A guide for the Laneway virgin

MANILA, Philippines - Now more accessible than ever thanks to budget airlines, the Laneway Festival 2012 in Singapore on Feb. 12 should be the festival to look out for early in the year. With 14 indie acts headlining this 12-hour event at the historical Fort Canning park, this festival is expected to draw music fans from all over Asia. This is what you need to know if you plan on going for the first time.

Who’s playing: It’s a full-day event that will run from Sunday 2 p.m. – Monday, 1 a.m. and will feature these 14 acts: Anna Calvi (London/goth pop), Austra (Toronto/new wave), Cults (New York City/noise pop), Feist (Nova Scotia/indie), Girls (San Francisco/lo-fi rock), Laura Marling (UK/folk), M83 (France/shoegaze-dream pop), The Drums (Brooklyn/surf pop), The Horrors (Essex/horror punk), The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (New York City/twee pop), Toro Y Moi (Columbia/chillwave), Twin Shadow (Brooklyn/lo-fi new wave), Wu Lyf (Manchester/psychedelic), and Yuck (London/noise rock).

How to buy a Laneway ticket: Since tickets are limited and event day rates go up to S$150 (P5,100), the obvious option lies in online booking. Simply log on to Sistic (sistic.com.sg) to purchase a Laneway ticket for S$135 (P4,590), excluding a S$3 (P102) booking fee. You can pick up the ticket a day before the event itself at the venue or have it delivered to you somewhere in Singapore.

What airlines to consider: Tiger Airways and Jestar are choice airlines for your trip to Singapore. It might be better though to go on a Thursday instead of the weekend itself to avoid any weekend increases in rates. At this time, though, ticket prices have gone up considerably so take caution and consider booking one-way tickets from different airlines.

Girls, girls, girls: San Francisco lo-fi band Girls make up one of the 14 acts in 2012’s Laneway Festival in Singapore. Photo from Last.fm

Accommodations within or near Fort Canning: YMCA Fort Canning Lodge is reasonably priced. Hotel 81 and Ibis Hotel along the nearby street of Bencoolen are quality options, too. Fort Canning is really a town area, just beside Orchard Road so you’d be hard-pressed to find a place to stay that’s S$50 (P1,700 a night) and below. Hangout Hotel at Upper Wilkie is a bit of a walk from Fort Canning but its affordable, dorm-style rooms (like the five-bed Quin room) make it a good deal for you and your friends. If you can’t find a friend’s place to crash at, you can resort to Zuji.com.sg, AsiaRooms.com, and Booking.com for more transient inns and budget hotels.

Transportation: You can commute to almost any point in Singapore via the MRT so getting around shouldn’t be a problem. The light-to-moderate traffic in most parts also make for a smooth cab ride. But it might be ideal to just walk to and from the venue, especially after a heavy, filling meal at those hawker food stalls.

FYI: Laneway is a rain-or-shine event so make sure to dress the part and bring umbrellas. The nearby Park Mall is also a good place to stock up on anything you might need before the show.

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Make sure to follow Laneway on Facebook at facebook.com/lanewayfestival and Twitter at @LanewayFestSG.