The Lemon Stand Comedy Club

Comedy here used to be a pub crawl. Now it has an address, five nights a week.

The Lemon Stand is the place to see live stand-up in Singapore on almost any night of the week. Go for a main show if you want the safer bet, Wednesday if you want Kumar, and Tuesday open mic if you are feeling lucky. It is a full-time comedy club on the ground floor of Hotel Royal @ Queens, with tables for food and drinks during the show; it is closed on Sundays and Mondays, and material can be adult, so check each show’s age guidance before you bring anyone.

Why it matters

It fills a gap. In 2018 and 2019 a comedy night out read like a pub crawl: Kumar at Canvas, Comedy Masala’s Tuesdays at Hero’s on Circular Road, an open mic upstairs at Blu Jaz. The one room that did comedy full-time, The Merry Lion on Boat Quay, has since closed. The Lemon Stand bills itself as Singapore’s first and largest established comedy club. Whether or not you count, it is the room local comics now play week in, week out, which makes it a better guide to the scene than any one big touring show.

The week

Tuesday is open mic, where new comics find their feet (and occasionally lose them). Wednesday is The Kumar Show, starring Kumar, the drag comic who has been headlining Singapore comedy for decades; if you only go once, this is the night. Thursday is Comedy Night, Friday is Funny Friday and Saturday is Stand Up Saturday, with headliners and improv mixed into the line-ups. Specials turn up too, such as a live comedy panel show. Doors open at 7pm and shows start at 8pm.

How to do it well

Book through the links on thelemonstand.sg; ticket prices vary by show. Arrive when the doors open so you can order before the first act and choose your table. Sit near the front only if you are happy to become material, and remember that comedy is always a gamble: open mic is a lucky dip, the main shows are the steadier bet, and a dud set is over in a few minutes either way.

It works as a date that does not require small talk, a birthday outing for a group or a solo night when you need to laugh at strangers. Bras Basah, Bencoolen and Bugis MRT are all within walking distance, which is useful when the last set runs late and you are deciding whether you were heckled or just noticed.

Good to know 12 Queen Street, #01-02 (Hotel Royal @ Queens), walkable from Bras Basah, Bencoolen and Bugis MRT. Closed Sundays and Mondays; doors 7pm, shows 8pm. Buy tickets through the links on thelemonstand.sg; material can be adult, so check age guidance for each show.

The Lemon Stand Comedy Club | 12 Queen Street, #01-02, Singapore 188553 | Nearest MRT: Bras Basah, Bencoolen, Bugis