Walk through history

From heritage trails to audio tours, experience sights and sounds from around the city — and enjoy a treat at the end 

HERITAGE

Memories with Ascott

Now till Dec 31

Ascott has launched the “Hey Explorer, Make Memories with Ascott in Singapore” promotion, supported by Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

Ascott Star Rewards (ASR) members receive a complimentary heritage walking tour experience with their stay at any of the nine participating properties, including Ascott Orchard Singapore, Ascott Raffles Place Singapore, lyf Funan Singapore and D’Hotel Singapore.

Guests can choose from three walking tours of the districts of Chinatown, Kampong Glam and Little India. Guests will visit key attractions while learning about the district’s heritage and culture and taking a deep dive into its history.

The complimentary heritage walking tour is available from now till Dec 31, 2021. To redeem a walking tour voucher, guests can approach the front desk during their stay. The voucher is valid for one month after their stay with Ascott.

Chinatown Heritage Walking Tour

Follow the footsteps of early immigrants in the historic district of Chinatown and learn more about how they lived and braved obstacles to build a life here in Singapore. Rediscover Chinatown’s rich cultural heritage with a visit to temples, shophouses and hidden streets.

Kampong Glam Heritage Walking Tour

Explore the rich and colourful tapestry of Kampong Glam through a deeper understanding of the Malay culture and traditions. Relive history while tracing life back to the kampung days. You can also capture photos with iconic monuments such as Istana Kampong Gelam (a former Malay palace that is now home to the Malay Heritage Centre) in Singapore, and the Sultan Mosque, which was built in 1824 for Sultan Hussein Shah, the first sultan of Singapore..

Little India Heritage Walking Tour

Go on an eye-catching journey through colourful Little India. Visit traditional Indian shops, temples and off-the-beaten-track spots as the trail explores a community brimming with beauty and history.

For details, visit www.the-ascott.com/en/offers/hey-explorer-make-memories-with-ascott.html  

ARTS

A Sonic Walk

Now till Jan 18, 2022

In celebration of Thaipusam (a festival celebrated by the Tamil Hindu community in the Tamil month of Thai, which usually falls in January and February), The Arts House is presenting a virtual edition of the festival’s pilgrimage route through a web app.

Now available online, the event will run till Jan 18, 2022. The thanksgiving festival is celebrated by the Tamil community to honour Lord Murugan, the Hindu god of war. Believers express their appreciation by participating in the processions and seeking blessings from the deity. The route on the app will cover the neighbourhoods of Little India, Selegie and Fort Canning.

Presented through a combination of audio recordings of the music, sounds of the locations along with archival images of Thaipusam over the past five decades, audiences will be able to learn more about the intersection of the rituals with historical locations and significant buildings in Singapore.

“This digital experience of walking the Thaipusam route will allow listeners to connect with the quieter, more introspective aspects of a pilgrimage, while also staying connected to the sense of community which makes the procession such an integral part of the festival,” says The Arts House programmer Shridar Mani.

“They will also be able to understand how integral Thaipusam is to Singapore’s identity through monologues written by writers from the Brown Voices Collective that situate the experience of the festival in the personal, and in iconic spaces of central Singapore.”

Brown Voices has created five short monologues on the rituals conducted in the locations. Through these monologues, visitors will get a glimpse of how the kavadi (sacrifice at every step), milk pots, turmeric, sandalwood feature against the backdrop of the Thaipusam processions.

For details, visit www.theartshouse.sg/whats-on-details/online/vel-vel-a-sonic-walk 

FOOD

Simply fabulous

The Fabulous Baker Boy

Worked up an appetite after the long walk? Then, check out The Fabulous Baker Boy, which has opened its new 70-seater café, bakery and restaurant at Aliwal Arts Centre on Aliwal Street.

The Fabulous Baker Boy presents an all-day breakfast and brunch menu with more than 14 cakes to choose from, including the popular Ab Fab Red Velvet. Other favourites include Nutty Monkey (a banana coconut cake), Big Lub Carrot Cake and Lady Marmalade.

Cheese lovers will enjoy the Roast Chicken and Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich, which features The Fabulous Baker Boy’s homemade sourdough bread. All sandwiches are served with Roasted Tomato or Cream of Mushroom Soup.

The eatery’s new outlet at the Aliwal Arts Centre represents “an emotional return to (my) twin passions,’’ says owner, baker and theatre actor Juwanda Hassim. The brand’s previous outlet at The Foothills Fort Canning Park closed last year as the “circuit breaker” coincided with the end of its lease.

“Our new location is a combination of the two great passions in my life: food and the arts,” adds Juwanda. “I love entertaining on stage and at home and I am thrilled to open The Fabulous Baker Boy at the Aliwal Arts Centre.”