STB launches tenders for pop-up booths, provides funding to rejuvenate Orchard Road

[SINGAPORE] A tender to build, design and manage pop-up booths, and a new initiative to rejuvenate Orchard Road were among a series of projects announced by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) on Friday (May 8).

These are part of ongoing plans to transform the precinct, which will enhance Orchard Road’s street-level appeal and inject new concepts and experiences, said STB chief executive Melissa Ow at the Tourism Industry Conference.

STB is driving the enhancements with the Urban Redevelopment Authority and National Parks Board.

Enhancing street-level vibrancy

On street-level experiences, STB said it will launch a tender this month for the design, build and management of up to three pop-up spaces along the Orchard Road pedestrian mall between Wisma Atria and Ngee Ann City.

The booths will run until end-2028, and be rented to local and foreign brands for a period of one to six months per brand. The first round of pop-ups is expected to open by the end of this year.

They will feature “new-to-market brands, trendy brands test-bedding new concepts or offering limited-time experiences, or up-and-coming local brands looking to inject differentiated retail and F&B experiences”, STB said.

It added that it will work with the appointed managing agent to identify and curate the rotation.

While pop-ups are not new to the precinct, they can be expensive to put together, Jean Ng, assistant chief executive for the experience development group, told the media. The pilot will thus help lower costs, complementing existing set-ups.

STB also announced the Orchard Road Rejuvenation Initiative, which will be launched in mid-2026.

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The programme will support pilot events by stakeholders such as mall operators, hotel operators, event organisers and associations to “enliven” Orchard Road in three areas.

First, precinct stakeholders can embark on building facade enhancements, such as creating interactive building surfaces or installing architectural lighting that transforms building exteriors into visual experiences.

Second, they can introduce experiential concepts and artwork installations in common gathering spaces such as mall atriums or privately owned public spaces, including immersive retail experiences, interactive art or event programming.

Third, they can set up night-time initiatives, such as illumination projections, night markets and extended operating hours activities.

The initiative, through which shortlisted proposals may receive funding support, will run for two years, STB said.

Ng said that proposals will be evaluated and funding levels will be determined based on their ability to drive footfall, extend visit durations and create a good atmosphere.

Visitors to the precinct can also expect “artistic precinct markers”, as well as benches designed by professional designers and design students, to be installed by the second half of 2026.

New and improved spaces

Meanwhile, on building fresh spaces, STB reiterated an earlier announcement that it will launch a tender in the coming months to transform 37 Emerald Hill – the site of the former Singapore Chinese Girls’ School – into a mixed-use development.

It is expected to feature a unique hotel concept as well as community and public spaces honouring the site’s heritage, among others.

STB will also work with Singapore-based property investor and developer Pacific Eagle Real Estate to redevelop Tanglin Shopping Centre into a mixed-used development comprising retail, office, wellness and cultural uses.

More plans ahead

Live Nation’s 3,000-capacity event venue on Grange Road is being constructed.

STB said that while Live Nation will curate a regular pipeline of events such as concerts, international touring acts and community events, the venue will be available to host conferences and exhibitions, seasonal fairs, activations and other experiential events.

Its programming will be matched with STB-led events, it added, citing as examples the Grand Prix Season Singapore and Christmas on a Great Street

STB also noted other projects, including:

• The redevelopment of Faber House into NoMad Hotel, scheduled to open by the end of 2026;
• The transformation of the Somerset Belt into a youth precinct, with construction to be completed at the end of 2027; and
• The plans to pedestrianise a 500 m stretch from Buyong Road to Handy Road, creating an expanded Istana Park that will be three times its current size.

Discussing “a final piece of transformation of Orchard Road”, Ow noted that Seton Close in Tanglin features four heritage bungalows set within 1.9 hectares of land, which has now been rezoned for hotel use.

“The site presents an opportunity to develop a unique, low-density hospitality concept,” she said.

Asked about potential intiatives for strata-titled malls in the precinct, Ng recognised that advancing “building-centric” initiatives will be more challenging. But STB still engages managing agents, developers and businesses with bigger presences in these malls to invite them to participate in initiatives, she said.

The agency’s efforts in other parts of Orchard Road will have spillover effects within the precinct, she added, noting that more diverse offerings will help to boost its overall appeal.