Singapore’s heritage calendar for November 2026 includes a pretend-money town where five-year-olds handle the cash, a three-day Malay arts festival in Kampong Gelam, and a food-trail stamp rally through Joo Chiat. This guide is for anyone who wants a plan that isn’t another mall loop or café queue before the December rush, and a lot of it costs little or nothing.
| Event | Dates | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teroka Nusantara Festival | 6 to 8 Nov | Malay Heritage Centre | Showcase ticketed; talks free |
| Katong-Joo Chiat Stamp Rally | 7 Nov to 6 Dec | Katong-Joo Chiat | Self-guided trail |
| Money Town: Make It Count! | From 14 Nov | Children’s Museum Singapore | Free for Singaporeans and PRs |
Kampong Gelam’s New Annual Festival
Our rundown of the zapin, street music and free talks covers the wider programme.
The ticketed headliner is Rumah Orang Kita: Nusantara Arts Showcase in the MHC Auditorium. It is the second presentation in MHC’s Nusantara Arts Showcase series. Groups from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia perform traditional and contemporary items from their hometowns, and the show ends with a combined performance by all of them. Shows run 7 November at 3pm and 8pm and 8 November at 3pm, each lasting 75 minutes. Check the Malay Heritage Centre’s page for ticket prices.
Traditional Games in the Malay World (7 November, 1.30pm to 3pm) has speaker Dr Mohd Hasanuddin Mohd Yusof and moderator Puthera looking at the Malay World’s own version of chess. Film and Music: Singapore’s Contribution to the Malay World (8 November, 4.30pm to 6pm) has Art Fazil and Wahyu Rahman tracing Singapore’s influence from 1900 to today. History fans should catch Rantau ke Rumah (7 November, 10am to 12pm), where Dr Suhail Yazid and curator Dr Hadi Osni trace a century of Malay rulership, starting with Sultan Hussein’s descendants in Kampong Gelam.
There’s also something on the same Saturday across town. The Geylang Serai Heritage Gallery Open House returns for its third edition on 7 November, and its free drop-in Play Den runs from 2pm to 8pm at Persada Budaya, Wisma Geylang Serai. There, gasing, a traditional Malay spinning top with roots in the 15th century, goes up against Beyblade, and gasing uncles who have played for over 50 years give demonstrations.
📅 6 to 8 Nov · ⏰ 10am to 10pm · 📍 Malay Heritage Centre, Kampong Gelam · 🎟 Showcase tickets on Peatix, free talks need registration
Six Stamps Across Joo Chiat
If eating your way through a neighbourhood counts as heritage (it does), the Katong-Joo Chiat Stamp Rally: Flavourful Traditions Edition runs from 7 November to 6 December. Pick up a booklet at any participating shop or at the Joo Chiat Community Club office counter. Then collect stamps from six heritage businesses in NHB’s Street Corner Heritage Galleries initiative: Fei Fei Wanton Mee, D’Bun, Guan Hoe Soon, Kim Choo Kueh Chang, Kway Guan Huat Joo Chiat Popiah and Sin Heng Claypot Bak Koot Teh.
Bring the full booklet back to the community club counter to redeem a reward pack with one of five collectible keychain designs, while stocks last. That’s a solid excuse for six lunches.
For the stories behind the shophouses, Stories in Stone is a built heritage tour on 21 November. It meets at the Koon Seng Road Peranakan Houses, and HAN (Heritage Activation Nodes) Heritage Champions lead groups past the Red House Bakery and the former Joo Chiat Police Station.
📅 7 Nov to 6 Dec · 📍 Joo Chiat Community Club and six heritage businesses · 🎟 Self-guided, keychains while stocks last
Where Five-Year-Olds Run the Till
Now for the headline act. Money Town: Make It Count! opens at Children’s Museum Singapore (CMSG) on 14 November and runs until 28 January 2029. It is designed for children aged 5 to 9, with a separate play space for younger ones. The museum co-developed it with FRida & freD The Graz Children’s Museum through CMSG’s first Curator Residency, and UOB Foundation is the Presenting Partner.
Entry is free for Singaporeans and permanent residents (PRs). Other visitors pay admission; check Children’s Museum Singapore’s page for current rates. The exhibition runs during the museum’s regular opening hours.
The opening-weekend pick is WonderBot’s Rainbow Market in the Discovery Room on 14 and 15 November. Sessions run 11am to 12.30pm, 2pm to 3.30pm and 4pm to 5.30pm, and it’s recommended for ages 4 to 8. Kids colour fruit and vegetables for their basket, and pay with play money on self-checking mats. It’s free with a museum ticket on a first-come, first-served basis, so it costs Singaporean families nothing at all!
The Priceless Pantry: Festive Rainbow Sugee Cookies is the opening weekend’s paid option. Parents and kids aged 5 to 12 bake sugee cookies from scratch and package them as gifts, on 14 and 15 November, from 10am to 12.45pm at Lewin Terrace. Check Children’s Museum Singapore’s page for the price.
For a quieter half-hour, the storytelling session Ottie Shares with Those in Need runs 2.45pm to 3.15pm on both days for ages 4 and up. It is part of WS Education’s Be a Money Champ series, free for ticket holders, and sign language interpretation is provided at every session.
📅 From 14 Nov 2026 to 28 Jan 2029 · 📍 Children’s Museum Singapore · 💰 Free for Singaporeans and PRs · 🎟 Opening-weekend drop-ins first-come, first-served
So, Which One First?
If you only have one free afternoon, head to the Malay Heritage Centre for the Teroka Nusantara Festival this weekend. Parents should save a slot for WonderBot’s market on opening weekend, and anyone curious about the Malay World’s take on chess can join the free Traditional Games in the Malay World lecture through its registration link.
Bookings and updates sit with each organiser, so check Children’s Museum Singapore and the Malay Heritage Centre on their official pages before you head out. Pick one, put your phone away, and go count some pretend money!
Photos and Visuals courtesy of Children’s Museum Singapore, Katong Culture, and the National Heritage Board.
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