A forgotten festival returns to Singaporean calendars for the first time in half a century. The inaugural Qixi Fest, spanning seven weekends, kicked off on 7 July 2023 in Chinatown and culminated in a mega carnival at Smith Street, Chinatown from 19 to 20 August 2023, attracted close to 40,000 international and local attendees.
GRACED BY DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
“I’m heartened to see the revival of a beloved festival, a legacy of our pioneering foremothers. The community in Chinatown has come together to pull out all the stops for the first edition of Qixi Fest, resurrecting a lost cultural celebration for wider public consumption, including new generations of Singaporeans. It’s an admirable endeavour. By celebrating and preserving our rich cultural heritage, we’re helping to strengthen the foundational blocks of our Singaporean identity.”
Ms Indranee Thurai Rajah
Guest-of-Honour, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Finance and National Development, and an MP in Tanjong Pagar GRC
“The community has been very supportive of our endeavour and are contributing in myriad ways towards the festival’s revival. We believe the Qixi Fest is one of many ways to enliven the cultural precinct of Chinatown — an anchor zone for Qixi celebrations of yesteryear. It is my hope that we can revive the festival during the lifetime of the women who first introduced it to our shores.”
Ms Lynn Wong
Director
Qixi Fest
"We are delighted to support the inaugural Qixi Fest held in the heart of Chinatown. The seven-week long festival enables visitors to discover Singapore’s rich traditions and customs through specially curated talks, workshops, exhibitions and tours. Events such as the Qixi Fest showcase our unique cultural heritage and enhance the vibrancy of our cultural precincts for locals and visitors."
Ms Lim Shoo Ling
Director of Arts and Cultural Precincts
Singapore Tourism Board
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Featuring family-friendly activities with lots of room for cultural immersion,
the festival’s programmes have been split across the three following themes:
(HER)STORY
Celebrating female migrant pioneers who brought the festival to Singapore in the 19th century
Talks & Exhibitions
From oral histories centred on factory women who toiled in the graveyard shift to the (mis)representation of Samsui women in media and the arts, join us in rediscovering the lives of our foremothers.
Free Qixi boat tours
Hop on board our specially curated boat tour under the starry skies of Singapore as we retrace the stories of female migration and learn about the Kinmen people whose boats once plied the Singapore River.
Recreating lost heritage foods
From Majie chilli biscuits (辣椒饼), to Tung Ann sweet potato balls, and Meizhou yam balls (芋头圆), uncover the lost culinary treasures of the Cantonese, Hokkien, and Hakka clan communities in Singapore through culinary workshops.
QIQIAO
Reviving the lost wish-upon-the-stars custom:
Dating back to the Han dynasty, people believed that their wishes would be realised if
they were able to demonstrate their skills in the arts and crafts.
Wish Upon the Stars
Pen your wishes on paper magpies and help form a “magpie bridge” for your wishes to be granted. Want a better chance of having your wishes fulfilled? Customise your very own magpie crochet plushie and let your hopes and dreams take flight (even if you have zero experience in crocheting). Psst, you can keep your wish a secret by “safeguarding” it in the magpie.
Workshops & Experiences
Pick up a new skill or hone your talent at Qixi Fest with our wide range of offerings such as East-meets-West calligraphy, Hanfu craftsmanship, an introduction to harmonica playing, opera make-up experiences, parent-child bonding craft activities, outdoor sketching, and Qixi-themed riddle solving.
Display of 1,000 Crochet Magpie
With the aim of making heritage more accessible and inclusive, we are offering corporate social responsibility and team building programmes where organisations or individuals can sponsor beneficiaries to join a clan association experience tour while bonding over customising a magpie crochet plushie of their own.
SUSTAINABILITY
Youth & Young Adult Involvement
We are getting new generations of clan members and local artists involved in heritage, culture and the arts! Along with our display of artwork by renowned veteran artists (such as Xu Beihong and Lim Tze Peng), visitors will be treated to Qixi Fest-inspired art pieces created by local artists who recently (re)connected with clans. These artists will share about their experience and process at artist dialogues.
Dialogues with
Craftsmen & Practitioners
What goes on behind the scenes of a traditional heritage business? How can heritage practitioners innovate and stay current through the ages? Join us to hear first-hand about the triumphs and challenges of local craftsmen and practitioners.
Modern X Heritage
and AI X Human
To raise funds for the Qixi Fest, we have specially designed a Qixi Fest collectible ceramic cup and saucer set titled 星河 (a play of words which can mean both the Milky Way as well as the Singapore River). It is crafted by young local potter Synceramic, with input from local heritage tea brand Pek Sin Choon. The collectible items symbolise the power and importance of the collective in helping to ensure the sustainability of Qixi Fest on our shores.
INAUGURAL QIXI FEST OPENING VIDEO
QIXI FEST 2023 GRAND FINALE VIDEO
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
