QUEENSTOWN KAKIS: Every neighbour is welcome :)
This community-organised social group offers a sense of belonging and connection - keeping the kampung spirit alive. Here’s what you might experience as a new kaki…
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Queenstown Kakis Welcomes You!
The venue is described as, “Lawn opposite Queenstown Polyclinic”. But when you first arrive at the polyclinic, you’re not quite sure where this refers to. Is it the field opposite? Or the patch of grass beside the polyclinic?Â
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Standing there, looking expectantly around, you suddenly hear a greeting. “Welcome! Are you here for Queenstown Kakis?” You nod. She extends her hand and says, “Hi, I’m Rebecca.”Â
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Immediately, you’re taken to a table covered in a spread of food.
From pandan cakes, to kuehs, to coffee, the variety of choices is almost overwhelming. As you try to decide, an older gentleman walks past. Rebecca introduces him. “This is Chef Said, one of the resident chefs in our community.” Chef puts down two trays, and takes off the lids. “Macaroni and curry puffs.” He announces unceremoniously, as if it was no big deal, before sitting on one of the plastic chairs littered around the grass patch.Â
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You ask where you can pay, or even contribute for the food. Quickly, Nigel, another volunteer, tells you that there’s no need. Everything here is offered out of generosity, and there is no expectation or need for payment.
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As you take the food, you try finding a place to sit. There are foldable tables perched all over the lawn, cups and paper plates on the table, and people all around – conversing, introducing themselves, and sharing about what’s new with their lives.
Ash, another volunteer, would occasionally greet passers-by and say cheerfully, “Hi! Would you like to join us for coffee?” If you didn’t know better, you might have thought that she was trying to sell something.
Sharing the currency of friendshipsÂ
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But here at Queenstown Kakis, there’s nothing sold. In fact, the only currency, as Ash points out, is “the currency of kindness and friendship.” She observes how today’s society often trades on the currency of money. Queenstown Kakis is countercultural in how it presents friendship, with no agenda, to the neighbors around them.Â
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Ash recalls the time when she first started greeting people and asking them to join for coffee. People would ask, “You from the Government?” When she shook her head, they were even more surprised. Why were these people doing this for free? Didn’t they already have jobs, families, and lots of other things to do? Why were they still giving more of their time and energy to do this?Â
Neighbourliness, with no agenda
Ash had been actively volunteering for more than a decade. Then she wondered: “Wouldn’t it be great if I can volunteer in my own neighbourhood?” However, she couldn’t seem to find anything suitable through the Residents’ Networks.
She later remembered that she had volunteered briefly with Queenstown Kakis previously. She got reconnected via a friend and soon became active in planning, and spreading community-building in the estate.
Queenstown Kakis’ goal – building a more livable and lovable neighbourhood – really resonated with her. There’s no agenda, no pressure, and anyone could come and go as they pleased.
It all started when the founders observed what happened during COVID’s circuit-breaker, where everyone was living in their self-contained bubble to stop the spread. Some started experiencing profound loneliness, and a void within them that was hard to fill.
In November 2021, some of the founding members went for a Design Singapore Bootcamp trying to ideate a solution to this issue – and won a $5000 grant to bring their ideas to life.
The first of their two ideas was Happiness Hosts. They started with foldable chairs and tables, serving coffee and tea. They chatted with neighbours who walked past. Through these conversations, they found out what each neighbour was passionate about and encouraged them to share their passions with others as Happiness Hosts. They could cook nasi rendang, and bring that for the community potluck. Or teach people arts and crafts. At their first community event, these Happiness Hosts came together to share their unique knowledge and creations.
Their second idea was Modular Furniture. Queenstown Kakis wanted to use the under-utilised spaces in neighbourhoods such as the void decks, green spaces and other public spaces to serve as community touchpoints through pop-ups such as a playground or kopitiam. The community could then connect across different age groups, enjoying meals together on tables and chairs scattered casually on lawns.
And when the event ended, they would pack it up, leaving a pristine lawn again. In many ways, this mirrored the character of friendships. Quickly set up, easily put away, with everyone bringing away the warm, fuzzy feeling you feel at the end of a good conversation.
Building bridges
At the core, Queenstown Kakis are about building relationships – bridging the gap between people of all ages, races, religions and social backgrounds.
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The belief is that when communities are built on a strong foundation of social relationships, and each community member brings their unique passion, a flourishing neighbourhood would buzz again with a renewed kampung spirit.
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Such friendships strengthen the social capital in the neighbourhood, so that when help was needed, help could be found.Â
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Piercing societal barriers, the Queenstown Kakis’ gathering spot has HDB terrace homes on one side, with rental flats on the opposite side. In all their events, they have encountered an abundance of talent and generosity from neighbours on both sides of the estate.
In this way, their work breaks stereotypes of who gives and who receives. That morning, everyone brought items, drinks, and their artworks, without expecting anything in return. There was no separation or distinction – just neighbours sharing in a good-natured breakfast.
Wherever they live, they find friendship, help, and emotional support from those around them. And together, they continue to build a community where they are not just in their own little bubbles, but where there is a virtuous cycle of mutual help.
A platform to activate talents Â
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Queenstown Kakis continues to envision a place where neighbours have a platform to share their passions, such as singing, arts and crafts, or cooking. On 6 December 2025, from 9am to 12 noon, they are having their second Kampung Market at the Queenstown Community Centre.
There, they will bring together different neighbours who want to share their passions and talents – be it a homemade dish, coffee brewing, crocheting, or even their artworks.
Why not pop by to join in?
You will discover a vibrant community, built from the ground up by passionate neighbours driven by a pure desire to build stronger friendships with one another.
Seeing something so powerful and beautiful flourish based on nothing more than genuine intentions, friendly smiles and generous hearts – absolutely convinced us that the best things in life are, indeed, free. Pop by, and it might convince you, too.
Want to keep in touch with Queenstown Kakis and join their regular events such as breakfasts, walks, and soccer? Join their Telegram group here. Their WhatsApp group can be joined here.
