Bugis Street
Covered street market of about 600 shops opposite Bugis Junction
Bugis Street is a covered street market of about 600 shops selling clothes, accessories, souvenirs and street snacks, between Victoria Street and Queen Street opposite Bugis Junction, about 100 metres from Bugis MRT station. The name belongs to an older street nearby that from the 1950s until 1985 was one of Singapore's best-known night spots, with open-air dining and drag performers who drew sailors on shore leave and tourists; in 1957 a newspaper called it the Montmartre of Singapore. The government announced redevelopment plans in 1984, and bulldozers demolished the shophouses in October 1985, with development needs, a planned MRT station and the lack of proper sewers among the reasons given.
Construction of Bugis Junction began in 1991 over the old street, and the mall opened on 8 September 1995. The authorities recreated Bugis Street opposite it as a pedestrianised shopping lane. Shoppers work through a maze of small stalls hunting for bargains on fashion, accessories, souvenirs and street snacks. Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple and Sri Krishnan Temple on Waterloo Street are about 300 metres away, so the market fits easily into a walk around the Bugis area.
Highlights
About 600 shops (Singapore Tourism Board)
Original street was a night spot until 1985
Recreated opposite Bugis Junction
About 100 m from Bugis MRT station
Practical Info
Address
3 New Bugis Street, Singapore 188867
In This Destination
Central Region
Museums, temples, heritage quarters and the Southern Ridges hill parks