TEDxSingapore: Open House 2026

On 29 August 2026,

TEDxSingapore hosted its second open house at our new home, the Beyond X Building, opening our doors to those who know and are part of the community.

We brought together inspired minds under one roof to spark the kind of conversations that happen when the right people share the same space. Joining us were our friends, partners, past speakers, volunteers and members of the wider community — all coming together to celebrate what makes TEDxSingapore who we are: a community.

From the busy marketplace and Seni Sini showcase to an interactive Grapplemax Pro Wrestling segment, hearing the ideas and stories from the TEDxSingapore Open Mic session and a series of fun hands-on curated workshops, the Open House was filled with experiences to bring our community together in different ways.

The Marketplace brought an extra buzz to the Open House, with 14 vendors carefully curated by the TEDxSingapore team. From unique handmade goods, cute trinkets to refreshing drinks and freshly baked goods, there were plenty of booths to discover, support and get to know the people behind them.

The marketplace featured a diverse mix of art, lifestyle, fashion, food and swags, creating a space where there was something for everyone. The crowd browsed through creative pieces, picked up merchandise, discovered handmade products, or grabbed a drink and a snack while taking in the vibe of the Open House at our cozy corner.

Among the art vendors was Yolijoo, offering typography and leather goods, Meor Studios, who brought floral creations to the marketplace. Faizal Caricatures who did live caricature art and Artably who offered fun and unique knick-knacks.

The marketplace also offered a variety of food and drinks, with Kopistan serving coffee, Laladoe offering slushies and mocktails, and Bigmouth Bakehouse providing an assortment of baked goods.

The marketplace also featured fashion and creative services, with Quilms showcasing clothes and Tripartite offering live screen printing. Seni Sini and TEDxSingapore also had their own merchandise booths, giving attendees the chance to take a little piece of the community and open house with them.

Adding to the experience, Dakota Dreams, a past speaker from our TEDxSingapore 2025 stage, curated a selection of books they handpicked for our community. Weareshadesg rounded out the marketplace with the sweet scents from their wax perfume, soy wax candles and cold process bar & gift soaps.

Exploring The Marketplace

The Seni Sini Show & Tell brought together a lineup of 11 creatives working across film, publication, graphic design, installation, electronic art and more. Rather than presenting their polished works, they opened up a space for the community to discover the reality of works-in-progress. From experiments, drafts, dead ends and breakthroughs, the session showed us what goes on behind the scenes, how different ideas take shape, change direction and develop through the process of making.

Following the Show & Tell, another part of their programme was Works-in-Progress workshop guided by Xin exploring how meaning can emerge through the process of making rather than from predetermined ideas. The workshop invited the community to reflect on intentionality and explore how a work could evolve through different interventions.

Curated Workshops: An Afternoon of Making and Storytelling

The Open House also offered two curated workshops throughout the afternoon, made to bring the community together through hands-on making. Blooming in Progress, a unique flower arrangement workshop by anhomageto. Blooming in Progress is not your typical flower workshop, they incorporated fruits and vegetables into their flower arrangement process, inviting guests to slow down and create their own one-of-a-kind floral arrangement. From choosing their own blooms to personalising their own bouquet, it offered an opportunity to enjoy unconventional flower arrangement, soak up the chill vibes and leave with something they had created with their own hands.

Also, part of the programme was Quiet Comic, a comic storytelling workshop led by TEDxSingapore’s Lead Curator, Vivian Lim. The workshop invited guests to explore storytelling through the creation of their own comics, giving them the opportunity and space to experiment with ideas, visuals and narrative.

Together, these workshops offered different ways for participants to make, create and tell stories, with each person leaving with a little piece of the experience they had created themselves. 

The TEDxSingapore Stage brought a mix of ideas and audience interaction to the Open House. For the first time, the stage was opened to the public, inviting nine Open Mic speakers to come up and share their ideas worth spreading. The speakers brought a diverse range of ideas to the stage, from starting a soup kitchen to exploring ways to help deaf individuals make phone calls. Sitting alongside the TEDxSingapore curators, who ask questions that decide what makes the stage. 

The programme also featured Grapplemax, a unique video game-inspired wrestling performance where the crowd’s energy and input directly influenced how the fights unfolded in real time. The segment also welcomed back Nadiah, also known as Alani, our TEDxSingapore youth speaker, who returned to the stage to showcase her performance.

Adding to the experience, TEDxSingapore partnered with Wushiland, its official Bubble Tea Partner, to treat All Stage Access attendees to free bubble tea that satisfied our cravings!  Free popcorn was also available to enjoy and snack on throughout the Open Mic sessions and Grapplemax segment. With something to watch, eat, drink and enjoy,the TEDxSingapore Stage brought the community together for an afternoon filled with new voices, interactive segments and plenty of energy. 

Qaireen is an 18-year-old student with a curious spirit and an open mind, always eager to step beyond her comfort zone. She likes to keep herself busy by exploring new ideas and experiences, often with her favourite chocolate tucked in her pocket 😋. She doesn’t have everything figured out yet, but she’s always willing to go with the flow~

Nur Qaireen