The Arts House

Art center · City Hall

The Arts House

Art center · City Hall

1 Old Parliament Ln, Singapore 179429

Highlights

This arts institution in a 200-year-old building hosts film festivals, performances & art exhibits.

1 Old Parliament Ln, Singapore 179429 Get directions

theartshouse.sg

@theartshouse

@atlasobscura

"Chulalongkorn, also known as King Rama V, of Siam was a modernizing monarch. As regent to the ailing King Mongkut, he embarked on a tour of British colonies in Asia from 1870 to 1872. To commemorate the first stop on his tour, Chulalongkorn brought a gift of an elephant statue that still stands today. When the regent landed in Singapore in 1871, he was warmly received by the colonial administration. The statue he brought was erected in 1872 in front of the old Town Hall (now the Victoria Memorial Hall). The bronze elephant (symbolic of the Siamese monarchy) was placed on a white pedestal, with inscriptions on black marble slabs in Thai, English, Malay (in Jawi script), and Chinese proclaiming that “His Majesty Somdetch Paramindr Maha Chulalongkorn, the Supreme King of Siam, landed at Singapore, the first foreign land visited by a Siamese Monarch, on the 16th March, 1871.” But Chulalongkorn’s connection with Singapore began before the tour. In 1862, Anna Leonowens was recommended by Tan Kim Ching, Kapitan China of Singapore, to the Siamese court. There, Leonowens tutored the young prince in mondern ideas before leaving the royal service in 1868. Her 1870 book The English Governess at the Siamese Court was the basis for the musical The King and I. In 1919, on the event of the colony’s centenary, the statue was moved from its original position to a nearby spot in front of the then Supreme Court (later to be the first Parliament House and now the Arts House) to allow a statue of the colony’s founder Stamford Raffles to take up its previous, more prominent spot. The elephant statue remains in the same position today." - ATLAS_OBSCURA

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@michelinguide

"The Singapore edition of Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura is a pop-up restaurant serving lunch and dinner tasting menus from 1 to 26 May. The head chef, Karime Lopez, has worked with Massimo Bottura to create signature dishes inspired by their global travels and memories. Highlights include 'The Crunchy Part of the Lasagne', 'Taka Bun', and 'Charley Marley' dessert, all presented in a space with a contemporary Renaissance vibe and Gucci Herbarium crockery." - Rachel Tan

The Cuisine Of Massimo Bottura Comes To Singapore With The Gucci Osteria Pop-up

View Postcard for The Arts House

Drew Esa

Google

Once home to the Parliament of Singapore, it is now a stunning chamber concert hall that hosts cultural events. I've long wanted to hear Antonio Vivaldi's music live! And now thanks to The Arts House, my dream was realized - I listened to The Seasons. A stunning performance by a string quartet in a room full of candles! Very intimate and poignant! For those who do not like big noisy halls The Arts House will become a favorite concert hall.

Sam-G Mutthan

Google

The Old Parliament House in Singapore, also known as The Arts House, is a historic building that holds significant cultural and political heritage. It is the oldest surviving government building in Singapore, originally constructed in 1827. Located in the Civic District, it has been repurposed as a vibrant arts and cultural venue, making it a notable landmark in the city. The Old Parliament House stands as a testament to Singapore’s rich history, evolving from a symbol of colonial governance to a beacon of artistic and cultural vibrancy.

Candy S

Google

The Arts House is located right beside the SG National Gallery, right behind Victoria Theatre, and 3 minutes walk from the Asian Civilisations Museum. So if you're visiting one of those places, it's recommended to check another one as well! When I went to the Arts House, there were 3 exhibitions happening. One was their permanent exhibition at the 1st floor about Singapore's awardees in literary, art, and theatre. This exhibit has an interactive app for visitors and it closes at 6.30pm. The other two exhibits were on their 2nd floor, one was a group exhibition by local artists and the other was a Myanmar gemstone sellers exhibit. Both of these exhibitions close later at 9pm. I was very lucky to find they were having a lovely performance by Alvaro Sanchez! A maestro in harp and guitar who played with a lot of heart and passion. It's recommended to check The Arts House Instagram to see what events they are having and you might catch something very special!

Shahie Jaffar

Google

Beautiful and intimate set up of candles on stage and around the theatre floor. Magically mesmerised by the quartet who played renditions of Michael Jackson. Was totally blown away and sang along to tunes from Bad, Smooth Criminal, Thriller, Heal the World and many more. Was a belated birthday surprise by my lovely wife! A chance to wow your partners… Highly recommended!

Chin Yee Lim

Google

Performance by Churen Li was beautiful. For Snapshots, should consider sending digital copies instead. Environmentally friendly and can keep forever.

Justin Xiao

Google

This is the old Parliament House. It is now converted and used for event space. It is a really nice location for events. The location is easy to access and offers multiple rooms for events.

Rae Lou

Google

What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday night. I throughly enjoyed the performances and felt quite moved by listening to such stunning Hans Zimmer pieces in such a pretty, sparkling setting. The musicians were fabulous. Thank you! Highly recommend this event.

Pamela

Google

I recently attended the candlelight performance and it was a delightful experience. We had tickets for Section C and found the view to be quite satisfactory. For the first time, I felt like 60 minutes was just too brief for such a wonderful show 😉. The hall and stairways were beautifully decorated with candlelight, creating a magical ambiance. Suggestion: it would have been even better if there was a specially decorated spot for attendees to take photos.

Lucas C.

Yelp

A little known fact that The Arts House is the oldest building in Singapore! Looking at the 3 storey building surrounded by Victoria Theatre, National Gallery and Asian Civilisations Museum,one would never guess this used to be the grandest, tallest building around. There are many spaces here that people can rent for events such as weddings, meetings, and corporate dinners. Arts groups and independent artists can apply for a heavily subsidised rental rate.

Claudia P.

Yelp

Within The Arts House is this cosy 75-seat mini-theatre which I never knew existed. I stumbled upon it on a Saturday night after checking out a photography exhibition and realised they were screening "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". I was surprised to discover that it was free! It was just starting so I walked in to a pretty packed audience and took a seat. So I watched this excellent movie for free. Score. Sound quality is so-so but the seats are comfortable and even though it's pretty level it's spaced out so nobody's head blocks your view of the screen. I realised that the screening was part of an Arts House Event known as "But Is the Book Better?" - so they're showing novels that have been brought to life on the silver screen. There are also other different film events such as the on-going "EmancipAsia" which is an event screening films about human trafficking. I'd suggest checking out what's on offer on their website each month - most of the movies are screened for free, or at a cheaper price than at the multiplexes. This is the perfect change from generic cinemas, and the perfect place to bring a date. The films are probably better than most blockbusters currently on offer too!

David S.

Yelp

As I was making my way back to my hotel, and decided how I should get there, I passed by this building which I must admit looked quite grand. Okay, I have worked out pretty quickly that it was the Old Parlaiment House, so that caught my attention quick smart. What also surprised me was that despite it being around 6:00 pm in the evening it was still open (I'm used to most places closing at 5:00). So, having a little bit of time on my hands I decided to check it out. Unfortunately there wasn't all that much inside (though I do note that they do have regular exhibitions). I did spend some time checking out the old legislative chamber, and some of the other things that they had there, but I must say there wasn't anything all that exciting. I guess I came at the wrong time.

Deana M.

Yelp

I came here on the last day of "Leonardo da Vinci's Earlier Mona Lisa" exhibition and it was an interesting and fun self-guided exhibit. They provide you with an tablet loaded with videos explaining how they proved it's an original painting. I believe the video totals up to 90-minutes. I have to admit though, the first several videos were interesting, but at some point, I just wanted to see the actual paining. I've seen the Mona Lisa in The Louvre and you can definitely see the similarities. Also, since it was the last day of the exhibition, everything in the souvenir shop was 50% off... score!

Ancy N.

Yelp

Great if you like catching artsy non-mainstream movies! I caught Old Romances here recently, the sequel to Old Places by Royston Tan. Documentary that definitely brought you down old Singapore memory lane.

Lingyi C.

Yelp

You check out SAM for contemporary art and design galleries, the Substation for experimental and amateur theatre, and the Arts House for activities that have to do with the literary arts. This means book launches, reading clubs, dialogue sessions with comic artists, plays that first begun as short stories etc... These are just a few reasons why I've visited this humble little arts space tucked away near the Singapore River recently. The programme managers here are passionate about literature in Singapore, and are constantly organising activities to rouse people's interest in the written word through a number of different forms. Most recently, they loaned out a small space to BooksActually and displayed titles from the publishing arm Math Paper Press for sale. Look out for the regular New Word Order sessions that features writers and artists in an intimate dialogue session where audiences are encouraged to ask questions with the speakers. Great place to check out over the weekend!

Jac S.

Yelp

It's an unusual location which used to be the Old Parliament House, so getting to sit in what used to be the Chambers is quite a cheap thrill - love that they've left in all the old details like translation knobs and speakers. The Chambers seats are comfortable but not the most practical ones, you need to clamber over people to get to the innermost end as there's only one entrance for some reason; to stop politicans from making a dash for it between boring speeches? There are also a number of other smaller venues within the Arts House for more intimate programmes. As its name implies, it's now an arts venue so look out for interesting programmes happening throughout the year. It's also conveniently near to Asian Civilizations Museum and the Singapore River so you can visit that all at once.

Adrianna T.

Yelp

Previously the Old Parliament House, and even prior to that Maxwell's House, this beautiful building is now a multi-disciplinary arts venue. There's a good programme all year long, of music, film, art, literary arts, dance and others. More famously, this is where the superb Talking Cock in Parliament series are held, when they do happen (infrequently; there have been just two so far). It is good fun, if a bit of a cheap thrill, to sit in the gallery and in the former cabinet ministers' seats, when attending an event here. P.S. Check out the bronze elephant at the entrance!

Rachel X.

Yelp

The Arts House, which is actually the erstwhile Parliament House, now sits as a multi-disciplinary platform that plays host to both festivals and artists alike. Vestiges of its past can be explored in the still intact chambers that is honestly not all that exciting after the first subdued 'wow'. What I do love about this venue is the range of programs that has been made available to the public. In recent years, the focus has shifted to the literary scene of Singapore but a good smattering of music performances and visual art exhibitions are still held here. A couple of weeks back, I decided to pop over for a photography exhibition and stumbled into a screening of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". Cue a lot more stumbling and concussing throughout the length of this terrific film. Here's something else that made me trip over myself: admission is free. Found out later that these screenings are being held as part of a program called "But Is The Book Better?" Absolutely brilliant - someone must have read my mind. Till we answer that contentious question, enjoy the film(s).

@atlasobscura

15 of the Most Unusual Gifts Ever Given

View Postcard for The Arts House

@michelinguide

The Cuisine Of Massimo Bottura Comes To Singapore With The Gucci Osteria Pop-up

View Postcard for The Arts House

Drew Esa

Google

Sam-G Mutthan

Google

Candy S

Google

Shahie Jaffar

Google

Chin Yee Lim

Google

Performance by Churen Li was beautiful. For Snapshots, should consider sending digital copies instead. Environmentally friendly and can keep forever.

Justin Xiao

Google

This is the old Parliament House. It is now converted and used for event space. It is a really nice location for events. The location is easy to access and offers multiple rooms for events.

Rae Lou

Google

Pamela

Google

Lucas C.

Yelp

Claudia P.

Yelp

David S.

Yelp

Deana M.

Yelp

Ancy N.

Yelp

Lingyi C.

Yelp

Jac S.

Yelp

Adrianna T.

Yelp

Rachel X.

Yelp

The Arts House

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