metallic box wrapped in red, studded with strips of red, orange and blue neon.

A renovation in 2010 gave the building a more muted grey palette but its striking design is one reason why it sits on heritage non-profit Docomomo Singapore’s list of 100 significant modernist buildings.

Its deeper significance is social. With ten cinema halls under one roof, it brought cinema into the heartland, attracting more than three million visitors by the end of 1993. Watching films stopped being a special trip into town and became part of everyday life."

Architectural, historical and social considerations are often collapsed into a single yes-or-no question: Does a building qualify for conservation? But heritage rarely works so neatly, argues SUTD’s Yeo Kang Shua.

15/06/2026

SHS supports the Temasek Foundation-NUS Heritage Champions Programme as a community partner. The programme helps young people develop ground-up heritage projects, and The Hainanese Cooked is one of the strongest to come out of it.

The Hainanese community arrived in Singapore over a century ago. Their restaurants, coffeeshops, and provision stores became fixtures of daily life, yet many remain little known outside the communities they serve. This project sets out to document those businesses and make their stories accessible to the public.

From 28 June to 31 July 2026, join Bo' Hou, a traditional Hainanese tiger, on a stamp rally across six stops: Kheng Chiu Tin Hou Kong, Sing Swee Kee, All Things Hainanese, Chuan Jii, Shashlik, and Ah Mai Kim. Collect all six stamps and the first 50 to finish win a limited-edition picture book.

Visit hainanesecooked.netlify.app to find the trail map and plan your visit.

Follow our Little Tiger on a delicious stamp rally to discover Singapore's Hainanese businesses. Read about his adventure (and yours!) in a picture book coming soon!

13/06/2026

"Kueh is a vibrant symbol of Singapore’s identity. Join host Elizabeth Chan as she explores the craft across cultures, from Peranakan kueh changs to Indian putu mayam, weaving heart into every bite."

Kueh is a vibrant symbol of Singapore’s identity. Join host Elizabeth Chan as she explores the craft across cultures, from Peranakan kueh changs to Indian putu mayam, weaving heart into every bite.

13/06/2026

"SINGAPORE – Arts and heritage lovers can look forward to a new offshoot of the independent arts enclave 195 Pearl’s Hill Terrace (195PHT) slated to open at the nearby People’s Park in November 2026."

Discover plans for a new arts enclave at People's Park, an extension of 195 Pearl's Hill Terrace, set to open in November 2026. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

09/06/2026

What makes a city worth living in? On 17 June, the Art of Citymaking Festival comes to the Glass Dome in Singapore for a full day of conversations on how cities evolve as places to live, connect, and participate. The programme covers adaptive neighbourhoods, urban culture, and the role of heritage in shaping places that last.

It closes with an Oxford-style debate hosted by The New York Times.

Tickets are $188 and include the full programme, lunch, and an evening reception. As an Official Associated Event of the World Cities Summit 2026, it is likely to draw a strong regional crowd.

Register at leadershipforcities.com

A one-day international festival exploring how cities evolve as places to live, connect, and participate — keynotes, panels, film, immersive experiences. 17 June 2026, Glass Dome, Singapore.