Tracing the Invisible: A Scent Walk Through Chinatown · 气味漫步牛车水

The walk

Tracing the Invisible is a two-hour guided walk that treats smell as a way of reading the city. It starts at Kreta Ayer Community Club, 28 Kreta Ayer Road, on Saturday 14 November 2026 at 10:30am, and ends at Tang Cha Tea House, 22B Smith Street, at 12:30pm.

The route moves through Chinatown's wet markets, thrift shops, medicine halls and older strata malls. There are guided smelling stops, and time to write and draw what you notice. The walk was designed by writer and artist Juliette Yu-Ming Lizeray, who took the idea from how snakes navigate by scent rather than sight.

It is part of Singapore Writers Festival 2026, which runs 13 to 22 November. The programme is in English. Wear walking shoes; most of the two hours is on your feet.

Tickets

The walk is sold out on the festival page. The regular price was S$20, with a 20 per cent concession for students, NSFs and seniors aged 55 and above. Check the festival programme page for returns, or turn up at the lobby a little before 10:30am in case a place frees up.

Getting there

Maxwell MRT Exit 3 is about a two-minute walk from the community club. Chinatown Market is two minutes away and Maxwell Food Centre three, if you want breakfast before the start.

中文要点

《气味漫步牛车水》是2026年新加坡作家节节目，11月14日星期六上午10:30至中午12:30，从牛车水民众俱乐部（水车路28号）出发，终点是史密斯街22B的堂茶。两小时步行，走过湿巴刹、旧货店、药材店和旧式分层商场，沿途有闻香、书写和绘画环节。英语进行。票价20新元，学生、全职国民服役人员和55岁以上长者八折。目前已售罄，可留意作家节页面是否有退票。