SINGAPORE, July 10 — Eh eh! A new festival is set to roll into town — and it’s time to embrace the inner baba and bibik in you.

The Peranakan Association Singapore and arts company GenerAsia will be presenting the inaugural Peranakan Arts Festival in November. The five-day event will feature, among others, exhibitions, seminars and two new productions, which will be held at various locations in the civic district. The 28th Baba Nyonya Convention will also be held, with delegates from 11 Peranakan associations from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Australia expected to attend.

Despite the constant presence of the culture, thanks to institutions such as the Peranakan Museum and popular television shows such as “The Little Nyonya”, festival director Joyce Lim reckoned this is the first Peranakan arts event of this scale. But how it came about was almost serendipitous, with a decision to combine two Peranakan-themed events and to let things develop from there, she said.

The Baba Nyonya Convention, which rotates among various host countries, was scheduled to be held in Singapore this year. GenerAsia had also wanted to stage a sequel to the popular Peranakan play “Bibiks Behind Bars!”, which was first staged in 2002. “So it got us thinking, why don’t we get together and do something? The idea for the festival came about only six months ago, which is actually a very short period of time (to plan) festivals. Quite magically, the festival was created,” said Lim.

The festival will be primarily held in and around the Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall venues. Aside from the conference, the festival will also be presenting Richard Tan’s musical comedy “Bibiks Behind Bars”, Kena Again!, which revolves around a group of gambling bibiks and features 12 performers.

Desmond Sim’s new play ‘Pintu Pagar’ will be one of two productions at the first Peranakan Arts Festival in November. — Picture by Peranakan Arts Festival via TODAY

Desmond Sim’s new play “Pintu Pagar”, a love story between a teenage Nyonya from a wealthy family and a teenager who comes from a poor Chinese immigrant family, will also be staged. It features actors Henry Heng, Nora Samosir, Nicholas Bloodworth and Kimberly Chan, and will be performed at the Victoria Concert Hall.

There will also be an exhibition on the premises comprising a collection of vintage fashion photographs from The Intan as well as artworks by Peranakan artists such as Sim, Adeline Yeo and Carolyn Law.

There will also be public events, including a community stage that will feature performances by different groups, as well as a bazaar that will sell everything Peranakan, from attire to special dishes by Peranakan chefs from the region. Meanwhile, the Peranakan Museum will play host to a series of workshops, from Peranakan cooking to embroidery to tile-making.

The organisers are hoping to turn the Peranakan Arts Festival into a biennial event. “Our vision is to make this festival a bridge to the culture, where Peranakans and non-Peranakans come together and ... just celebrate who we are,” said Lim. — TODAY

* The Peranakan Arts Festival runs from November 4 to 8 at various venues. For more information, including the various packages available, visit http://www.peranakanfest.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/peranakanfest. Tickets available from SISTIC.