LASALLE x Esplanade: Self-Guided Trail for a Global Visitor

Esplanade is the largest Singapore's national performing arts centre, dedicated to its social mission of entertaining, engaging, educating, and inspiring through the arts. Its vibrant calendar spans diverse cultures, languages, and genres, with a remarkable 70% of events presented free for all. Alongside its own diverse programming, Esplanade regularly showcases world-renowned companies and artists. This commitment ensures broad public access to high-quality artistic experiences, enriching the nation's cultural life and solidifying its role as a vital and inclusive hub for the community.

The project aims to engage a group of LASALLE students to design a free, self-guided trail at Esplanade specifically for international tourists. To create an engaging and culturally insightful experience, students will conduct research to understand tourist motivations and knowledge gaps. They will then audit Esplanade’s architecture and history to conceptualize and curate a narrative that connects local arts to a global context and shared interests among residents and visitors. The final trail must be easily navigable, “Instagrammable” and interactive to highlight iconic spots, engage audiences in active explorations, and tell meaningful stories for social sharing. The goal is to transform a simple visit into a memorable, self-paced discovery of Singapore’s vibrant performing arts scene led by Esplanade.

The final deliverable is a pilot-ready, tourist-centric self-guided Trail Package offering an accessible and enriching alternative to paid tours and solidifying Esplanade position as a must-visit global cultural destination. This includes a detailed route map with key points of interest, concise scripted content (maximum 10 pages), physical signage recommendations and suggestions for interactive components that could be added to enhance audience experience. The proposal will outline a clear thematic narrative, an estimated walking duration, and integration strategies with Esplanade's premises, historical locations and relevant stop points for further discovery. The Package also includes 10–15 student-taken photographs showing the "behind-the-scenes" development of the Trail, with the students' consent for Esplanade to use them for marketing and promotions.