The Five Footway Festival is returning to Chinatown Singapore from 9 to 17 March 2024 with a host of fun and exciting activities for visitors of all ages.
This will be the third edition of the festival and it is organised by the Chinatown Business Association in collaboration with programme partners. It will be held at various locations in Chinatown where the streets come alive with the hustle and bustle of the district in the 1900s.
Five Footway Festival 2024 in Chinatown
Explore the history and past of Chinatown over the nine-day festival.
Embark on a journey into the history of the Five Footway, clans and associations, and more at a unique exhibition.
Curated in collaboration with Sun Yat-Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall and students from Hwa Chong Institution, the exhibition will shed light on the way of life, values, and traditions of the immigrants that made their home at Singapore’s Chinatown and the the central role that the five footway played across trades, clan, cultural, arts and entertainment activities.
Immersive Tours
Visitors to the festival can also register for Conserved Buildings in Chinatown, a walking trail by Do It SG. During the tour, they will get to learn about the conservation of heritage buildings in Singapore, the history behind some of the oldest buildings in Chinatown and the activities that used to line the Five Footways.
Other highlights during the Five Footway Festival include Joss Stick Storytelling, where listeners will be able to revel in intricate folktales told as they were in the past.
Then join Tan Ah Huat in Chinatown, a theatrical walking tour by Let’s Go Tour that will transport festival-goers back in time through the eyes of Tan Ah Huat, a Chinese immigrant from the 1920s.
Performances
Over at Smith Street, which previously known as Theatre Street or Hei Yuen Kai, Five Footway Festival visitors will be able to encounter rich, cultural theatre acts across Cantonese opera, Teochew opera and Peking opera performances as well as the Hokkien puppet show.
The festival will provide visitors with opportunities to pick up some of these traditional skills through various workshops and classes.
Festival-goers can sign up for Colourful Dialects to create their own personalised idiom and slangs colouring book, while learning their meanings and how to use them.
Yan Wong Cultural Troupe willalso be running the Kirin Workshop where participants a fun and inclusive time to experience their music, movements and more.
Food Experiences at the Five Footway Festival
Let’s Go Tour’s Chef Colin will also be hosting Put Chai Ko Making Classes, a traditional Cantonese dessert that is known as red bean sweet rice pudding.
Discover the rich heritage of Hakka culture with Hakka Imperial Kitchen as they take you on a journey through the makings of Hakka rice wine and its exquisite flavours.
Then learn to make a traditional omelette toast, attend the Traditional Wedding Talk with AMD Wedding, and hone your culinary skills with Auntie Helen in her culinary class as she teaches Hainanese-style pineapple stir-fry pork rind and fried preserved beans with chicken.
Family Fun at the Five Footway Festival
Families with children can enjoy childhood games together at Pagoda Street with the nostalgic can and ring toss, hoop wheeling, chapteh, zero point, and snakes and ladders.
They can also munch on the much-loved traditional Singaporean snacks and biscuits, including Kacang Putih from stall vendors.
Stilt walking Samsui women and khaki shorts policemen will be at the festival to meet and greet with visitors for photo taking opportunities.
Other interesting activities include movie screenings, dragon dances, wushu and many more.
Five Footway Festival 2024
Admission to the Five Footway Festival is free. Get more details about the Five Footway Festival 2024.
Tickets for selected workshops can be purchased from here.
