News

The Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) is making a full-scale comeback in 2023 with the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. The festival has a long and rich history of showcasing the diverse artistic talents and creativity of young people in Singapore. Every year, the festival will hold its Arts Presentation, which encourages mass participation from performing arts co-curricular activities (CCAs) in schools for the students to showcase their talents and skills. It was not easy for the performing arts and culture sector during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in the last three years. When the Arts Presentation was held in 2021 and 2022, a live audience was not possible due to Covid-19 restrictions, and there was live-streaming of the performances.  This year, with people free to watch the performances live, the performances were still live-streamed. I find the live-streaming beneficial for those who are unable to be present physically during the performances to cheer on friends and classmates. As a performer myself, I felt comforted knowing that my friends and family were watching me perform live over the Internet.  Those who are not artistically inclined can still appreciate the graceful dance performances and the creative interpretations of music played by the ensembles.  It is heartening to note that the arts scene is thriving, and that we have leveraged technology to bring the arts closer to people.  Secondary 4 student