‘Find Your Folks @ Jalan Besar’ Marks the Return of Urban Ventures this September!

Urban Ventures makes a powerful return with Find Your Folks @ Jalan Besar, a bold placemaking initiative that spotlights the district through culture and community.

The event will celebrate the neighbourhood’s unique spirit, inviting the public to rediscover and connect with the stories and businesses that define the area, such as Chye Seng Huat Hardware, Community Coffee, Druggists, and Average Service.

Presented by creative agency LOPELAB and events collective Ice Cream Sundays, in partnership with the DesignSingapore Council and Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG), the event returns after six years, unfolding in September 2025 (Makers’ Trail 11 – 19 September, Street Festival 20 – 21 September).

As a key event of Singapore Design Week 2025, Find Your Folks establishes Jalan Besar as a district of makers and connectors, marking it as one of Singapore’s most character-rich areas.

It marks Urban Ventures’ evolution from street party to long-form public design intervention, encouraging exploration of Jalan Besar’s diverse F&B and retail businesses — from locating co-designed public furniture, to finding hyperlocal stories that shape the neighbourhood’s character.

“After six years, it feels meaningful to mark Urban Ventures’ return with Find Your Folks @ Jalan Besar, not just as a street party but as a deeper, more intentional experience,” says Lorenzo Petrillo, founder of Lopelab.

“Partnering with the DesignSingapore Council and Enterprise Singapore has allowed us to reimagine what Urban Ventures can be — a bridge between design, culture and community. Jalan Besar has always been full of soul, and we’re excited to spotlight its makers, and small businesses in new, collaborative ways,” adds Daniel O’ Connor, Even Director and co-founder of Ice Cream Sundays.

Makers’ Trail 11–19 September 2025

Explore the Makers’ Trail, a journey through one of Singapore’s most iconic neighbourhoods. This public trail features site-specific public benches co-designed by the current makers of Jalan Besar commerce — the independent and hyperlocal F&B and retail businesses that populate its street, from district veterans like Druggists to fresher upstarts Average Service, Community Coffee, The Fashion Pulpit, and more.

These pieces, which are placed along the street, will also encourage the public to sit, rest, and connect — not just with the built environment, but with the people who make it.

Walking along the trail, visitors will encounter independent cafes, family-run shops, and other beloved local businesses, each a vital thread in the neighbourhood’s rich social fabric.

Each public bench is crafted with open-source maker culture in mind and anchored by hyperlocal sourcing of materials from Jalan Besar’s many industrial suppliers. QR codes on-site provide downloadable blueprints as free downloads, aiding the public’s exploration of what the district has to offer by facilitating the reproduction or adaptation of these designs for their own use.

Street Festival 20–21 September 2025 (Saturday & Sunday)

Hamilton Road will be transformed into a vibrant street celebration, where visitors can expect live music, food pop-ups by neighbourhood favourites, interactive installations, family-friendly activities, and creative encounters that reflect Jalan Besar’s edge.

The programme includes the return of BREW, the iconic event series conceptualised by local music collective Darker Than Wax — first dreamed up for the courtyard of Chye Seng Huat Hardware, who were instrumental in transforming Tyrwhitt Road into a vibrant street party during their block party edition in 2019.

Food and drink pop-ups will be helmed by Jalan Besar’s F&B businesses such as Wild Coco, Druggists, and more – offering visitors the chance to experience the area’s culinary richness in a festival setting.

Other highlights include:

A Skate Jam, organised and curated by Millennial Events & Advisory, will feature exciting custom skateable installations, friendly competitions, and skate art
Accompanying 418 Skate Shop’s merch and goodies booth is Nomad Solar Sound, Singapore’s first mobile, solar-powered sound system
Music by beloved local music collectives, including Tropika, 5210PM, and Revision Music
Street chess hosted by Aliwal Chess Club
A thrift and swap market with upcycling workshops, hosted by The Fashion Pulpit
Kids and family-friendly craft workshops curated by multi-disciplinary arts collective, PLAY!
More to be announced