The Arts House

The Arts House

The Arts House
4
About
Occupying the almost 200-year-old building that was Singapore's first Parliament House, The Arts House has played an active role in the Singapore arts and creative scene for the past decade. As a centre for writing, writers and ideas, The Arts House supports and presents programmes and festivals that aim to develop and promote literary arts in Singapore.
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The area

Address
Neighborhood: City Hall
How to get there
  • Raffles Place • 7 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles68 reviews
Excellent
17
Very good
27
Average
22
Poor
2
Terrible
0

These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
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Игорь
Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia32,335 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2024 • Family
I walked around the perimeter building almost completely. I liked the restrained, soft beauty of Singapore's former parliament. Not like the new obscure grey dominions near where Parliament is sitting! The house was built two hundred years ago in 1827 as a private house for the Scottish merchant John Argyle Maxwell. But he didn't live here at all. Immediately handed it over and then sold it to the city government. The architect was J. D. Colmen (1796–1844), who designed many of the buildings of early colonial Singapore. Over the years, the building has undergone several restorations. Parliament was here until 1999. Now there is a pretty good museum and exhibition halls.
Automatically translated
Written January 29, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

KodoDrummer
Buenos Aires, Argentina70,639 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Friends
This elegant, stately British-colonial-architecture building was initially completed in 1827 and, until 1999, served as Singapore's Parliament House. It is now The Arts House and serves as a multidisciplinary arts centre, and venue for concerts and art exhibitions. The building appears to be very well maintained.
Written February 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nigel G
Singapore, Singapore8,561 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Solo
The Arts House was the former Parliament Building of Singapore. It is a building steeped in history in its own right and well worth a visit. During the Singapore Art Week the chamber became more colourful than ever it has in its history based on a fabric exhibition entitled Justice for All. The exhibition was organised by the celebrated British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shinabare RA. A truly stunning exhibition which was well worth a visit.

The lower floor held Marjorie Doggett’s Singapore photography exhibition. A genius with large frame photography long before the digital era.

The exhibition is over now but there are ongoing events here. Even without art events the building is worth looking at alone.
Written April 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Heng How N
Singapore, Singapore7,605 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2017 • Couples
The former parliament house is now a arts house but really no much to display other than the parliament chamber which still intact. And of course every visitor is looking for Mr Lee Kuan Yew seat. This is the most memorable for most visitors.
Written August 16, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

geographyguy_11
Brisbane, Queensland517 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2017 • Solo
The area of old government buildings along the Singapore River is one of the nicest parts of the city and the Arts House is one of the most interesting things within this dignified district. On the first floor, there is an excellent series of information panels outlining the history of the building from on and off court house to legislative assembly to sovereign parliament. The political events which occurred here, such as self-government from Britain, merger with Malaya and eventual independence are explained clearly and concisely. The highlight of the visit is the old Parliamentary chamber and the chance to sit in Lee Kwan Yew's seat as Prime Minister. The Arts House is a must-see for history buffs and is conveniently located near the Asian Civilizations Museum, Raffles Landing Site and the National Gallery
Written March 24, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

boski
Island of Malta, Malta383 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2014 • Couples
On a recent trip to Singapore we had the good fortune of timing to be able to see the amazing Earlier Mona Lisa Exhibition in the old parliament house, it has heaps of atmosphere and is beautifully done-the staff were great and the exhibition was world class- lucky Singaporeans to be able to enjoy this world class event at such a moderate cost
Well done .we loved it and will keep an eye ion this venue in the future
Written January 8, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

EmFLoge33
Westminster284 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2014 • Solo
Visited the Arts House and viewed the Donald Moore Exhibition. The exhibits consisted of items connected with the late Donald Moore, who was well-known as a book publisher, promoter of classical music and other performance arts, and as the proprietor of a wonderful shop selling cultural books and crafts. Unfortunately, he was too far ahead of the times -- in the 1970s and before Singapore became prosperous! Eventually all these enterprises led him into financial problems. The Exhibition is a belated tribute to a far-sighted man who tried his best to bring arts and culture to Singapore.
Written September 7, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Reyan11
Kaithal, India123 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2018 • Friends
Venue plays host to concerts and art performances. It is the oldest surviving government building. Enjoyed the performance
Written November 8, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

RBFerg
7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2019 • Couples
This was a building I would have missed. Went inside the arts house with a free walking tour company, and was really glad I did. This is a building that had really witnessed singapore's history. the parliamentary chamber, in particular made me choked with emotions when i hear about the development of singapore over the last 50+ years. selfie opportunities with the chair of the first prime minister of singapore was a bonus
Written February 11, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

yuqian
Singapore, Singapore45 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2018 • Friends
On its own it's just a quiet colonial building with really well-maintained facilities, lovely architecture. But they always have events going on - can check out their website or get the hardcopy of their monthly events brochure to find out what's going on. Great way to involve yourself in the arts scene in Singapore!
Written November 28, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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The Arts House - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2025)

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