THE GOOD WEEKEND 🇸🇬

A local market for the conscious and the curious. 

This National Day weekend, we brought The Good Weekend back for its second year, and what a weekend it was!  Over two days, close to 50 local makers, social enterprises and impact-driven brands came together with more than 1,300 visitors, filling the space with creativity, good food, meaningful stories and plenty of heart.🩷

Organised by The Social Space in partnership with The Majurity Trust, The Good Weekend was created as more than just a place to shop. It was a space to discover local businesses, meet passionate makers, experience various forms of creativity and, along the way, meet with people who care about making a difference.

There was perhaps no better place for this gathering than The Foundry itself. Established by The Majurity Trust, The Foundry is a social impact hub where social impact groups and non-profit organisations come together to share resources, build connections and work towards a better Singapore. It was especially fitting to celebrate Singapore’s 61st birthday in a space rooted in community, purpose and collaboration.

And for the second year running, The Good Weekend brought all of that together under one roof! 💛

A Weekend Full of Stories, Creativity and Purpose

One of the most special things about The Good Weekend was the variety of ways visitors could engage with the community around them.

The weekend kicked off with Run For Good, a community social run organised by The Social Space in collaboration with Bettr Coffee. With all proceeds going towards Fashion For Cancer, this run was a reminder that coming together for a good cause simply starts with taking a few steps together.

This year, we were also thrilled to have The Impact Lab join us as our official impact storytelling partner. Founded by Joelyn Chong, this youth-led, ground-up platform works to make conversations around social impact more accessible through storytelling. Throughout the weekend, their team captured stories from the ground through roving interviews, sit-down conversations, and an interactive telephone activation - enabling the stories of our vendors and changemakers to reach beyond the event itself.

CLOOP brought their Open Wardrobe to The Good Weekend, giving pre-loved clothing and accessories a new lease on life. Visitors could browse curated pieces and enjoy the fun of thrift shopping, while making a more conscious choice and helping reduce textile waste.

And for those who wanted to explore Singapore beyond the walls of The Foundry,  The Urbanist brought visitors on a heritage trail through the historic Bras Basah precinct. The walk offered a chance to see a part of Singapore through a different lens, with 100% of proceeds going towards the Singapore Heritage Society.

We were also joined by Rise & Thrive, an initiative supporting women navigating financial difficulty through mentorship and opportunities to grow their small businesses. Their shared booth brought together a wonderful mix of businesses - QWALAAA, Chitz Bakez, Lujean Bakes, Bakes by Heni, Danish Delights, Karamel by Sal, Sew Much Love and Tufts & Tendrils, spanning everything from fudgy brownies and banana cake, to handmade fabric pieces and fresh flowers.

New Life Stories also brought a particularly meaningful story to the weekend. They work to prevent intergenerational incarceration and support families affected by parental incarceration. Visitors could purchase children's storybooks written by incarcerated parents, and hear one of the authors bring their story to life during a special storytelling session. It served as a beautiful reminder that stories can create connection and new possibilities.

Making and Creating

Of course, The Good Weekend wouldn't be complete without getting our hands a little messy! 🎨

Our workshops gave visitors the chance to slow down and make something of their own. Onigiri & Toast invited participants to create zines around the theme of moments that feel like home, while Craftworthy offered a gypsum plaster coaster-making experience with a Singapore-inspired SG61 edition.

cat in the woods offered participants the opportunity to explore the intricacies of bead weaving through a Peranakan-inspired bracelet workshop, drawing inspiration from traditional craftsmanship and intricate design. Myristica Hill brought Singapore's flavours into the workshop space with a Singapore-inspired salad dressing session, encouraging participants to explore the edible landscape around us in a completely different way.

Aurora Flora Preservation helped visitors capture a little piece of Singapore through pressed flower art, while Yume introduced participants to the art of stringed kokedama.

Together, these sessions made space for something we don't always get enough of: time to pause and to create with our own hands! 🤲🏻

Familiar Flavours and New Takes

No weekend market is complete without good food, and our food vendors brought together familiar flavours, new interpretations and plenty of treats to keep everyone up and going.

Bettr Coffee served pick-me-ups with their café specialty drinks, alongside a special cart serving traditional Singaporean kopi and teh. It was a lovely meeting of the familiar and the new, with their specialty coffee and classic local favourites bringing something for everyone! ☕

Uncle Chua's Ice Cream Truck brought a little nostalgia to the weekend with colourful blocks of ice cream tucked between crispy wafers or soft rainbow bread. For many visitors, it was a chance to revisit a familiar childhood favourite on a hot day.

We were also joined by Mahmud's Tandoor, who served up hearty tandoori burgers, loaded masala fries and refreshing Bandung Slushies. Originally a home-based business, they now run a 3-storey outlet, with the simple intention of spreading peace and joy through food.

Modesi brought chocolate and Singaporean heritage together through intricate 3D-printed chocolate pieces inspired by local architecture and landmarks, while Modditional gave traditional kueh and bakes a modern touch✨. Myristica Hill continued its celebration of Singapore's edible landscape through their uniquely crafted sauces and wellness teas inspired by local, botanical flavours🌶️. Ah Mah's Legacy also gave traditional Teochew kuehs a fresh twist, with creative flavours that celebrate recipes passed down through generations.

Shopping Small, Shopping Good

Walking through The Good Weekend meant discovering an incredible variety of makers, artists and purpose-led businesses - each bringing their own story and craft to the table.

Artably, Artzillions, ART:DIS Studio, A Piece of Mine Puzzles and Artisan Collab by SPD all showed how art can become a pathway to inclusion. From stickers and everyday essentials to jigsaw puzzles, ceramic pieces, journals, mugs and lifestyle products, these brands transform original artworks by artists with disabilities or special needs into products that celebrate creativity while creating opportunities for greater independence, confidence and meaningful employment. 💪

Thaddino brought the joy of dinosaurs to life through his signature illustrations, turning his artwork into lifestyle products and creating a meaningful platform for an artist living with autism. SNAIL Handmade Ceramics offered hand-built mugs, plates and other ceramic goods made by a mother and special needs son duo. Each piece is made to bring small pauses, quiet moments and a gentler pace to everyday life. 🍃

For those drawn to playful art, Bleak Illustrations brought humorous socks, stickers and a live portrait station, while Butthaus turned everyday Singaporean quirks into cheeky enamel pins and stickers🔮! PointyRice brought a playful take on our hawker culture, celebrating familiar favourites like cai fan and nasi padang through interactive sticker sets and lifestyle accessories. 🍚

Cat in the woods brought together elegant handmade accessories inspired by Peranakan and Japanese craftsmanship, while Rawmarketshop added a vintage touch to journaling with its collection of rubber stamps and stickers🌷, meanwhile Philouwoodcraft brought handcrafted wooden pieces - from planters, birdhouses, and wooden crosses.

For those who love a little greenery, Little Botany's semi-hydro plants offered a creative way to bring nature indoors, while Yume's miniature bonsai, kokedama and botanical pieces encouraged a slower, more mindful connection with nature. Terra Nest complemented this with handcrafted botanical incense and essential oil creations designed to engage the senses and invite moments of calm. 🌱

Aurora Flora Preservation gave flowers a second life by transforming them into pressed flower keepsakes, turning something fleeting into something that can be cherished for much longer. 🌸 We also had interdisciplinary artist Ashley Maddala showcase her postcards and prints centred around themes of home and Singapore’s native biodiversity and ecosystems. 🦠

There was also plenty for handmade craft lovers! 🧶Hoopla Crochet brought lovingly made crochet bags, charms and accessories, while Macramenian celebrated slow craftsmanship through their handcrafted rope and yarn pieces. Ohmyblume added a playful touch with small crochet pieces inspired by local food and the everyday drama of corporate life. 🐸

Singlapa transformed original hand-painted watercolours into homeware and lifestyle pieces inspired by Singapore's heritage and traditions, while Creating with D turned hand-painted illustrations of animals, nature and everyday sights into usable crafts.🖌️ Letters of Praise brought hand-illustrated stickers and prints that celebrate faith, love and everyday moments.

Goodness Gracious championed lower-waste living with their beeswax food wraps and plastic-free home essentials 🐝, while The Tinkerbox offered everyday accessories for low-waste and sustainable living.

Apricot & Co. brought dessert-inspired candles, perfumes and room sprays designed to brighten everyday spaces 🍦, while Pause, offered plant-based soaps and gentle home essentials for moments of calm and comfort 🫧.

For those looking for something to wear, Will & Well championed inclusive fashion with their adaptive clothing and accessories designed to make everyday living more comfortable, while Talking Toes brought positivity to the humble sock through playful patterns, purposeful messages and products that give back🧦.

A Weekend That Brought People Together

Looking back, what stands out most isn't simply the number of brands, workshops or visitors that filled The Foundry over those two days - it was the people ♥️

It's the makers who shared what they had created. The founders who spoke about the stories behind their businesses. The workshop hosts who patiently taught new skills. The visitors who stopped to chat, ask questions and discover something new. The families, friends and strangers who shared food, stories and little moments throughout the weekend. It's artists finding opportunities to share their work. It's social enterprises creating meaningful employment. It's organisations using stories, creativity and community to tackle challenges that most people aren’t aware of.

And it's the many small choices made throughout the weekend - whether it was a purchase, a conversation, a new skill learned, a story heard, or answering a prompt, all these added up to something bigger.

The Team Behind TGW’26

None of this would have been possible without the teams working behind the scenes. A huge thank you to our partners at The Majurity Trust for the hours of preparation and hard work, both behind the scenes and on-site, and for continuing to build this with us. We are so grateful to have a shared belief in the power of bringing people together around purpose! 🫰

And a special shoutout to The Impact Lab for being our official impact storytelling partner - helping us capture the voices and stories that made the weekend what it was. 

Lastly, a heartfelt thank you to every vendor, workshop host, partner, volunteer and visitor who spent their weekend with us - your support means the world to us! 🌍 We hope you left with something new to take home, a story to share, or perhaps a little more inspiration to make a difference.

Until next time, we’ll see you next year!💛