10 trends to look forward to in 2026
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SINGAPORE – The Straits Times Life trains the spotlight on what to anticipate in fashion, food, travel, design, arts and entertainment this year.
Continued rise of Chinese fashion and beauty brands: What it means for Singapore retail
Mr Jin Chenhao, chief executive of EPO Fashion Group, which owns leading Chinese fashion brands Edition and Mo&Co.
PHOTOS: EPO FASHION GROUP, MO&CO
When thinking of the first market outside China for his massive network of upscale clothing stores, Mr Jin Chenhao knew the answer was clear: Singapore.
The city-state has several things going for it, says the chief executive of Guangzhou-based fashion conglomerate EPO Fashion Group, which owns leading Chinese fashion brands Edition and Mo&Co.
Mr Jin, 37, was in town in November for the grand opening of Edition’s and Mo&Co’s first Singapore stores at Raffles City.
Edition’s prices range from $315 for a pair of pants to $800 for a trench coat, while prices at Mo&Co, which has a second store at Jewel Changi Airport, range from $185 for denim to $685 for a trench coat.
Rise of second-city travel and why it might change where you holiday in 2026
Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland, is among the top 10 European cities without direct flights to Singapore but with the highest passenger traffic from Singapore in the first seven months of 2025.
PHOTO: VISIT SCOTLAND
Once, a trip to Japan meant visiting Tokyo for its bustling Shibuya and Shinjuku districts. France meant Paris for the Eiffel Tower. Thailand meant Bangkok for the Sukhumvit shopping stretch.
Today, more Singaporeans are skipping the usual tourist trail and heading to quieter towns, regional cities and cultural centres, fuelling a trend that was once the domain of the more adventurous: second-city travel.
Experts who spoke with The Straits Times say this shift reflects a maturing travel palate shaped by cost pressures, destination fatigue and a desire for slower, more immersive experiences.
If 2025 was the year of nightlife closures in S’pore, 2026 will be the year of going small
The post-pandemic years have seen Zouk shift towards more music programming and experiences to entice partygoers.
PHOTO: ZOUK
If 2025 was a year of peak nightlife decline in Singapore, marked by closures of many of the city’s long-running and celebrated venues, what can consumers expect for 2026?
The short answer: smaller clubs, changes to one of the city’s most storied institutions and nightlife that will likely feel increasingly niche and subcultural.
One of the clearest signs of shifts in Singapore’s nightlife culture is how its nightclubs have shrunk over the years. Gone are the days of superclubs like Butter Factory (8,000 sq ft when it was at One Fullerton, before closing in 2014) and St James Power Station (70,000 sq ft before its nightlife era ended in 2018).
Cities go for ‘heartware’, not just bricks-and-mortar
Kayu Artisan carpentry studio provides a platform for bonding and social support.
PHOTO: MONTFORT CARE
Architects around the world have experimented successfully in the last few years to reimagine urban spaces that strike a balance between monetising real estate and engaging the community meaningfully.
For instance, in Copenhagen in 2019, architects dreamt up a sloping roof for a waste incinerator building in the middle of the capital city of Denmark that pulled double duty as a year-round playground for all ages.
Urban designers from architectural practice Bjarke Ingels Group conceived the space as CopenHill, a 400m ski run, climbing wall and running path for residents, on the roof of a 41,000 sq m waste-to-energy incinerator.
By turning critical infrastructure into a civic playground, the project presented a different way of looking at the built environment – one that values social capital as much as rental yield.
For movies, nostalgia is the new normal
As Hollywood pivots to nostalgia and franchises, 2026 brings massive sequels and epic returns.
PHOTOS: UIP, WBEI, WALT DISNEY COMPANY, AMAZON
In 2026, the torrent of sequels will continue as Hollywood studios limp along in survival mode. The cost of making movies rise every year, even as ticket prices climb. Audiences then get pickier, especially when there is a wealth of streaming options at home.
The only safe bet is the franchise movie. Perhaps the studios have a point – in 2024, a historic milestone was reached when every film in the global box-office top 10 list was a sequel or part of a franchise.
So it might be appropriate to start the list of 2026’s most anticipated films by naming two not based on a previous movie, video game or television show.
Science-fiction adventure Project Hail Mary (opens on March 19) is adapted from the bestseller of the same name by American writer Andy Weir. He also authored the novel adapted into English director Ridley Scott’s popular space adventure The Martian (2015).
Will the union of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce be 2026’s wedding of the year?
American footballer Travis Kelce proposed to pop star Taylor Swift in August after they recorded an episode of his podcast.
PHOTO: NEW HEIGHTS/YOUTUBE
“I’d marry you with paper rings,” American pop star Taylor Swift once sang about her former boyfriend, British actor Joe Alwyn.
But come 2026, fans can expect that she will be marrying her fiance, American footballer Travis Kelce
It will no doubt be the wedding bash of the year, given that Swift is one of the world’s most successful pop stars. She ended 2025 as Spotify’s No. 2 most streamed artist of the year in the world (and No. 1 in Singapore).
K-pop Goliath BTS to light up 2026 like a dynamite
K-pop titans BTS comprise (from left) Jungkook, Suga, RM, V, J-Hope, Jimin and Jin.
PHOTO: UARMYHOPE/INSTAGRAM
She has travelled to Brazil, London and the United States alone to watch K-pop boy band BTS’ The Wings and Love Yourself concert tours in 2017 and 2018.
The healthcare professional in her late 40s, who wants to be known only as Ms Gen, is planning to do the same upon learning BTS is mounting a massive global tour in 2026.
“I’ll probably fly to Seoul, or anywhere that I can get a concert ticket,” says Ms Gen, founder of Boraland, a home-grown BTS community on Telegram. The channel allows members to buy and/or sell BTS merchandise and share content.
While she has not booked her leave dates for 2026 yet, as she is still waiting for concert dates to be announced, she has plans to go with her Army friends.
According to a Bloomberg report in October, BTS are planning their biggest tour ever
Arts blockbusters and new directors: Save these dates
(Clockwise from top left) American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein’s Reflections On Crash (1990), Singaporean artist Sim Chiyin’s Interventions: Farming (2018), theatremaker Chong Tze Chien, Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu and Wild Rice’s satire G*d Is A Woman.
PHOTOS: NATIONAL HERITAGE BOARD, NATIONAL GALLERY SINGAPORE, ARTS HOUSE GROUP, ST FILE, WILD RICE
Save these 2026 dates in your arts calendar and book your tickets early, if 2025’s snaking queues for blockbuster exhibitions and sold-out shows boosted by the SG Culture Pass
From Dec 11, 2026 to April 4, 2027, the National Gallery Singapore is partnering New York’s Guggenheim Museum to stage an exhibition on pop art – featuring pioneers such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Yayoi Kusama.
It comes hot on the heels of the wildly popular National Gallery Singapore’s impressionism show
In between, expect another blockbuster show with artists closer to home, anchored by art responding to World War II and the Vietnam War.
Luxe for less: Restaurant mantra for 2026?
Whether it is an omakase sushi experience, or a perfectly cooked steak with all the trimmings, restaurants are looking to offer that one thing no Singaporean can resist – value for money.
PHOTOS: BARI BARI STEAK, STEAK SUDAKU, SUSHIDAN
Diners want it, and chefs and restaurant owners contending with diner apathy are happy to provide it.
Whether it is an omakase sushi experience, or a perfectly cooked steak with all the trimmings, restaurants are looking to offer that one thing no Singaporean can resist – value for money.
Of course, such establishments have always been in the food scene. But restaurants at all price points have taken a battering in the last two years.
This past year, especially, has been marked by high-profile closures of Michelin-starred restaurants, upscale restaurants, mid-priced restaurants, chain restaurants and even food kiosks. People are saving their strong Singapore dollars to spend overseas, and others are cutting back on spending amid global political and economic uncertainties.
Why you might be eating more fast food in 2026
Even as Michelin-starred restaurants and decades-old hawker stalls shutter, demand for fast food holds steady.
PHOTOS: AZMI ATHNI, KFC, CHERIE LOK
The year 2026 is shaping up to be a full one for fans of fast food, with the arrival of three global brands.
The latest entry to the Singapore market is American chicken sandwich giant Chick-fil-A, which started operations at Bugis+ on Dec 11.
Meanwhile, Chipotle Mexican Grill, a fast-casual chain from the same country, and South Korea’s burger brand Lotteria are set to make landfall here in 2026.
This influx comes as no surprise to industry observers, who say that Singapore’s allure lies in its safety and affluence.
