What a year 2022 has been.

As I'm writing this, the World Cup has just wrapped up. What started out as yet another restrictive year has now unravelled into (some) level of normalcy—the very definition of a light at the end of the tunnel.

Under this light, we are now recovering from two years of being absent from a life that we knew, confiscated of the joys and experiences being in social settings. However, these absent days are numbered and we're seeing crowds come back in a big way. Whether it's festivals happening worldwide or the recent World Cup, normalcy has somewhat been restored.

As the age-old adage goes—absence makes the heart grow fonder.

There's no better time to overcome the absence of not being in the company of good friends and music than now, at A Date With Friends!

The 18th edition of the festival welcomes you back with a slew of exciting programmes, from intergenerational performances for Ladies’ Night where artists from three different generations bring you popular English evergreen songs to a Mandarin, Cantonese and, Hokkien variety show featuring artists both Singaporean and Malaysian artists. Of course, we’ll also have our festival staples, cultural performances such as getai and Malay music performances for your enjoyment.

If watching a performance isn't quite your thing, then pick up the mic at our Kanopy Karaoke and channel your inner rock star instead. There's also health and lifestyle talks as well as film screenings for the introverts at heart. After two years of sitting at home watching videos online, it's time to put on your dancing shoes and get moving with the return of mass dancing at our forecourt.

The team and I are excited to welcome you back to the centre where you'll be among loved ones at A Date With Friends. A whole new experience awaits you—see you then!

Christopher Rodrigo
Producer, The Esplanade Co Ltd
on behalf of A Date With Friends team