Got the January blues? Get yourself to one of these cultural, art and food happenings across LUXE destinations this month.
Bangkok
Launched October 2018, Bangkok’s first-ever Art Biennale (running until 3 Feb) has transformed the city into one huge art gallery with works by 75 artists, ranging from superstars like Yayoi Kusama, Marina Abramovic, Jean Michel Basquiat, and Choi Jeong Hwa to local hero Wisut Ponnimit. And very much representing the ancient-meets-avant-garde city itself, the hosting venues span old and new, from temples and historic landmarks to shopping malls and luxury hotels.
Madrid
Stretch pants at the ready for the 19-day gourmet extravaganza that is Gastrofestival (26 Jan-10 Feb). Embraced by Madrid’s restaurants, shops, bars, museums and markets, this diverse celebration of the city’s food scene features special menus by the city’s starriest chefs and home-cooking heroines along with workshops, culinary walking tours and food-related exhibitions held in the city’s major museums. We promise you won’t leave hungry.
Los Angeles
January is a month of literal and visual feasting in LA. First up is the annual two-week foodie fest, dineLA (11-25 Jan) where you can snag prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus at some of the city’s starriest eateries. While Art Basel attracts the glamour crowd in Miami, the LA Art Show (23-27 Jan) is equally worth hopping on a plane for as it’s the largest, and arguably most diverse fair of modern and contemporary art in the US; it’s perfect opp to ogle the art and the celeb bubble that surrounds it. Vernissage is 23 Jan. Kicking off 31 Jan, Photo LA brings together 10,000 collectors and shutterbugs for three days of visual stimulation.
Beijing
Forget the hordes of Harbin, and instead make the trek 80 km outside Beijing to Longqing Gorge, home to the magical Ice & Snow Festival (Jan-Feb). The dramatic mountainous setting is transformed into an icy kingdom by 400 massive ice sculptures depicting temples, palaces and castles, as well as animals, mythological creatures, natural forms, zodiac signs, lanterns and snowflakes… you name it, they carve it.
Singapore
Two hundred years after Ol’ Raffles landed on the swamp-infested island that would become Singapore, the Little Red Dot marks the anniversary with a year-long program of Bicentennial events and exhibitions. Kicking off the happenings are the illuminating i Light Singapore feat. installations dotted around the Civic District, Fort Canning Park, Marina Bay and the River, and the National Gallery’s urban art event Light to Night Festival (both 28 Jan-24 Feb).
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