Singapore International Festival of Arts is an annual arts festival held in Singapore. It is organised by Arts Festival Limited 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 NationalArts 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 Gaurav Kripalani.
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.
Local productions
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 23–25 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 20–22 June.
2010
The 2010s theme, Between You and Me, was all about getting closer to the arts. For the first time, the Festival will actively reach out to everyone through an outreach programme called com.mune. Together with a stellar showcase of international performances, the Festival will truly touch you in ways you never imagined possible.
The 2019 edition runs from 16 May to 2 June. The festival director is Gaurav Kripalani.
2020
In response to the Singapore government's measures in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Arts House Limited and the National Arts Council announced the cancellation of the SIFA.
