2016 is shaping up to be a fascinating year for Singapore nightlife. While mega clubs continue to do their thing, adding some daytime parties and boozy brunches to the mix, and our cocktail bars continue to wow the region, there has been some exciting movement in other areas: tons more outdoor party series, small venues admirably upping their programming and local entrepreneurs bringing us new music festivals, craft spirits and electro picnics. Nightlife in Singapore has rarely been this diverse and exciting. Here are the top reasons to go out, day or night.

1. Our bars are legitimately world-class

We may fly out of the island for lots of reason, but better drinks is definitely not one of them. 28 HongKong Street came out on top at the first-ever Asia’s 50 Best Bars list back in April, with cocktail bars Manhattan, Operation Dagger, Jigger and Pony, Tippling Club, D. Bespoke, Gibson, Anti:dote and Sugarhall also appearing on the list. Singapore’s impressive tally of nine bars tied with Hong Kong and beat out Japan by one.

The Provencal at Employees Only

2. The world's fourth best bar is opening a branch here

New York City's Employees Only,which ranked #4 on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2015, is opening any day now on Amoy Street. It retains its Prohibition-era vibe and is managed by the folks behind Pangaea, Bang Bang and Match, with principal bartender Steve Schneider and executive chef Julia Jaksic, and a few other partners. Just like its New York flagship, you can expect raucous late-night partying and friendly hospitality—the last batch of revelers will be served warm cups of chicken soup upon closing. The all-important cocktail menu has highlights like the EO Gimlet, made with Perry's Tot Navy Strength gin and lime cordial, and Ready Aim Fire, a mix of mezcal, lime juice, honey-pineapple syrup and Hellfire Bitters. For more information, follow them on Facebook or Instagram.  

3. You can now get a Paloma for $15

Nick Haas, formerly of The Cufflink Club, took over  KTV on Boat Quay and made it all American. Skinny’s Lounge is all shabby-chic, with a pool table out front and dingy-cool low ceilings and graffitied bathroom walls inside--to say nothing of the 90s pop and hip hop playlist. The best part, however, has to be the Fast & Cheap cocktails like the Paloma and the Americano, both $15. The fancier stuff isn’t that much more, with stuff like the gin basil smash and the whisky sour starting at $18. There's also a KTV room where you can sing 90s hits to your heart's content.

Eyes to the Front pool party

4. There are more pool parties than ever

Opportunities for daytime drinking and splashing about in your bathing suit are proliferating with more and more places launching pool parties series. SO Sofitel Singapore is showing no signs of slowing down, with one on Jun 25 and an all-vinyl edition on Jul 9, in partnership with party planners Eyes to the front. Tanjong Beach Club has just launched its Eternal Pool Party Series, and Owl Bar is also hosting another edition of Singareta, its barbecue and caipirinha-fueled, Brazil-themed affair on Jul 16.  

5. The party has spilled into the streets—in broad daylight

Smaller outdoor events like the ones by Koi Izakaya on Haji Lane, Sunshine Nation on Circular Road and Sundays at the Training Shed have been a thing for a while, but 2016 saw street parties hit a whole new high in Singapore. Sunshine Nation did its first-ever Garden Beats Festival, an outdoor, daytime electro picnic-party in Fort Canning Park back in March. The design-y, community-fostering Lopelab organized two editions of Urban Ventures, a car-free daytime-to-nighttime event on Keong Saik in late April; Potato Head Folk, with support from STB no less, did the Keong Saik Carnival in late May; and even the Getai folks moved down from the People’s Park Complex rooftop for Getai Soul in Pearl’s Hill Park. There are no doubt many more such parties to come, starting with a second Garden Beats picnic on Jul 30 with Dutch producer Bakermat headlining, a full line-up about to be announced and early bird tickets going for $75 ($125 at the door).

Ce La Vi

6. We have two—not one—clubs on the World’s 100 Best list

In April, DJ Mag announced its annual Top 100 clubs list, and lo and behold, despite Singapore's steady move towards the boutique, the outdoor and the daytime, two honest-to-goodness clubs from the Lion City made it on to the list. Retaining its hold on the top 10 yet again is good ol' Zouk, which moved up one spot to #6. Bringing our grand total from one to a whopping two, though, is the vertiginous Ce La Vi, which rebranded from KU DE TA last year, coming in at a decent #90. After a new name and a sprucing up of the premises, they've added lots of daytime drinking events and a glam boozy brunch to their roster of fun events.

7. Even fancy museums are encouraging us to dance

We’ve been getting our drink and snack on at Art After Dark at Gillman Barracks for a while now, but seems like every major art venue has an evening party these days. Gallery & Co over at National Gallery Singapore now has what’s shaping up to be a monthly block party. (The last one had Darker than Wax’s Daryl C. & Kaye spinning.) For something a little more high-brow and a little let dancey, there’s ArtScience Late’s latest event on June 23, with sound artists, visual artists and dancer collaborating.

8. We’re making our own craft gin

Despite their corporate backgrounds, American expat couple Simin Kayhan and Rick Ames recently founded Singaporean craft spirit company, Paper Lantern Distilling, to produce spirits made entirely with Asian ingredients. A few weeks ago they launched a Pozible campaign for their first product, the Sichuan Pepper Gin, a rice-based craft gin distilled at a facility in Chiang Mai. With the Sichuan pepper as its backbone, Sichuan Pepper Gin also uses ingredients like ginger, galangal, lemongrass, honey and the Thai spice makhwaen. Read our full interview with them here.

Kult Kafe (photo credit Shiori)

9. Small venues are going for the win

Party people used to bemoan the lack of small and medium-sized venues in Singapore, but thanks to a couple of key openings and new iterations of long-closed clubs, the cozier side of nightlife has really been blossoming this year. Small clubs Cato (which started out wanting to be more of a restaurant but is clearly doing a much better job being a club, in Chinatown) and the hip hop-obsessed Refuge (at the site of the old Vault) have been keeping us entertained with their regular programming and visiting DJs, and we still remember with fondness the very cool (and, at $35, very cheap) show by Madrid girl band Hinds at the new Kult Kafe on Emily Hill, site also over frequent fun dance parties and the new incarnation of the Training Shed party, Sundays on the Hill. The next one is on Jul 3.

10. The craft beer just keeps coming

Just when we thought the craft beer bar invasion was slowing down, there has been another inundation around the city, from TAP at Capitol Piazza to Freehouse on Amoy Street to the very flattering opening (there are only a couple in Asia) of Mikkeller Bar Singapore on the grounds of DECK. Most exciting of all, you can now have fancy beers with your Tian Tian Chicken Rice, with the opening of 3rd Culture Brewing Company, a hawker stall pulling fancy beers, a la Smith Street Taps, this time at Maxwell.

11. ...even a craft beer running club

And combining Singapore’s craft beer addition with its outdoor running addiction is the Mikkeller Bar Singapore Running Club, which had its inaugural run on June 4. It’s simply: show up to meet your crew, go for a run and celebrate at the end with a free beer at Mikkeller. The next run is on Jul 9, a 6-8km affair with a quick beer stop at Druggists.

12. Silent discos maybe here to stay

London’s Silent Disco party series came to Singapore back in May, with a one-time event at Kult Kafe. That show sold out so fast, they added a second at Cato the next day. And now they’re back on Jul 2, at Kult Kafe again. The idea is simple and fun: you get a pair of wireless noise-cancelling headphones, and there are three DJs simultaneously spinning disco, electro and rock. Tune into the channel you want and dance with the crowd, no matter what they’re tuned into. More info here.

Beach Beats Fest

13. There’s a pre-Zoukout on National Day

Making its debut, the superclub's Beach Beats Fest will be held on Palawan Green at Sentosa and with it, a legit line-up of local and international artists. Headlining the event is producer/DJ wunderkind Mark Ronson, who has worked with Amy Winehouse, Bruno Mars, Adele and Boy George. Another exciting act to catch is Ta-Ku, an indie Australian musician who mixes trippy, synth beats with R&B and hip-hop, DJ Sam Feldt and local singer-songwriter Charlie Lim. Ticket prices range from $88-2,500. Early bird passes are now available at $78 here.

14. Our homegrown music festival is back for a second year

After a very ambitious, two-day, two-stage, fringe-event-packed inaugural edition, Singapore’s very own music festival Neon Lights is coming back Nov 26-27 at Fort Canning Park. The full line-up is forthcoming but we already know the headliners are Foals and Sigur Ros. Early bird tickets are $120 for a one-day pass and $195 for a weekend pass

15. Ramadan makes pasar malams cool again

It’s not all parties and drinking, though. Ramadan season means endless promenading and eating at the city’s many night markets, selling everything from classic pasar malam snacks to American state fair like deep-fried Oreos and twee hipster stuff like churros. For tips on what to eat at the mother of all pasar malams, the Geylang Serai Ramadan Bazaar, see our recent story.