Greetings, fellow lovers of the flip side and everyone who’s ever laughed at a poorly timed dad joke!

Welcome to Flipside, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay’s annual celebration of circus, puppetry, physical theatre, comedy and everything in between. This year, we dive headfirst into The Games We Play—a theme celebrating the glorious chaos of competition, the joy of collaboration, the sheer absurdity of life and what it means to be human. Over two weekends from 30 May – 8 Jun 2025, we invite you to revel in the fun of bending (or ignoring…or fine, keeping) the rules.

We kick things off with Bill’s 44th, a birthday bash (for adults only!) with cake, snacks and party games, where Bill brings us along on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance, reflecting on the passage of time. In the following weekend, Gibbon takes the stage with a mesmerising duet of give-and-take between jugglers, forming hypnotic patterns and blending technical precision with a dash of humour. Then, the dynamic drumming duo, Fills Monkey, face-off in at We Will Drum You, an electrifying showdown of infectious beats.

One of the most wonderful things about Flipside is how everyday moments, simple objects and unassuming spaces are transformed into something surprising and new. This year, we are thrilled to have a remarkable host of local and international artists who bring this spirit to life across Esplanade. Returning to the festival are the Lah Meh Lions who bring their uniquely Singaporean twist to the games we all played growing up. Meanwhile, puppeteer Lee Dae Yeol’s A Show With Strings transforms the beloved childhood game of Cat’s Cradle into an imaginative display of a string’s endless possibilities.

At Flipside, we also feature acts that remind us of the communal joy of spectator sport and the awe of watching artists make the impossible look easy. This year, be taken in by the infectious energy of Les Patineurs (“The Skaters” in French); FreestylerNARI’s jaw-dropping basketball tricks; the gravity-defying feats of the aerialists at the annual Aerial Open Stage, and Kolektiv Lapso Cirk’s thrilling game of balance in OVVIO.

And this is just a mere taste of what’s to come! With even more incredible artists joining the festival, surprises await at every turn. Keep an eye out for games hidden around the centre—because at Flipside, play isn’t just on stage, it’s everywhere.

So dust off your competitive spirit (or sharpen your skills in good-natured heckling), and come ready to laugh, cheer, and play. Let the games begin—we can’t wait!

Lynn Yang
Senior Producer
The Esplanade Co Ltd