The Singapore Arts Festival began in 1977 as a national showcase celebrating the local arts of Singapore’s diverse communities.

Over the last three decades, the Festival organized by the National Arts Council, has played a symbiotic and catalytic role in development of the artistic and cultural life of Singapore.

It has helped transform the city’s landscape, turning it into one of Asia’s major cultural capitals of today.

It has influenced the work of artists and generated a growing public demand for the arts, spawning new capital platforms, events and movements that help underpin the lively cultural scene in present day Singapore.

The Festival saw its turning point in 2010 as it embarked on a new phase of development under the leadership of Low Kee Hong.

Key changes and initiatives include turning this international arts platform into a Creation and People’s Festival with a vital year-long participation program, com.mune to sustain the Festival’s engagement with the public beyond individual shows staged during the Festival period.

The Singapore Arts Festival has now become an international showcase of ideas, art and discourse with a distinctive Asian flavour, known for its bold and innovative discussions between vernacular and contemporary art.