The autumn vibes are in full swing in Singapore — yes, even if the tropical country doesn’t experience the four seasons. The Lion City celebrates their autumnal months from September to November with more rainy weather as it gets closer towards November. It’s a good thing that this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival is happening on 29 September 2023, which is before the rain typically begins to pour.
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The Mid-Autumn Festival is a Chinese festival dedicated to celebrating the autumnal harvest and the time when the moon shines its brightest. Once the sun sets in Singapore, the streets light up in different colored lights and lanterns and the festivities begin — and you definitely won’t want to miss out!
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Here are 8 of Singapore’s festival activities that you can enjoy:
1. Explore Chinatown’s Mid-Autumn Festivities
Photo Credit: Lily Banse on Unsplash
Chinatown is definitely the best place to get into the spirit of the Mid-Autumn Festival, with the beautifully decorated streets and different events happening each week leading up to the day of the festival. Head over to the area right before 7PM to watch the streets come alive with dazzling lights, then feel free to wander through the holiday bazaars of different food stalls and souvenir shops selling lanterns and colorful mooncakes.
There’s even a White Rabbit Candy Popup Store set to open from 25 September to 1 October, where you’ll find merchandise featuring the nostalgic candy brand, such as tote bags, pillowcases, mugs, and more. There are also weekly stage shows happening at Kreta Ayer Square, so make sure to drop by for some fun!
2. Light up the night at Singapore Lantern Festival
Photo Credit: Kelly Heng on Unsplash
Every year, the Gardens by the Bay undergoes a mid-autumn transformation as it is adorned with ornate lantern displays set amongst the trees and the flowers. The lanterns begin to glow from 6PM up until 10PM. The different lantern displays include:
- Garden of Blooms - A secret garden of flora that’s important to Chinese culture, including the lotus, peach blossom, and bamboo
- Magpie Bridge - Inspired by a Chinese myth, the display shows a flock of magpies forming a bridge to reunite two lovers, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl
- Pavilion - A classic Chinese garden that offers a great vantage point to view the rest of the gardens
- The Butterfly Lovers - Based on one of the four great Chinese folktales, this display reimagines a romance story between lovers
- Blooming in Dance - A light up displays of dancing figures
- Traditional Lanna Lanterns - A display highlighting the craftsmanship of the Lanna people
- Colorful Blossoms - A walk-through floral arch of 20 lantern peonies
- Our Secret Garden - A garden of whimsical creatures created by students from ART:DIS Digital Art Programme
You’ll also be able to enjoy nightly street performances as you explore the gardens, or as you grab a bite at the street food stalls, featuring Taiwanese flavors and international delights, such as XXXL fried chicken, peanut ice cream popiah, and fried bananas. You can catch the cultural performances featuring music, dance, and theater all at Supertree Grove.
The Gardens by the Bay is not only home to various horticultural displays, it’s also the place of amazing architectural structures, like the Cloud Forest, which is one of the tallest indoor waterfalls in the world. The OCBC Skyway offers guests a captivating view of the city as you walk through an aerial walkway suspended between two Supertrees 22 meters high. Want to go even higher? Head to the canopy of the tallest Supertree to find the Supertree Observatory, which is an open-air rooftop deck. Sip on cool drinks as you take in 360-degree views — what could be better?
3. Satisfy your moon cake cravings
What is the Mid-Autumn festival without mooncakes? You’ll find no shortage of mooncakes as you enjoy Singapore’s festival activities! This Mid-Autumn delicacy comes in all kinds of flavors and colors. Here are some of the unique mooncakes you can find:
Teochew Mooncakes with Mochi at August Baking Studio
What sets Teochew mooncakes apart from regular mooncakes is its crispy, flaky multi-layered crust that has been deep fried and usually filled with salted egg yolk, but August Baking Studio fills their Teochew mooncakes with chewy mochi! Want to try something new this autumn? Grab a box of these Teochew mooncakes!
Matcha Lava Mooncakes at PARKROYAL COLLECTION on Pickering
Matcha lovers, there’s a mooncake flavor just for you too! The PARKROYAL COLLECTION on Pickering offers a delectable version of mooncakes that fuses traditional and modern flavors, like their green tea-infused Matcha Lava mooncakes.
White Lotus Seed Paste with Macadamia Nuts Mooncakes at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel
Experience the subtle sweetness of white lotus seed paste with the crunch of macadamia nuts in one delightful mooncake at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel. White Lotus is one of the most popular mooncake flavors for a reason, so you definitely have to give these a try.
Charcoal Skin with Gold Dust Dragon Well Tea Mooncakes at Hotel Indigo
Indulge in Hotel Indigo’s charcoal-skinned mooncakes flavored with white lotus seed paste, melon seeds, and dragon well tea (Longjing tea) and dusted with gold on top. Aside from the delicious taste, its elegant packaging also makes it the perfect gift or souvenir for your loved ones!
Snowskin Mooncakes at KELE Singapore
Snowskin mooncakes first originated in Hong Kong as a non-baked, softer version of the traditional mooncakes and typically have more unique kinds of fillings, such as avocado macadamia, pink guava ume, durian, and even alcohol like Yuzu champagne and raspberry whisky — if that doesn’t get you try these, we don’t know what will!
Lychee with Wolfberries Mooncakes at PARKROYAL COLLECTION on Marina Bay
Going to any mid-autumn parties? These mooncakes from PARKROYAL COLLECTION on Marina Bay are perfect to bring to any event! Although they’re popular for their handcrafted mooncakes, this year, they’re offering a unique, yet popular take on the traditional delicacy — handcrafted mooncakes filled with lychees and wolfberries — all wrapped in elaborate, elegant packaging.
PARKROYAL on Beach Road Mid-Autumn Mooncakes
If you prefer the no fuss, delicious, traditional mooncakes, you can find these classic treats at PARKROYAL on Beach Road. Sink your teeth into a rich, thick filling of lotus seed paste that’s best paired with a warm cup of tea.
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Mid-Autumn Mooncakes
You can even take a box home as a souvenir! Find assorted mooncakes of all flavors and colors at the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport. Get a taste of baked mooncakes filled with assorted nuts, low sugar white lotus paste, gula melaka walnut latte, and more!
4. Catch the Moonstruck Performance at Singapore Botanic Gardens
Photo Credit: Ajay Sharda on Unsplash
Singapore Botanic Gardens stages a dance-theater performance every year based on the story of the Lady on the Moon, entitled Moonstruck. Families and friends are welcome to attend the show to celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival.
Even without this show, though, the gardens are definitely worth a visit as it is Singapore’s oldest garden and first UNESCO heritage site. It’s a great place for a calming sunset or evening stroll, but the highlight of the gardens is the National Orchid Garden, which is the home of the largest orchid display in the world — that’s over 60,000 plants!
5. Celebrate with Hello Kitty at Vivo City’s Sky Park
Who doesn’t love Hello Kitty and her friends? Sanrio characters lovers can come together at this adorable Garden of Lights display at Vivo City! You can meet Hello Kitty, My Melody, Little Twin Stars, and more of your favorite Sanrio characters, as well as take photos at the Hello Kitty-themed archway and with the life-sized version of the cute character herself. The best part: it’s all free! Catch the adorable display at the 3rd floor of Sky Park of Vivo City until 1 October.
6. Take part in the Wan Qing Mid-Autumn Festival
The Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall takes part in the Mid-Autumn festivities with their own Wan Qing Mid-Autumn Festival. There’s a special installation at the front lawn, which is entitled A Mid-Autumn Paw-trait this year and features two giant panda lanterns that will greet all guests from 10AM to 9PM. They also celebrate this Singapore festival with a wide range of activities that commemorate Chinese art, culture, and heritage, all of which are great for kids and adults! There are different workshops that kids and parents can participate in, such as:
- Parent-Child Recycled Panda Lantern Making Workshop (23 September) - Families can learn to craft panda lanterns from recycled milk bottles
- Melodies in Motion: Hokkien Songs & Rhymes Workshop (23 September) - Kids will learn the Hokkien dialect through folk songs and movements
- Parent-Child Hakka Abacus Seeds Making Workshop (24 September) - Parents and children will knead, pinch, and roll their own yam seeds
The Gateway Theatre also puts on a production of The Race Around the Moon on 23 September 2023 at 2PM and 5PM for kids aged 2 to 5 years old.
7. Enjoy Jurong Lake Gardens’ Lights by the Lake
Photo Credit: Joylynn Goh on Unsplash
Stroll the handcrafted lantern displays — created by artisans from China — of Lights by the Lake hosted by Jurong Lake Gardens.
Enjoy the view of the lake and the greenery, both of which complete the festival’s ambience. Talented local artists will also be performing every Friday and Saturday at 7:30PM, so you can delight in the performances as you explore the gardens. Guests will also be treated to the Singapore Chinese Orchestra’s beautiful symphonies that showcase Singapore’s Chinese musical traditions on 23 September 2023 at 6PM.
Jurong Lake Gardens was created as a people’s garden with spaces specifically landscaped for the community to enjoy together. The Gardens are made up of three areas for guests to explore — the Lakeside Garden, the first area of the Gardens to open; the Chinese and Japanese Gardens, which will feature different trails, pagodas, and cafes, and the Garden Promenade.
8. Take a moonlit Lantern Walk with Tayo the Little Bus and Friends
A lantern walk is the perfect way to end the day, especially when accompanied by Tayo the Little Bus and his friends! Families will have a ball at this adorable event featuring every kids’ favorite character.
The lantern walk with Tayo and Friends takes place at 7:30PM from Downtown East, Event Square, to Piai Plaza at Pasir Ris Park, all you have to do is grab your own lantern and enjoy the night! Along your route, make sure to keep an eye out for the Tayo standees recounting the legend of Chang’e and Hou Yi.
After the walk, kids will also be able to meet, greet, and take photos with Tayo and his friends. Earlier in the afternoon, there will also be a variety of free activities available, such as a corner for kids to play with toy bows, arrows, and targets, and a crafting workshop for kids to learn to make mooncake keychains. It’s the perfect way for families and guests of all ages to celebrate this Singapore festival.
Excited to get festive this autumn? Hurry and plan your itinerary, so you don’t miss out! Explore more of Singapore with this guide to 80 attractions and experiences that you’ll surely love.
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Written by: Gabby Mendoza
