In Singapore, there's a genuine hunger for the arts, and the meticulously conserved streets of old Singapore are alive into the wee hours. The Singapore Tourism Board (736-6622 or 800/736-2000, www.stb.com.sg) has monthly listings of events.

You can also find schedules for major performances in the local English-language newspaper, the Straits Times, or in the free weeklies I.S. and This Week Singapore, available at most hotel reception desks. Also see www.happening.com.sg for more information.

Do try to seek out a wayang (Chinese opera). These dramatic productions are an experience you won't forget. They reenact Chinese legend through powerful movement, lavish costumes, and startling face-paint masks to the accompaniment of clashing gongs and pounding drums, punctuated by wailing flutes and stringed lute- or zitherlike instruments. Wayangs are staged all year, but most frequently in August and September, during the Festival of the Hungry Ghosts.

Singapore's nightlife has evolved into several quite separate nodes: there's the lively Singapore River quayside scene -- Boat, Clarke, and Robertson quays, together with Chinatown's Tanjong Pagar district, all crammed with restaurants, music bars, wine bars, and more -- and there's the touristy hotel strip of Orchard Road, a mix of sophisticated bars and pounding discos.

Nightclubs and discos are glitzy and pricey, designed chiefly for the young or those "on the hunt," and are very loud, making conversation impossible. Common, too, is the cover charge or a "first-drink" charge of about S$15 on weeknights and S$25 on weekends. During Happy Hour times, cheaper drinks are customary at most places, so call ahead to find out when they are. Many places also welcome women (sans male escort) for free or at a reduced rate. Dress codes, with the exception of posh hotels, are relaxed.

Older Singaporeans favor nightclubs with floor shows and hostesses, jocularly referred to as "public relations officers," who can be "booked" for an hourly fee or a big tip at the end of the evening. Be forewarned that some hostesses may be prostitutes chasing the dollar, and watch out, too, for the custom that requires you to buy a bottle of brandy for as much as S$300. Refusal could provoke confrontation.

Prostitution is illegal but actually tolerated, monitored, and contained, with prostitutes registered and subject to regular medical checks. The gay scene is also extremely active, although again technically illegal (cruisers risk entrapment). Check out Sunday nights at Venom, as well as Why Not? wine bar at 56-58 Tras Street and Taboo Club at 21 Tanjong Pagar Road.