Singapore hosts magnificent festive light-ups throughout the year. If you’re visiting soon, here are the best festive illuminations to attend.
Multicultural Singapore loves illuminations and festive light-ups. In recent years, it also seems as if there’s a light-up somewhere in the city-state every month.
If you’re visiting Singapore soon, the following are the major festive light-up events not to be missed. This list is arranged according to chronological order. Included are also “artistic” illuminations, i.e. events celebrating Singaporean culture and heritage.
Chinatown Chinese New Year Light-Up (Jan – Feb)
Singapore’s Chinatown Chinese New Year Light-Up is the first major ethnic festive light-up event of Singapore’s calendar year and one of the most anticipated. Typically, the district’s two arterial roads (Eu Tong Sen Street and South Bridge Road) will be adorned with oriental lights and decorations.
Each year, a massive showpiece to welcome the incoming animal of the Chinese Zodiac will also be set up at the busy traffic junction of Eu Tong Sen Street and Cross Street. A night shot of this showpiece is a must for many Singapore photographers.
Location: Chinatown
Light to Night Singapore (Usually Mid Jan)
Light to Night Singapore is Singapore’s first “artistic” night festival annually, typically concurrent with the above-mentioned light-up of Chinatown.
Taking place in Singapore’s historic civic district, the highlight of the artsy celebration is always mesmerizing light shows onto such iconic buildings as National Gallery Singapore. Outdoor art installations and festive food bazaars or food streets will feature as well.
Since the civic district is within walking distance by subway from Chinatown, this festival can be easily enjoyed in combination with the light-up of Chinatown.
Location: Civic District
Hari Raya (Ramadan) Light-Up at Geylang Serai (Dates Vary Each Year)
Geylang Serai Hari Raya Light-up is also well-liked due to not just the romantic street lamps but also its extensive food bazaars. Nowadays, food bazaars are also where the nation’s modern street food makes its grandest show. It is thus a tummy-teasing, eyes-enticing experience going to the light-up.
Location: Geylang Serai
iLight Singapore/Marina Bay (Usually Jun)
iLight Singapore used to be called iLight Marina Bay and was traditionally celebrated in March/April. It has since been relocated to June annually since the pandemic, though. It was also renamed iLight Singapore even though the festival remained a celebration of creativity and sustainability.
The festival is billed as Asia’s first sustainable light art festival, the crown jewel of which is avant-garde outdoor light installations along the shore of Singapore’s Marina Bay. For visitors, the travel tip is that almost all installations are free to see.
Lastly, because June is term break for Singaporean schools, iLight Singapore also includes food bazaars and activities that are child-friendly. It is a good family outing for a visit.
Location: Marina Bay
Singapore National Day Light-Up (July)
One of the newest light events on the Singaporean calendar and originally created as a replacement for the cancelled 2020 Singapore Night Festival, this pre-cursor event to Singapore’s National Day sees national icons of the country illuminated in red and white, i.e., Singapore’s national colours.
Locations vary annually but the biggest lighting will always be at National Museum Singapore.
Worth mentioning as well, the event is ironically underadvertised considering its nationalism. If you’re keen to catch it, you have to watch out for Singaporean print media for where and when to catch it. Details are made available around mid-July.
Singapore Night Festival (Aug)
Singapore’s legendary “mid-summer” arts festival always takes place in what is now called the Bras Basah.Bugis Precinct. For two weeks, light installations on monuments, street exhibitions of art, and celebratory bazaars abound throughout the precinct and are free to everyone. There will be paid and free workshops and leading museums will remain open late in the evening, with free entry at some of them.
Needless to say, one of the highly anticipated arts festivals in Singapore is the Night Festival.
Location: Bugis and Bras Basah Districts
Lights by the Lake (Usually Aug – Sep)
Like National Day illuminations in Singapore, Lights by the Lake is a comparatively newer festival. Always organized at Jurong Lake Gardens in the western region of the country.
Since August and September are “Mid-Autumn Festival” months in these parts, the main features of the event are always big outdoor lantern displays. They have a different theme annually. As an example, traveling was a theme in 2022. Symbolic Singapore landmarks were featured in 2023.
There usually is a mini food bazaar too, making the event great for sampling Singapore street food as well.
Mid-Autumn (Mooncake Festival) Light-Up (Normally Sep – Oct)
The Mid-Autumn Festival in China is not a holiday in Singapore. Chinatown will still be decorated with festive lights. Just like the Chinese New Year light-ups, there will also be a massive showpiece at Eu Tong Sen Street junction with Cross Street.
These showpieces typically have the icons of the festival such as mooncakes, rabbits, and Chang’e, the Chinese lunar festival mythical fairy.
Location: Chinatown
Deepavali Light-Up (Oct – Nov)
The twice-yearly Deepavali/Diwali light-up of the Little India precinct is one of Singapore’s most resplendent light-up festivities.
During the approach to the Hindu Festival of Lights, the southern part of Serangoon Road will be lined with an endless tunnel of blinding lights. Like the rest of the nation’s ethnic festivals, there will also be food and festive bazaars, as well as street decorations in the form of traditional Hindu horse chariots.
Venturing into Little India during light-up time is like entering a fairy land of lights.
Location: Little India and Southern Stretch of Serangoon Road
Orchard Road Christmas Light-Up (Nov – Dec)
The longest festive light-up of Singapore has been around since the 80s and has also undergone a number of changes since then, with some of the shopping malls not even having elaborate display pieces outside their building anymore. But all of Orchard Road shopping street will still be festooned with beautiful fairy lights for the whole last few weeks of the calendar year.
In the last few years, it is also a tradition of sorts for some malls and hotels to put up massive Christmas trees reaching as high as 15 meters. A definite year-end activity not to be missed when in Singapore during the Yuletide season.
Location: Orchard Road from Tanglin Road to Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station
Share the Moment (Last Week of Dec)
As in other globals’ metropolitans, stunning fireworks kick off the start of the New Year every Dec 31 around Singapore’s Marina Bay. With the exception of these firework shows, parts of Marina Bay’s landmarks are also treated with light art projects.
In 2022 and 2023, these light projections were grouped and named “Share the Moment.” It remains to be seen whether these projections will become an annual event. Nevertheless, if you’re welcoming the New Year in Singapore, do keep an eye out for announcements about these light art displays.