We could smell Sentosa GrillFest before we properly saw it.
The walk towards Siloso Beach came with smoke drifting through the air, music playing near the waterfront, and groups already carrying trays of grilled meat. It felt less like a standard food fair and more like a large beach cookout where everyone had arrived hungry.
Sentosa GrillFest is back for its ninth edition, running on selected dates from 23 July to 16 August 2026. This year’s event brings together 42 vendors, including 18 new names, across five zones along Siloso Beach. Entry to the main festival grounds is free, although the food, drinks and selected dining experiences are chargeable.
We started at the Local Grills section, where the choices ranged from familiar Singapore flavours to more ambitious festival dishes. The Lobster Hokkien Mee, priced at $20, immediately looked like the kind of item designed to get attention. It had a light wok hei aroma and enough seafood sweetness to make it enjoyable, although the lobster itself could have been more tender.
The Ayam Bakar Cabe Ijo at $18 felt like better value for anyone looking for a complete meal. It came with a tender chicken leg, fragrant rice, achar and a spicy green sambal that gave the dish enough heat without making every bite exhausting.
From there, we moved towards the international and beachside zones. Umi Matsuri’s Tiger Prawns cost $14.50 for three and came with garlic butter sauce. The prawns leaned slightly overcooked during our visit, but the sauce was rich and savoury. Their half Salmon Head at $6 was the stronger order; the meat stayed fatty and tender, while the charred skin and chilli soy sauce gave it more flavour than its modest price suggested.
Meat lovers have plenty to work through. South & East offers Signature Five Spice Smoked Short Ribs at $24 per 100 grams and Satay Pork Ribs at $28 for three pieces. There is also a Babi Guling Hot Dog at $19, made with a spiced house-made sausage and finished with crunchy pork crackling. At the Beachside Grills, returning vendors such as Jett BBQ serve their oversized dinosaur ribs, while newcomers bring Wagyu, grilled beef cubes and other open-fire dishes.
With so many stalls, spending can add up quickly. Most substantial dishes fall around the mid-teens to mid-$20 range, so sharing with a group is the easiest way to try more without accidentally turning a casual festival visit into a very expensive dinner. We found it helpful to walk through the zones first, shortlist what actually looked good, then return to order.
The drink options matter more than expected because Siloso Beach stays warm even after sunset. We picked up a one-litre Watermelon Sugar Cane for $9, which was lightly sweet and refreshing enough to share. Drink prices vary between vendors, and the Sunset Lounge by Asahi offers a more relaxed beachfront setting for alcoholic beverages, DJ sets and live performances. It is the place to head after the food run if you want to sit down with something cold while the sky changes colour.
Dessert is not forgotten either. We tried the Bobo Cha Cha Royale at $20, which places roasted sweet potato together with coconut milk, yam boba and Mao Shan Wang durian. It is rich, dense and definitely designed for sharing. The durian becomes heavy after several bites, but the dish works if your group wants one dramatic sweet finish.
The biggest new addition is Chef’s Grill, an eight-course omakase-inspired experience created with the Singapore Chefs’ Association. Starting from $128, it takes place inside an air-conditioned beachfront pavilion, with chefs demonstrating live-fire cooking in front of diners. Advance booking is required, and the rotating guest-chef format means the menu can change between weekends.
We like that GrillFest gives visitors different ways to experience the same event. You can arrive for a few skewers and a drink, build a full meal by sharing dishes across the zones, choose fresh ingredients at the Marketplace by Indoguna, or book the more polished Chef’s Grill experience.
The practical details are straightforward. GrillFest runs from 4pm to 10.30pm on 31 July to 2 August, 7 to 9 August, and 14 to 16 August 2026, following its opening weekend from 23 to 26 July. The venue is along the Siloso Beachfront at 10A Siloso Beach Walk. From VivoCity, take the Sentosa Express to Beach Station, then continue towards Siloso Beach using the beach shuttle or walk.
We recommend arriving closer to 4pm if you want time to explore before the evening crowd builds. Wear something comfortable, bring tissues, and check the weather because this is still an outdoor beachfront festival. The wider festival is also pet-friendly, although individual dining areas may have their own restrictions.
Would we make the trip again? Yes, but with a plan and a group. Forty-two vendors sound exciting until you realise one stomach can only do so much. The real appeal is not trying everything; it is sharing smoky food by the beach, finding a few standout dishes, and staying long enough to watch Siloso shift from sunset into night.
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