Popaholic 2026, Esplanade

Free local pop by the bay, for one more weekend.

Popaholic is Esplanade's month of free pop by home-grown acts, and the last weekend, 23 to 25 October, is the one to catch if you have missed it so far. Every programme is free, which makes it the cheapest decent night out on the waterfront, and a good way to find a Singapore act to follow before everyone else does.

The remaining weekend line-up includes Love, NurJannah and Just Sittin' Up in My Room on Friday 23 October; Music from Daisy Chain Fields and pov: Ari made Izzy on Saturday 24 October; and Songs I know because of TikTok and Leave Those Kids Alone on Sunday 25 October. The names tell you the tone: young, wry and very online, and pitched at people who discovered their favourite bands through a phone.

Our call: treat it as a free warm-up for the evening rather than a destination. Turn up for one set, find dinner around the bay, and stay if the band earns it. Esplanade hasn't put the start times or stages on the festival page, so check the individual listings before you go, and if a set is outdoors, remember that the weather (and, this month, the haze) gets a vote.

The festival runs until 30 October, with more shows listed on Esplanade's site than fit on its first page, so weeknight sets may be worth a look too. If one act sticks, follow them now; Popaholic has a habit of showing people bands a year before the rest of the island catches up.

Good to know Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, 1 Esplanade Drive, Singapore 038981. Popaholic runs 1 to 30 October 2026; all programmes are free. Last-weekend shows: Fri 23, Sat 24 and Sun 25 October. Times and stages are on each programme's page. Nearest MRT: Esplanade or City Hall.

Popaholic 2026, Esplanade | Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, 1 Esplanade Drive, Singapore 038981 | Nearest MRT: Esplanade; City Hall