Museums, art galleries and cultural venues that provide cultural and heritage-related services.

Characteristics Of Museums, Galleries & Cultural Venues
Statistics & Trends
Government Programmes & Assistance
Licences & Permits
Laws & Regulations
National Events & Awards
Trade Associations
Key Government Agencies

• Businesses providing cultural and heritage-related services fall into this sub-sector.
  
  
• They include:
  
  
  • museums
  • art galleries
  • cultural villages/centres
  • businesses that preserve and operate historical sites and buildings
  • businesses providing cultural exchange services

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Statistics & Trends

• The museums, history and culture sub-sector employs the lowest number of workers but has the second lowest operating expenditure. Here are some statistics and trends you may be interested in:
  
  
  • Overview of the Arts, Entertainment & Recreation Sector
    The arts, entertainment and recreation sector, including museums, galleries and cultural venues, contributed S$20.3 billion or 9.4% to Singapore’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2006.
    
    
  • Museums, History & Culture Sub-Sector
    A snapshot of the number of establishments, number of workers, operating receipts, etc.
    
    
• For more statistics and trends, please refer to the Arts, Entertainment & Recreation Sector Statistics & Trends section.

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Government Programmes & Assistance

Industry & Capability Development

• Convene-in-Singapore Scheme (CiSS)
  Get advice, assistance and funding to bid for and host an international arts event/exhibition in Singapore.
  
  
• Heritage Industry Incentive Programme (HI2P)
  Get a grant for private museum/heritage projects, to upgrade your museum gallery or develop innovative heritage products and services.
  
  
• Partnership Funding For Arts Businesses
  Get a grant of up to S$50,000 to present high quality arts events.
  

Tax Incentives

• Concessionary Tax Rate For Approved Mega Events
  Get a reduced tax rate on income from mega events staged in Singapore.
  
  
• Public Art Tax Incentive Scheme (PATIS)
  Get a tax deduction when you donate, display or adopt public art.

Other Government Programmes & Assistance

• You can also tap into other programmes and assistance available to all arts, entertainment and recreation establishments. For a full list of these, please refer to the Arts, Entertainment & Recreation Programmes & Assistance section.

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Licences & Permits
Museums, galleries and cultural venues must obtain these licences and permits to organise cultural and heritage-related activities.

Licences/Permits For Museums, Galleries & Cultural Venues

• Arts Entertainment (AE) Licence
  Get this licence to run arts and entertainment events (e.g. plays, music/dance performances, art exhibitions, poetry reading, etc.) for the general public.
  
  
• Police Permit For Assemblies/Processions
  You may need this permit to organise any assembly or procession of 5 or more persons (e.g. treasure hunt). If you are unsure whether a permit is required for your event/procession, please contact SPF.
  
  
• Public Entertainment (PE) Ad-Hoc Licence
  Get this licence to provide ad-hoc public entertainment, such as public talks, game machines/pin-tables, etc. If you play recorded music at an arts event for the general public, you will also need to obtain this licence as well as the Copyright Permit (for Ad-Hoc Events).

Other Licences/Permits For Related Business Activities

• You may require licences/permits to carry out certain activities, such as:
  
  
  • playing copyrighted music, videos or films
  • holding cultural/heritage events or building temporary stage and structures in national parks
  • selling beer/liquor at your cultural or heritage events
    
    
• For details, please refer to the Arts, Entertainment & Recreation Licences & Permits section.

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Laws & Regulations
Museums, galleries and cultural venues must comply with laws and regulations to operate or carry out certain business activities in Singapore.

Laws & Regulations For Museums, Galleries & Cultural Venues

• You must ensure that your business premises have been approved for heritage or cultural-related activities.
  
  
• You must ensure that your business holds valid licences/permits to run free/paid arts or entertainment events (e.g. plays, music and dance performances, art exhibitions, pop concerts, poetry reading, story-telling, treasure hunt, etc).

Other Laws & Regulations

• You must comply with laws and regulations related to activities such as  playing copyrighted music, playing music videos, screening films, and providing or organising arts/filming activities and performances in public parks.
  
  
• For details, please refer to the Arts, Entertainment & Recreation Laws & Regulations section.

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National Events & Awards

National Events

• ARTSingapore
  ARTSingapore is the biggest contemporary arts fair in Southeast Asia that showcases contemporary works by emerging and prominent artists from around the world.
  
  
• Singapore Art Show (SAS)
  SAS is held biennially to showcase artworks by local artists and promote public interest in local visual arts.
  

National Awards

• Patron Of The Arts Award
  The annual Patron of the Arts Award recognises those who have contributed significantly towards the promotion and development of the arts.
  
  
• Patron Of Heritage Awards
  The annual Patron of Heritage Awards recognises those who have helped promote and develop Singapore’s heritage and museum sector.

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Trade Associations

• You may want to join the Art Galleries Association Singapore (AGAS), which represents the interests of Singapore’s art galleries and partners Government agencies to organise trade and networking events for its members.
  
  
• For a full list of arts, entertainment and recreation-related trade associations, please refer to Arts, Entertainment & Recreation Trade Associations.

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Key Government Agencies

• There are several Government agencies involved in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector. To learn more about each one of them and their role in the sector, please refer to Government Agencies & The Arts, Entertainment & Recreation Sector.

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