Let’s face it—the Singapore Grand Prix just isn’t as exciting as it used to be. Sure, there’s a weekend when the glitterati of the world blow into town and million-dollar machines blitz through the city streets, but it’s been much of the same thing every year since the first Night Race in 2008.
But having the Grand Prix around is always a good excuse to liven things up around town. The arrival of the F1 Night Race brings with it a deluge of parties, but with only three nights before the magic disappears, it’s easy to feel like Cinderella encroaching on midnight.
Fret not. Here are the four best afterparties and events that’ll really get your blood running on race weekend.
The Podium Lounge
When it comes to F1 afterparties, nothing quite beats the Podium Lounge. It’s evolved into something of an international institution, what with Podium Lounges in virtually every race city—best of all, if you’re hoping to glimpse your favourite driver out of his decidedly-boring team overalls, the Podium Lounge might be your best shot at seeing them in their civvies.
The party is known for drawing in drivers and international celebs like moths to a flame: Last year alone saw World Champ Nico Rosberg, F1 race legend Niki Lauda, and other drivers let loose after a long weekend in the pits.
Celebs aren’t the only draw here. There are also fashion shows, art exhibitions, live auctions of F1 memorabilia, and music performances—this year, expect to see the likes of Melanie C (better known as Sporty Spice) and Savage Garden’s Daniel Jones take the stage.
Mr Stork
The carnival’s rolling into town, and we don’t mean the one that’s descended on the Marina Bay Circuit. High above the ground on level 39 of the slick Andaz Singapore is rooftop bar Mr Stork, home to three-sixty views of the city skyline, and, come race weekend, the circus.
Don’t expect to see Uncle Ringo here, though. The booths here are strictly adult-only: Red Bull, Belvedere Vodka, Johnnie Walker and Jägermeister have all set up their own special stands offering unique food, and of course, cocktails. Each booth has their own exclusive concoctions to celebrate this year’s race, including Jägermeister Ice Pops for the young-at-heart, and Belvedere Vitamin C Shots to make you feel a little better about your staggering alcohol intake.
Bar Rouge
We get it, it’s the one-weekend in a year that the Grand Prix rolls into town. Even the most jaded amongst us want a glimpse of those finely-tuned machines as they zip at impossible speeds through regular roads. But why sweat it out with the common folk on the ground? Perched atop the 71st floor of Singapore’s tallest hotel, Bar Rouge offers a mouth-watering, panoramic view of the Marina Bay Street Circuit all lit up in its race-night glory.
If your eyesight isn’t what it used to be, you can eyeball the live screenings of the race as well. And once the race is done, you can switch straight into party mode, thanks to Bar Rouge’s own star-studded lineup of veteran local DJs.
LuLu’s Lounge
With its dark and sultry speakeasy vibe, LuLu’s Lounge knows that it oozes sex appeal. And come next weekend, they’ll ramp up that sexiness even more.
Think funk and soul musicians spilling off from the stage and into the crowd. Drag queens and gogo dancers perched on counters. LuLu’s has even flown in two famous Australian burlesque dancers for the occasion, Porcelain Alice & Memphis Mae, whose personas and performances are just as colourful as their names. Now, what was that about a Grand Prix?