2 Best Nightlife in Singapore

This five-floor film, food, and bar complex is part of a cluster of trendy shophouse bars and restaurants. A lounge area takes up the basement and first floor, but the biggest draw is on the third floor, where there's a small, funky theater with its own bar. Classic films from around the world are shown, and menus are created to match the theme. (The film schedule is online, and reservations can be made via email or phone.) The rooftop bar attracts a cool after-work crowd.

The Chinese Theatre Circle (CTC) is a nonprofit organization that's been cultivating an appreciation of Cantonese opera since 1981. Check out one of their dinner performances every Friday and Saturday night from 7 to 9 pm and gain some insight into this particular art form (translations are provided). For S$40, you can dine on a set Chinese dinner with special-brewed tea while you watch, or for S$25 you can simply sit back and enjoy the show. There are daily karaoke singing concerts held in the afternoons, as well. The Theatre Circle is set up along a stretch of Smith Street that transforms into a pedestrian zone nightly and brings to mind the hustle and bustle of the street hawkers from the 1970s.