SINGAPORE – Come September, Singaporeans aged 18 and above will be able to use their $100 worth of credits under the SG Culture Pass to participate in more than 200 arts and heritage programmes, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) announced on June 13.
Currently, the confirmed programmes provide a total ticket capacity of over 700,000 and more programmes are in the works. The deadline to submit applications to be part of the SG Culture Pass is June 30, and new programmes will be considered on a rolling basis until 2028. The scheme will be launched on Sept 1.
Confirmed programmes include The Legend Of White Snake, a theatre performance by Nam Hwa Opera; Semarak Seni 2025, a dance performance by Sri Warisan Som Said Performing Arts; Happy Sing-Along, a monthly programme featuring Mandarin and dialect songs by Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre; and art and heritage workshops by soya sauce-maker Nanyang Sauce and art jamming venue Artify Studio.
Mr Alex Chua, co-founder of Book Bar in Duxton Road, told The Straits Times that his bookstore will participate in the scheme – with Singapore literature titles eligible for purchase using the credits.
Mr Subramanian Ganesh, who founded Tamil theatre group Agam Theatre Lab, has submitted two multilingual theatre experiences, which are pending approval.
He also intends to launch a special promotion for SG Culture Pass users, offering them a 30 per cent off their next Agam production. He says: “We’re hopeful the SG Culture Pass will lower access barriers and spotlight more diverse narratives, especially from the Indian arts community. It’s a meaningful opportunity to grow new audiences while deepening roots with existing ones.”
According to posters by Arts House Limited, tickets to the Singapore Writers Festival, which runs from Nov 7 to 16, can be bought with the credits.
The five authorised ticketing partners for the SG Culture Pass are BookMyShow, Sistic, GlobalTix, Klook and Pelago. MCCY has not yet announced the logistics for credit redemption, and warned that any message offering redemption before September is fraudulent.
Mr David Neo, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Senior Minister of State for Education, said in a statement: “The arts and heritage define who we are as Singaporeans. The Government is fully committed to develop the local arts and heritage sector, not just through direct resourcing, but also in stepping up audience development efforts, to benefit the whole sector.”
A total of $300 million has been set aside for the SG Culture Pass initiative announced at Budget 2025 in February to encourage Singaporeans to attend local performances, exhibitions and experiences. It is the first incentive of its kind here to target the arts and heritage sector.
- Shawn Hoo is a journalist on the arts beat at The Straits Times. He covers books, theatre and the visual arts.
Join ST’s Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
