Did you know? July is Singapore’s annual Youth Month. Kicking off the month of July this year is the National Youth Council‘s annual SHINE Festival.
SHINE Festival, now in its 11th year, is a celebration of our country’s youth and their talent. The focus of this initiative is placed on developing untapped potential within Singaporean youths, culminating in a showcase and display of what they have learnt over the festival’s three days.
Here are some quick facts about SHINE Festival 2016 (Orchard Rd, 1-3 July) that will entice you to experience the event for yourselves!
1. Themed “Your Next Stage” this year, the main focus of the festival remains the same as it has been over the past 10 years. Dubbed the Talent Development Programme, the initiative takes in youths as young as 15 years old.
The youths have a diverse range of programmes to choose from, and will be placed under the mentorship of experienced veterans such as content creators Ministry of Funny and Singaporean illustrator Chris Chai.
2. Having said that, the development programme and preparation takes place all in the month of May, with the 1-3rd July being a showcase of not only what the youths have learnt, but also solo performances by the mentors as well as invited artists as well. We’re talking Charlie Lim, Shigga Shay, and Tabitha Nauser, among others.
3. Having faced some criticism last year on featuring too many local artists, the spotlight this year will be redirected back to homegrown talents such as Gentle Bones, Inch Chua, and indie band Take Two.
4. One of the acts people are looking forward to the most at the festival is the first collaboration between Shigga Shay and K-pop star Jay Park. They will be performing Park’s song “You Know“, with Shigga Shay covering Okasian’s parts with his own lyrics.
5. This festival is not all about arts and music either, with urban sports activities like Parkour, led by Jiho Kim from South Korea, as well as Freestyle Soccer performances by the Red Bull Streetstyle World Champion Kotaro Takuda.
6. Stepping up tech-wise as compared to last year, there’ll  be an interactive media pillar “InfiniCube”, which is basically a cube which surrounds you completely with screens, allowing you to enjoy a 360 degree immersive experience.
7. Finally, there will also be over 60 different pop-up stalls selling both food and handmaid accessories put up by popular local curators The Local People.
SHINE Festival 2016 will take place along Orchard Road from 1-3 July.
For more information, visit their website here.
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