Dikir barat at Esplanade: TEMALANG festival on 31 October

A new festival devoted to dikir barat makes its debut at Esplanade on Saturday 31 October 2026. TEMALANG – A Celebration of Dikir Singapura marks 50 years of dikir barat in Singapore with an afternoon of free workshops and talks, two short concourse sets and a free evening showcase at the DBS Foundation Outdoor Theatre at 7.45pm and 9pm. Everything listed is free; three indoor sessions need registration, and the programmes are in Malay.

It is presented by Norazam Hakub (Andika Kencana) and the Singapore Dikir Barat Federation, with the support of the National Arts Council and the Tote Board Arts Fund, according to Esplanade's festival page. For anyone who has only seen dikir barat in competition, or never at all, it is a chance to see the form presented as a festival rather than a contest.

What is dikir barat, and what is new about TEMALANG?

Dikir barat is a vocal art form with Kelantanese precursors, which the festival's showcase traces through dikir laba (below). Esplanade's pages describe the elements you will meet on the day: the tukang karut, who improvises witty verses; traditional instruments such as the rebana and canang; and the paper tanjak, a traditional headgear, at the craft table.

The festival's stated aim, in Esplanade's words, is to treat dikir barat "as a dynamic and evolving art form" rather than "viewing the discipline solely through a competitive lens". This is the festival's first edition, and its main showcase brings Singaporean groups together with Dikir Anak Singa from Kelantan, including a performance of dikir laba, described as "one of Kelantan's oldest traditional vocal precursors to dikir barat".

What is on at TEMALANG, hour by hour?

The timetable below is assembled from the six event pages. Times are start times; durations are as listed.

1. 2pm to 3pm: Teroka Spontan with Mohd Suhaimi Ibrahim. Esplanade Black Room, free by registration. A workshop on how the tukang karut crafts spontaneous verses, "designed for performers, enthusiasts and curious learners alike" (event page).
2. 3.30pm to 4.30pm: Madah & Melodi, a song creation masterclass by Zainal Ismail. Black Room, free by registration. Lyrics, melody and song structure, ending with how a composition becomes "a performance-ready piece" (event page).
3. 4pm to 6pm: Gema & Gaya, a drop-in dikir barat experience. Esplanade Concourse, free, no registration listed. Try the rebana and canang or fold a paper tanjak; stay ten minutes or two hours (event page).
4. 5pm to 6.30pm: Tradisi & Transformasi, a talk on the evolution of dikir barat in Singapore. Black Room, free by registration. Speakers Djohan A. Rahman and Sazali Zainal, moderated by Aiman Syafiq, on the innovations they introduced and the community's acceptance and resistance (event page).
5. 6.15pm and 7.15pm: SENADA-KUSTIK, Dikir Hits of the Past Decade. Concourse, free, 30 minutes each. Emerging and established singers blending dikir with a cappella (event page).
6. 7.45pm: showcase, first set. DBS Foundation Outdoor Theatre: opening performance (7.45pm), Dikir Singapura (7.50pm to 8.10pm) and Dikir Kelantan (8.10pm to 8.30pm).
7. 9pm: showcase, second set. Dikir laba (9pm to 9.10pm), a combined performance by Singaporean and Kelantanese performers (9.10pm to 9.50pm) and the TEMALANG finale (9.50pm to 10pm).

Note the overlaps: the drop-in session starts at 4pm while the masterclass is still running, and anyone who stays for the whole talk (until 6.30pm) will miss the 6.15pm concourse set but can catch the 7.15pm one.

How do you register for the free sessions?

The three Black Room sessions carry a "Register Now" button and the same advisory on each page:

• Registered patrons get priority entry and must arrive five minutes before the start to guarantee admission.
• Seats of registered patrons who are not there five minutes before the start are released to walk-ins on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Limited seats are available at the door.
• If you cannot go, you can pass the e-ticket to someone else or return it through the link in your SISTIC confirmation email.

The concourse sets, the drop-in session and the outdoor showcase list no registration. Arriving a little early for the outdoor showcase is our suggestion, not an Esplanade requirement. The showcase page's FAQ says food and drinks are typically allowed at outdoor programmes unless stated otherwise, and Esplanade's visitor FAQ says photography for personal use is generally allowed in public spaces such as the Outdoor Theatre, without flash.

Will haze or rain affect the showcase?

Possibly, and it is worth watching this one. On 16 October 2026 NEA forecast a 24-hour PSI of 150 to 230, Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy, for the following day (NEA update). That forecast covered 17 October only; what matters for this festival is NEA's forecast for 31 October. Esplanade's advisory says it is watching air quality in line with NEA guidelines and "if conditions reach unhealthy levels, some outdoor performances may be cancelled". For rain, the showcase page says outdoor shows may be delayed, relocated or adjusted, with changes posted on the event website or official channels.

What to do: check NEA's update on the evening of Friday 30 October and Esplanade's channels on the day. If the outdoor showcase is in doubt, the afternoon programmes in the Black Room are indoors.

Planning the day with a group

TEMALANG falls on Halloween, so if your friends are torn between plans, agree early. A simple version for friends or family: the drop-in session at 4pm for anyone who wants to try the instruments, the 6.15pm SENADA-KUSTIK set, dinner, then the 7.45pm showcase, with the 9pm set for those who want to stay for the dikir laba and the finale. Our guide to making a group plan has a message you can adapt, and finding events in Singapore explains how we check organiser pages. Esplanade has more year-end music in early December; see our Voices festival guide. More dated events are on the going-out topic page.

Common questions