Joo Chiat Road
60
MENTIONS
7
EPISODES
6
PODCASTS
Search complete. 60 mentions across 7 episodes found for "Joo Chiat Road".
Oct 14, 2026
Kenn DelbridgeHOST
[upbeat music] Welcome to the Hear Here Singapore podcast series on Joo Chiat.
Kenn DelbridgeHOST
If you walk down Joo Chiat Road today, you'll see two neighborhoods sharing the same street.
Kenn DelbridgeHOST
There are the shophouses, the kueh shops, and the bead work that have been here for generations, and there are the new cafes, bars, and small makers that have arrived in the last few years, bringing crowds with them.
Kenn DelbridgeHOST
In 2025, Time Out named Joo Chiat as one of the coolest streets in the world.
Kenn DelbridgeHOST
They praised the old shophouses and hawker food, but what most visitors come for now is the new.
Kenn DelbridgeHOST
This series is about what that means.
Kenn DelbridgeHOST
Most people would call Joo Chiat Peranakan, and that's true, but it's not the whole story.
Kenn DelbridgeHOST
It's always been a mix of Malay, Eurasian, Chinese, and Peranakan.
Kenn DelbridgeHOST
[instrumental music] Ask most people what Joo Chiat is famous for, and you'll hear one word, Peranakan.
Kenn DelbridgeHOST
And they're not wrong, but this is also a neighborhood with mosques, churches, and temples, all in the same small patch of Singapore.
Kenn DelbridgeHOST
So when I asked today's guest how he'd describe it, his answer stuck with me.
Michael KehGUEST
Joo Chiat is more than the Peranakan theme.
Michael KehGUEST
There is the mosque here.
Michael KehGUEST
There is the churches here, even the temples here.
Michael KehGUEST
We like to say that it's like a small Singapore inside Singapore.
Michael KehGUEST
Hi, my name is Michael Keh.
Daniel MartinHOST
And so that got me thinking about this idea of, hey, hey, hey, are there other parts of Singapore that could benefit from experimenting or closing off the traffic? Maybe not all the time.
Daniel MartinHOST
Not always feasible, right? I mean, Jujubee has a lot of restaurants, has a lot of deliveries, has to come in.
Daniel MartinHOST
I get it.
Daniel MartinHOST
But think about a place like Holland Village, right, which has this experiment that became permanent.
Daniel MartinHOST
And so that got me thinking about this idea of, hey, hey, hey, are there other parts of Singapore that could benefit from experimenting or closing off the traffic? Maybe not all the time.
Daniel MartinHOST
Not always feasible, right? I mean, Jujubee has a lot of restaurants, has a lot of deliveries, has to come in.
Daniel MartinHOST
I get it.
Daniel MartinHOST
But think about a place like Holland Village, right, which has this experiment that became permanent.
Steven SeahGUEST
Like the Peranakan features that reminds them.
Steven SeahGUEST
And along the corridors in Bedok, we are implementing, uh, murals of old places, Joo Chiat, Chinatown, et cetera, so that as they walk, they can remember.
Lance AlexanderHOST
Oh, it, it, it rekindles certain memories.
Steven SeahGUEST
Yeah.
Tim OhHOST
And this is something which happened over the weekend, if you are in the east side.
Tim OhHOST
I know a lot of east siders are very happy for the inaugural Joo Chiat Car-Free Day, which took place on Saturday, uh, where half a click of Joo Chiat Road turned into a vibrant pedestrian street festival.
Tim OhHOST
Uh, between 3:30 PM to 9:30 PM, they closed off, right, from Dunman Road-
Glenn OngHOST
Hmm
Tim OhHOST
[laughs]
Glenn OngHOST
They're that small.
Glenn OngHOST
Okay, so tell us, uh, what you thought of, uh, the car-free party along Joo Chiat Road.
Tim OhHOST
Hmm.
Charmaine PhuaHOST
Charmaine Poh with you here on KISS Cafe with your Friday Forecast.
Charmaine PhuaHOST
And if you live in the Katong area, you will know that Joo Chiat Road is quite hellish for drivers, especially on the weekend, right? Well, in conjunction with World Car-Free Day, they are closing the road to vehicles for the first time ever on Joo Chiat Road between East Coast Road to Dunman Road, just for a few hours on Saturday, the 3rd of October, tomorrow.
Charmaine PhuaHOST
From 3:30 PM until 9:30 PM, half a kilometer of Joo Chiat Road will be catered just for pedestrians, and the street is gonna be filled with lots of activities by all the iconic local businesses in the neighborhood.
Charmaine PhuaHOST
There's gonna be food on site, a picnic zone, live music jams, DJs, an area dedicated to pets, and even a wellness section with Pilates, dance fitness.
Charmaine PhuaHOST
Can you imagine them doing community yoga on the road? That is gonna happen, and there are tons more to look forward to.
Charmaine PhuaHOST
So set aside your Saturday evening to enjoy the fun at Joo Chiat's first-ever car-free day.
Charmaine PhuaHOST
If you wanna find out more about the highlights, the various businesses that will be involved, do so on the website for the Katong Joo Chiat Business Association.
Charmaine PhuaHOST
That would be kjcba.sg/joochiatstreetsocial.