Pinoy favorite Jayesslee, other Asian acts unite at 2nd DISTRICT M festival in S’pore

MANILA, Philippines — Traveling to Singapore this early October? Seize the opportunity to experience Marina Central district, packed with live performances, installations, exhibitions, and events — an immersive destination at the downtown of Lion City.

Following its successful inaugural festival held around the same time last year, the second edition of “DISTRICT M: A Marina Central Festival” returns on Oct. 4 and 5. The event, held in conjunction with “Singapore Design Week 2024,” will begin at 5 p.m. onwards and is free for all to enjoy.

Described as an “eclectic two-day festival brimming with music and engaging encounters,” the juncture will feature homegrown and international artists across different genres, including YouTube sensation and Korean-Australian twins Janice and Sonia Lee dubbed Jayesslee, who held an intimate concert in the Philippines way back in June 2012. The acoustic duo rose to fame with covers of Officially Missing You, Payphone, Best Part, among others.

Australian singer Harrison Storm, who started from busking in 2015, is also set to serenade the diverse crowd in Singapore with his indie-folk confessionals. Meanwhile, TikTok individual rising stars Regina Song and Lucas Wang, more known as WHYLUCAS, are ready to uplift the younger crowd in the area.

Over 20 acts will take stage at four different venues, including Marina Square, Millenia Walk, South Beach, and Suntec Plaza with each locale showcasing a varied lineup for an incomparable district-wide experience. Each performance will last approximately 45 minutes.

The Deck at Marina Square will stage indie folk pop artist jupiterkid and Australian busker Harrison Storm for the first day, while musicians KHAi, Benny’s, and Ffion will be up to perform the following day.

Sound Park at Millenia Walk will house the pride of Singapore’s hip-hop community, Solid Gold featuring acclaimed DJs Idee, KoFlow, Sirkid, pSyk, Shane 2Sweet, Zai, Mc Jin, and pioneering breaking crew Radikal Forze. The crowd will surely be hyped as .WAV(Y) featuring PRAV and veteran DJ XG are in charge of the beats on Saturday.

Fountain Stage at South Beach will offer a feel-good Friday with pop, jazz, and blues performances from Singaporean R&B and bossa nova crooner Alicia DC, DJ Shingo Takahashi, and homegrown artist Khally. Meanwhile, a chill-out Saturday will be brought to the audience by Singapore’s Glamour Vintage Songbird Miss Lou, renowned artist NyaLi, and Indonesian born and Singapore-based independent singer-songwriter vanako.

Music Piazza at Suntec Plaza will spotlight Chinese-Colombian singer-songwriter ANNÉ and R&B and Japanese city pop singer-songwriter-producer YAØ on the first day, which will be followed by twin duo Jayesslee, singer-songwriter Regina Song, and up-and-coming singer WHYLUCAS the next day.

Apart from enjoying music in these spaces, there are activities for those who wish to express their creativity such as blackout poetry, community moss framing, digital painting, and keychain beading.

Attendees can go from one music zone to another by passing through shopping malls at Marina Central, which is linked by either an overhead bridge or an underpass.

Bringing a rain poncho and wearing comfortable clothes are highly suggested in case of unfavorable weather. Guidelines also state that umbrellas, banners and outdoor chairs are prohibited. Lastly, the use of selfie sticks is not allowed near the performance area.

DISTRICT M, marking its second year, became more momentous with “Neufolk: Bridging Tradition and Future in Design,” a celebration of creativity and a community rooted in tradition and sustainability for “Singapore Design Week 2024,” which will run until Oct 6.

The key event of the festival is grouped into three highlights: Exhibitions, installations, and encounters.

At the heart of the exhibitions is Neufolk Design Pavillion, which is designed by Nathan Yong, embodying the Southeast Asian communal “kampung” through the showcased innovative materials and products. New faces of designers such as BLACK, The Circular Classroom, The Merry Men Works, and WASTD are championed in the exhibit, located at Millenia Walk.

What happens in an alternate universe where designers rediscover their brands? “Reimagining Retail Experiences” is a spectacle that brings an eccentric experience to the audience as six designers try to reinvent their logo, product, retail display, and customer journey.

The exhibit has two locations. One is at Marina Square, where Currency Design x Kandinsky by Calvary Carpentry, Natasha Hassan x Kiddy Palace, Practice Theory x Zuya Vegetarian are showcased.

Next, Suntec City displays the works of Aaah Studio x HaveFun Karaoke, Crop Studio x Kawata House of Socks, and Studio Darius Ou x Aftershock PC.

The festival proves to be fun for all ages with its two interesting installations named Kinetics Energy Play and Mooncycle.

Children may enjoy Playpoint Singapore’s Kinetics Energy Play, where they can understand how their power and time in moving can be converted to energy used to light the LEDs in the area. The playscape is advisable for ages for six to 12 and is located at the Linkbridge between Marina Square and Millenia Walk.

Mooncycle, also designed by Playpoint Singapore, is ideal for those who want to charge their devices while having a relaxing scenery. Spotlighting the traditional Chinese gardens’ Moon Gates, the installation pays homage to culture while incorporating technology with its swing generating enough energy to charge mobile devices.

Exhibitions and installations are open to everyone. Meanwhile, Neufolk’s encounters require participants to register.

“DISTRICT M” is a collaboration of Marina Square, Millenia Singapore, South Beach and Suntec City with Esplanade Theaters on the Bay Singapore as a community partner.

For details, visit https://marinacentral.com.sg/happenings/district-m-2024/.