Caffeine addicts, rejoice. There’s now a fest celebrating your favourite drink of choice. The Singapore Coffee Festival, our island’s first coffee-centric one, offers three entire days (four, if you count the trade preview day) filled with workshops, coffee appreciation talks, seminars, and all kinds of java brews.
Over 100 exhibitors will be on hand to supply your cup of joe, including highlights like Dapper Coffee, Oriole Café, Knockhouse Supply Co and Chye Seng Huat Hardware. Even Killiney Kopitiam is getting in on the action, repping Singapore’s Hainanese coffee traditions with items like kaya on toasted bread and kopi.
Other exhibitors to expect are Coffee Paradiso, Curbside Café, Kuvo, The Hangar, The Tuckshop, Slayer Coffee, Two Bakers and Wheelys Café — they’ll be presenting goodies like pastries, coffee-infused dishes and, of course, plenty of specialty brews. Also on the line-up are brands like KeepCup, which sells reusable coffee cups, and Stellar M, a retailer for domestic and commercial coffee equipment.
Now on to the cool part. If you’ve always wanted to find out more about the ingredients, the machines and the baristas behind every cup of coffee, you’re in luck. The fest features plenty of opportunities for you to learn from the experts and chat with them about all things beans.
At Lab 1, helmed by Better Barista, panel forums with guest speakers will cover topics like conscious consumption, case studies of successful specialty cafes, women in coffee, latte art and the experiences of champion baristas. At Lab 2, Common Man Coffee Roasters will put together sessions covering industry trends, fundamental barista skills, latte art techniques, coffee science and more. If you’re keen to hang out with journalists from The Straits Times, Lab 3 is where you’ll wanna be.
Of course, no festival is complete without live entertainment. SCF’s curated line-up stars the likes of Joie Tan, Shak’thiya and Cashew Chemists on Thursday; Charlie Lim, Enec.e and Pleasantry on Friday; Lewis, Jaime Wong, JAWN, iNCH, Take Two and Dru Chen on Saturday; as well as Tim De Cotta & The Warriors and Disco Hue alongside repeat acts Joie Tan, Shak’thiya, Dru Chen, Enec.e and Charlie Lim on Sunday. You’ll be treated to everything from jazz, folk and shoegaze to post-rock, funk and synth pop.
On Friday and Saturday night, from 9pm onwards, local films will be screened. So if you prefer a chillax end to the day, find a comfy spot and settle down to watch titles like 7 Letters, Singapore Dreaming, Eating Air and 881.
The Singapore Coffee Festival 2016 is from Jun 9-12 (Jun 9 is a trade preview day), 11am-9pm at The F1 Pit Building, 1 Republic Blvd. $18 for one day general pass, $43 for VIP pass.
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