Last year, Singapore's inaugural version of the Taiwan Shilin Night Market (士林夜市) saw huge crowds and long queues gather at Grounds @ Kranji.

This year, with the Covid-19 pandemic and safe distancing measures, the market has taken on a new form by going digital.

Digital festival experience

Shilin Singapore previously announced on Instagram on Mar. 23 that their team has been closely monitoring the pandemic situation and was evaluating next steps.

They subsequently shared on Apr. 14 that they would be going digital.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-9QCM3nOS5/

Digital Shilin Singapore will span over the course of two weekends — Jun. 12 to Jun. 14, and Jun. 19 to Jun. 21 — and will feature performances, virtual hangouts, and live streams of products and food that can be purchased and delivered straight to customers’ homes.

The online street festival will feature almost 100 local and regional digital pop-up stores.

It also has four online zones that festival-goers can explore: Eat, Shop, Play, and Fun.

Eat

The festival's F&B lineup includes Taiwanese flavours, local favourites, and trending fusion dishes, all of which are cooked-to-order for delivery.

Many vendors are also offering Shilin Singapore-exclusive menu items, as well as their signature dishes on dedicated live streams, which will also include cooking shows.

Some examples of food you can look forward to seeing include:

• Truffle lu rou fan (braised pork rice bowl) from D’bun
• Taiwanese pastries from Chia Te Bakery and Yu Jan Shin, paired with teas from Playmade
• Mala Chicken Sandwich from Egg Stop

Shop

The online festival will feature online shopping and real-time auction-style live streams to allow festival-goers to buy souvenirs by famed brands and handcrafted artisanal wares from various vendors.

Digital Shilin Singapore is partnering with Shopee to bring festival-goers a curated selection of homegrown brands, and customers will be directed to Shopee’s website or mobile application to place all local retail orders.

To help those in need, homegrown artisanal perfume label, Scent by Six, will be selling special Care Packs that include a hand sanitiser, effervescent Vitamin C, and face masks.

10 per cent of proceeds from these packs will be donated to The Courage Fund, a relief scheme that helps individuals and families who struggle with caregiving duties and obtaining essential items during the pandemic.

Play

People will be able to play various digital games, in order to stand a chance at winning prizes, participate in social media challenges and tasks, and play around with special filters created for Digital Shilin Singapore.

Fun

The festival will have a main stage hosted by local TV host Lee Teng, as well as performances by local bands and singers, including Cha Ban Sheng (插班生), Nat Wu, Yokez, Marcus Lee and Jay - CIRCO.

There will also be variety shows, game shows and entertainment provided by SGAG, Singtel, local actress Jaime Teo, and more.

When it takes place and how it works

Here are the time and dates for Digital Shilin Singapore:

• Jun. 12: 3pm-11pm
• Jun. 13, 14, 19, 20, and 21: 12pm-11pm 

Admission is free.

All local F&B orders will be fulfilled by Pickupp, and customers will be directed to order food and beverages through Pickupp's mobile app or e-commerce platform.

For more information, updates, and show times, check out the Shilin Singapore's website and Instagram page.

Top image via Facebook / Shilin Singapore and Instagram / @Winny0423.