I flew to Singapore to experience a celebration of racing, culture, nightlife, and dining. Here&rsquo;s what went down&mdash;and why 2026 is already worth watching.

Singapore during Grand Prix Season is something you always hear about from friends (and the occasional over-the-top Instagram story). Still, it never quite feels real until you&rsquo;re there yourself, surrounded by the skyline, the lights, and all that comes with the racing event.
I never thought I&rsquo;d experience it firsthand. Not because I didn&rsquo;t want to, but because it wasn&rsquo;t something that ever made its way onto my travel list. This year, though, I found myself flying into Changi Airport, ready to see what it was really all about.
First thing to know: it isn&rsquo;t just race week. <a href="https://www.visitsingapore.com/whats-happening/all-happenings/events/singapore-grand-prix-season/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grand Prix Season Singapore</a> (GPSS) turns the original F1 night race into a ten-day city ritual. From immersive pop-ups and champagne lounges to museum exhibitions and esports tournaments, the festivities surrounding the Singapore Grand Prix are as thrilling as the race itself.
I like Singapore for what it is the rest of the year. A clean, easy destination with good food and shops on every corner. But, the city felt different during race week. The energy was electric and the streets were fuller, which only meant the celebrations were endless.

The trip started high&mdash;literally&mdash;at FIRE at 1-Atico, where lunch plays out on the 55th floor of ION Orchard with a view of the whole city. The name isn&rsquo;t metaphorical as the kitchen literally runs on open flames. Lunch was grilled over smoke and included sumptuous dishes like smoked duck breast and lobster bisque. Grilled mains&mdash;Iberian pork flank, Argentinian striploin, and Australian wagyu thick skirt&mdash;were among the highlights.
Later, at Audemars Piguet House, we stopped for coffee at the brand&rsquo;s own caf&eacute; inside Raffles Hotel. The world&rsquo;s first AP Caf&eacute;&mdash;a collaboration with Michelin-starred Burnt Ends&mdash;was sleek, quiet, and precise in that Swiss-meets-Singapore way. The food matched the mood: spiced beef tartare, Caesar crudit&eacute;s, Gula Melaka pain suisse, and a chocolate tart that felt like the calm before the evening&rsquo;s activities.

By sunset, we hopped on a water taxi from Merlion Park Jetty and headed across the bay just as the F1 cars started their practice runs. You could hear the engines echoing through the city&mdash;it was the perfect teaser for what was coming.
We docked near the Vanda Suite, one of the circuit&rsquo;s VIP lounges. Inside, it was all champagne, canap&eacute;s, and trackside views. All the comfort almost made you forget everything happening outside&hellip; until you stepped out to the viewing area. The night wrapped up with G-Dragon, CL, and Clean Bandit performing back-to-back. A wild line-up, for sure, but somehow it made total sense in Singapore.

The next day began on a quieter, more creative note with Oo La Lab&rsquo;s &ldquo;Fuel Your Senses&rdquo; workshop, where guests built custom, race-inspired fragrances. It sounds intense, but the process was surprisingly calming. At different points, you feel like both a chemist and an artisan. The experience fit GPSS&rsquo;s spirit as it was multisensory and stylish. In all, it was a small creative reset before the chaos of race weekend.
Afterward, we made our way to Dempsey Hill, a leafy pocket of Singapore that used to be military barracks; now it&rsquo;s all lush greenery and low colonial buildings turned into restaurants and shops. Lunch was at AIR CCCC, a sustainability-focused restaurant led by Matthew Orlando, Will Goldfarb, and Ronald Akili. Every dish&mdash;from crispy oyster mushrooms to the reincarnated &ldquo;chocolate&rdquo; sorbet&mdash;felt thoughtful and inventive. It&rsquo;s the kind of place that makes you think about where your food came from without ever feeling lectured.
The afternoon was spent exploring Dempsey&rsquo;s other corners, including Gallery26&rsquo;s &ldquo;A Race Through Time,&rdquo; which traced the history of the Singapore Grand Prix with vintage Ferraris, and Dover Street Market, Rei Kawakubo&rsquo;s temple of fashion and art.

The day&rsquo;s best surprise was Nowhere Baths, a gender-inclusive bathhouse built for quiet and recovery. Phones weren&rsquo;t allowed, which might have been the greatest luxury of the weekend. When we arrived, the staff gave us a quick walkthrough on what to expect, where to go, and how everything worked. Inside, there were two hot pools: one enriched with Epsom salt, another with nanobubbles that made the water look almost cloud-like. There was also a sauna, steam room, and a cold plunge.
Dinner that evening took a more local turn at Tiong Bahru Food Centre, one of Singapore&rsquo;s classic hawker spots that never loses its charm. The Hokkien mee and roasted duck hit that perfect comfort zone. Then we made our way to the Mo&euml;t &amp; Chandon Elevation Lounge, a pop-up topped with a cork-shaped hot air balloon.
The next few hours were a blur&mdash;Foo Fighters, Alan Walker, Crowded House&mdash;each one louder than the last. We capped off the night at Zouk, where the music didn&rsquo;t stop until dawn.

Sunday started slower, with a walk through Chinatown. Temples, market stalls, and a stop at Maxwell Food Centre for chicken rice. After two nights of racing and champagne, it felt nice to see a quieter side of the city again.
Next stop: New Bahru, the city&rsquo;s new creative hub filled with local brands, caf&eacute;s, and concept stores. From The Coconut Club and Dearborn to Kotuwa, where we stopped for lunch. The Sri Lankan spot known for its crab curry and hoppers served rich and layered flavors without being heavy.
At Clarke Quay, the GPSS finale was in full swing. There were esports tournaments, Hot Wheels pop-ups, and DJ sets. Before heading back to the track, we stopped by Coach Play Shophouse nearby&mdash;a concept store that doubles as a caf&eacute;&mdash;before heading to dinner at Kok Sen, one of those Bib Gourmand places that proves why local food will always win.

That night, we returned to the circuit. The race itself was nothing short of cinematic. George Russell led from pole to finish, earning his fifth career win and redemption after crashing out here in 2023. Verstappen followed in second despite gearbox issues, and Lando Norris rounded out the podium after a dramatic start.
Elton John closed the weekend with his first Singapore show since 2015, playing to more than 70,000 people at the Padang Stage. He moved through &ldquo;Rocket Man,&rdquo; &ldquo;Tiny Dancer,&rdquo; and &ldquo;I&rsquo;m Still Standing.&rdquo; The performance was a fitting finale to such an incredible weekend.

What stood out most was how naturally the city holds everything together. The trains run late and spotless and the streets stay alive well past midnight. Even a walk back to your hotel feels like part of the show if you catch the skyline at the right moment. GPSS weaves racing culture into Singapore&rsquo;s everyday life seamlessly.
As for what&rsquo;s next&mdash;if this year is the standard, 2026 will only push things further. Only Singapore could top it with headliners, comfort, off-track experiences so well. Our tip? Leave a little space in your schedule for surprises: a perfume lab before a headliner, a bathhouse between lunch and qualifying, maybe a water taxi that passes the track just as practice starts.
If GPSS 2025 proved anything, it&rsquo;s that the city just knows how to do it. And when the engines start again next year, you&rsquo;ll want to be there when it happens.

Inside Grand Prix Season Singapore 2025: A Fast-Moving Feast For the Senses

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