Karaoke booths, more food and a painful hopscotch: Artbox is back, here's what you can look forward to

Guess who's back, back again? Artbox is back, tell a friend. 

Yes, that's right, the event will be making a return from Jan 26 to Feb 4. 

Similar to last year's edition, one of Singapore's largest indoor festivals will be held at the air-conditioned Singapore Expo. 

This means come rain or shine, guests will be sheltered and unaffected by erratic changes in the weather. And we all know how often that has been happening recently. 

The event will be held across two weekends and boasts more than 300 retail and F&B vendors, as well as various experiential activities. 

Similar to last year, guests do need to pay an entrance fee to enter the space, which some thrifty people may not be too keen on. 

For the 2023 event, I had enjoyed myself so much that I brought my husband back for another visit despite the fee. 

But is this year's edition as good or even better? I went down myself to see if it was worth going. 

Activities for all

Last year's event had a good variety of activities like an arcade zone, interactive instalments and free live performances. 

And this year they really took it up a notch by adding on more fun things to do. 

For one, in collaboration with Teo Heng, this year's Artbox has two karaoke booths which are located at the Open Plaza area. 

We aren't talking about the small, cramped kinds either.

These booths, which are housed in shipping containers, are massive and come furnished with carpets, plush sofas and potted plants. 

They're also surprisingly sound proof, and I could not hear the people inside passionately belting out their Mariah Carey song. 

Do note that each entrance fee ticket allows guests to enjoy only one complimentary session in the karaoke booth, limited to one song per ticket. 

Also at the Open Plaza area is Aliwal Chess Club, where guests can stimulate their brains by playing a few rounds of chess. 

Think you're a pro? You can participate in the Mega Chessboard Madness challenge or face off against a Chess Grandmaster in their simulation. 

Apart from the small boards, there is also a massive life-sized board which is not just great for a game of chess, but for photo opportunities too.

At Gamestop Arena, which is just next to Open Plaza, guests can chill and play their choice of Nintendo Switch and VR games. 

Of course, as one of the organisers of the event, local media platform SGAG is also back with a slew of painful activities at the SGAG Stage. 

And these are definitely not for the faint of heart. 

Last year, it was the Beam of Pain, National Shake Leg Championship and National Paper Toss Championship. 

This year, there is the Hopscotch of Pain, National Water Bottle Tornado Championship, National Piak Cockroach Championship and Creators Death Match. Yikes. 

The highlight is definitely the Hopscotch of Pain arena, where participants have to hop across a series of spikes on one leg. The person with the fastest time will win a sweet $888.

To add to the vibes, several local and international bands will be performing at the Artbox stage as well. 

For local bands, there is Reverie, The Passerby and The Mad Trio. 

Thai pop-band The Parkinson will be making an appearance too. 

If you don't leave stuffed, something is wrong 

For many visitors like myself, the highlight of an Artbox event is the food. 

And I was happy to find that the selection did not disappoint. 

This time around, there are about 120 food stalls, a significant increase from the 80 stalls at the event last year. 

Similar to the previous edition, there were not just local vendors, but international ones from countries like Taiwan and Thailand too. 

I spotted several repeat stalls that were at last year's event such as Bishoku, Bigbigfries and The Acai Collective. 

There are also several first-time Artbox vendors like PerghChicks. 

It took a grand total of one hour to figure out what we wanted to eat because my colleague and I were spoilt for choice. But eventually, we settled for food like the Mentaiko Wagyu Beef Bowl from Gyushi ($15), Oden from Monki ($10) and Rainbow Jelly Balls from 来碗冰粉 ($4 per stick, $10 for 3 sticks). 

Festival foods tend to be on the more expensive end, but I actually found most of the food here pretty reasonably priced. 

Shop local and international labels

I don't usually come to such events to shop but this time around, I was completely sucked in and left the place with an emptier wallet. 

This year, there are more than 180 retail vendors from countries like Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea. 

Some sold clothes, such as Grey Lady, who hails from Malaysia, and Mansongi, who's from South Korea. 

There were also vendors selling their crafts, such as Kueh Clouds, which specialises in handmade phone straps and accessories, as well as Salipuma, who sells merchandise printed with their cat illustrations. 

I ended up leaving with a unique t-shirt from Rakule and a bottle of cheeky room mist from The Wicker Club & Co. 

I also even managed to get myself an oufit for Chinese New Year — a beautiful batok cheongsam from Sawasdee Ez. 

Apart from shopping, you can also visit Ourlin, a Korean brand that lets you dress up in a Hanbok. 

So is it worth going?

While I managed to explore the event to the fullest (I spent a whopping six hours here), I'd actually pay the $6 entrance fee to come back again. 

For one, the vibes are fantastic and I absolutely loved the decor, live musical performances and the energy from the SGAG Stage. 

The sheer amount of activities to see and do here are also enough to keep me occupied during another visit. I also appreciate how several of these are free, which makes the entrance fee worth it. 

And of course, the food. There were so many things that I wanted to try but didn't manage to! 

Artbox presale weekday tickets cost $6 per single general entry, while weekend tickets are $7 per single general entry.

Guests can also consider getting the Avenue Pass for $104, which gives you all-day access across all six days. 

For on-site tickets, it costs $7 per single general entry on weekdays and $8 per single general entry on weekends. 

Address: 1 Expo Dr, Hall 2, Singapore 486150 
Opening hours: Jan 26 to 28, Feb 2 to 4, 12pm to 11pm

ALSO READ: What to do for fun and entertainment after 10pm

melissateo@asiaone.com