Southeast Asia Cultural Festival
In August 1963, the first Southeast Asia Cultural Festival was organised, featuring 500 artists from 11 countries (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, South Vietnam, Philippines, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Sabah, Malaya and Singapore). The Festival, which was held at the National Theatre and Victoria Memorial Hall (today renamed Victoria Concert Hall), was attended by 45,000 people. The launch of the new National Theatre coincided with the Festival.
Eight of the participating countries also took part in an exhibition at the Victoria Memorial Hall which showcased musical instruments, paintings and sculptures, as well as a photographic exhibition at the Singapore Polytechnic. The exhibitions were the first of the kind in Singapore. They were a great success and provided Singaporeans with the opportunity to view arts and cultural materials from countries in South and Southeast Asia.
Click
here to see footage of the
Southeast Asia Cultural Festival in 1963. (Source: MediaCorp Pte Ltd, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore)
Photos courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.
Back to latest post