What to do this weekend (July 12 to 14)

Ready for the weekend? Here's what you can look forward to this week.

1. Impressions of Monet

Visit Gardens by the Bay (GBTB) from July 12 for a first-of-its-kind, multi-sensorial exhibition centred on the art, life, and gardens of French Impressionist painter Claude Monet.

This stunning exhibition is split into two distinct but complementary aspects: The Garden, and The Experience, both of which can be experienced together in GBTB's Flower Dome.

Marvel at The Garden, a floral display that presents landscapes reflecting scenes of Monet's renowned garden in his home in Giverny, France, which features prominently in many of his paintings. Enlivening the display are recreations of Monet's iconic pink house, scenes from the house's adjoining garden Clos Normand, and the Water Garden, complete with the distinctive green Japanese bridge often associated with Monet.

The scenes from Clos Normand and the Water Garden are brought to life with a vibrant, thoughtfully curated plant palette that includes flora similar to those found in Monet's original gardens, such as hydrangeas, weeping willows, digitalis, daisies, delphiniums, and geraniums. Water lilies - the eponymous subject of one of the artist's most renowned works, the Water Lilies series - also debut in GBTB's floral display for the first time.

After that, check out The Experience to embark upon an immersive adventure into French Impressionism where 19th century Europe's sights and sounds, as well as the timeless works of Impressionist masters like Monet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cezanne, and Edgar Degas, come alive through a dynamic display of light, colour, sound, and fragrance.

From July 12, 2024.

Find out more here or here.

2. National Day Charade

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With National Day just around the corner, Wild Rice is staging an irreverent satire that doubles as a love letter to Singapore.

Every year, when Aug 9 rolls around, we put on our red and white outfits, we hang up our flags and we sing our songs. The Red Lions descend, the F16s roar and the tanks roll across our television screens. The Kallang wave sweeps across the stands, people laugh and dance and cry, and we keep on marching from Third World to First.

For as long as most of us can remember, there has been no other way to think of Singapore's National Day. But what if we could re-imagine how we commemorate and celebrate this historic day? What untold stories would we share? Who would we want to see representing us in our parade? And what songs would we write and sing to one another?

A brand-new play by award-winning playwright Thomas Lim, National Day Charade promises to make you laugh, think and talk about this place we call home in a National Day celebration unlike any you've experienced before.

Till July 27, 2024.

Find out more here.

3. Green-House 2024

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Head to new lifestyle destination New Bahru this weekend for the third edition of Green-House.

Organised by Pass It On Studio, this year's edition of the sustainable festival promises to be the biggest one yet, boasting a wide array of programs and activities.

Highlights include thought-provoking art installations and exhibitions, workshops ranging from DIY upcycling activities to food waste composting, denim mending, sustainable gardening and more, panel talks, a retail zone for sustainable shopping, film screenings, and even a pet adoption drive where you can give a new home to a deserving furbaby.

Entry to this pet-friendly event is free, but charges apply for the various workshops, with pre-registration required.

July 13 to 14, 2024.

Find out more here.

4. Let's Embrace - Celebrating Harmony

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Celebrate Singapore's multiculturalism and racial harmony this weekend with the National Heritage Board's Let's Embrace - Celebrating Harmony.

Taking place at Our Tampines Hub, this festival invites you to learn about the culture and heritage of our different communities through programmes such as a guided heritage trail, immersive storytelling sessions, cultural cooking workshops, a travelling exhibition, a community mural painting event, behind-the-scenes chats with museum staff, and much more.

This festival is jointly supported by the Indian Heritage Centre, Malay Heritage Centre, Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, and Eurasian Association.

July 13 to 14, 2024.

Find out more here.

ALSO READ: Just opened July 2024: New restaurants, cafes and bars in Singapore this month

This article was first published in Wonderwall.sg.