Singapore in March: Weather, Crowds, the Flower Dome Sakura and Which Hawker Centres Close

1. What the weather is like in March

March is sunny, hot and mostly dry, and it turns showery towards the end of the month. For most of the month you can expect bright mornings, strong sun and only the odd shower. The temperature figures are in the table below.

Early March

Early March is the last part of the driest stretch of the year. The dry phase of the northeast monsoon ends in early March, so the first days of the month are usually the most settled. If you want the best chance of dry afternoons, this is the part of March to aim for.

Late March

From late March the inter-monsoon begins. Thunderstorms in the afternoon and early evening become frequent, and they get more common again in April. The weather service gives no exact date for the change, so treat it as a gradual shift: the start and the end of March feel different, and a trip in the last week should leave some slack in the afternoons.

How the rain behaves

Rain days are few in March; only February has fewer. When rain does come, it is short and heavy, and then it stops. You will rarely lose a whole day to it. Most of the time you step into a mall or under a covered walkway, wait for it to pass, and carry on.

Sunshine is plentiful. According to the weather service, February and March have the most sunshine hours of the year. Visibility is usually good, and March is not haze season, so views across Marina Bay are generally clear.

Heat and humidity

Daytime highs in March are among the highest of the year, and only April and May are hotter. The wind also drops compared with February, so the sun feels stronger when you are out in the open. On the other hand, daytime humidity is among the lowest of the year, so standing in the shade is quite bearable.

The sun rises a little after 7am and sets a little after 7pm all month. That gives you a long, cooler stretch of morning for walking before the heat builds. If you are weighing months against each other, our guide to the best time to visit Singapore lays the whole year side by side.

2. How March compares with February and April

March is hotter than February and drier than April. Many visitors choose between these three months, and each one suits a different kind of trip.

February

February has the least rain of the year and a breezy, clear feel. It is also the Chinese New Year month, with some of the year’s highest room prices and busy streets around the celebrations. If you want that festive atmosphere, see our Singapore in February guide.

March

March keeps most of February’s dry weather, especially early in the month, but the wind drops and the sun feels hotter. Room prices come down a little once Chinese New Year is over, and the city is back to its normal pace.

April

April is hotter still, and afternoon storms are frequent. If you travel in April, expect to spend more afternoons indoors than you would in March. The sakura display in the Flower Dome📍Map continues into mid April, so it is not only a March option.

If you are coming from Australia or New Zealand, it helps to think of March as the gap between two things you may already know about: Chinese New Year in February and the rainier inter-monsoon that settles in from April. Early March is closer to February in weather, and late March is closer to April.

For many trips, early March combines the best parts of both neighbours: February’s dry weather without February’s crowds, and none of April’s regular afternoon storms.

3. Crowds and room prices in March

March is neither crowded nor quiet, and rooms are neither cheap nor expensive. It sits in the middle of the year on both counts.

It is a little easier than February. Room prices around Chinese New Year are some of the highest of the year, and they come down a bit in March. You should find a reasonable choice of rooms in most areas if you book ahead as usual.

The weeks that get busy

A few weeks inside March are busier than the rest. If your dates avoid them, March is a straightforward month to book.

• The local school holiday week in mid-March, when families head to the theme parks and the zoo.
• The Good Friday and Easter weekend, in years when it falls in March.
• The days around Hari Raya Puasa, in years when it falls in March.

Each of these has its own section below, with the rule for working out whether it lands in your dates. Outside those weeks, popular sights are busy in the usual way, with weekends fuller than weekdays.

For help choosing an area to stay in, see our guide to where to stay in Singapore.

4. Sakura in the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay

Every year from early or mid March until mid April, the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay📍Map is filled with cherry trees. The Flower Dome is the cooled glass conservatory, so you see the blossom in comfortable air while it is hot outside.

Each edition takes a different Japanese prefecture as its theme, with scenery or character decorations from that region. The last two were Fukuoka and Ishikawa, so the look changes from one year to the next.

Tickets and opening hours

Ticket prices change from year to year, so check the official site for the current one. Our Gardens by the Bay guide covers the domes, the free outdoor gardens and how to get there.

When to go

Because it is indoors, the display is a good plan for the hottest part of the day or for a late-March afternoon storm. The Cloud Forest📍Map is also indoors, so the two together fill a hot or rainy afternoon.

Weekends and the local school holiday week are the busiest times. Weekday mornings are usually calmer, which helps if you want photos of the trees without many people in the frame.

The display carries on into mid April, so a trip at the end of March still catches it. If your dates fall in the local school holiday week, a weekday morning visit is the easiest way to avoid the extra families.

5. The local school holiday week in mid-March

Singapore schools take nine days off in mid-March, from a Saturday to the following Sunday. The Ministry of Education sets the dates each year, so check them for your year before you book.

That week, Sentosa, Universal Studios Singapore, the zoo and the Gardens get more local families than usual. There are no official crowd figures, but you will notice more children and more family groups at these places. The rest of the city carries on as normal.

How to plan around it

• Book dated theme park tickets early. See our Universal Studios Singapore guide for how the tickets work.
• Go on weekdays rather than the two weekends at either end of the break.
• City museums are a better bet than the theme parks that week, since the extra families mostly head to Sentosa, the parks and the zoo.

If Sentosa is on your list, the beaches are best in the morning anyway, before the heat and before the afternoon storms of late March. For beaches, rides and everything else on the island, see our Sentosa guide.

Visiting from Australia or New Zealand

For Australian families, school term 1 runs through March, so March is usually a term-time trip. The exception is a year when Easter falls in March, which is covered in the section on moving dates below.

For adults travelling without children, the local school break matters mainly if you plan theme parks, the zoo or Sentosa. For city sightseeing, food and museums, it makes little difference.

6. Ramadan and Hari Raya Puasa in March

Ramadan runs into March only in some years, so check the date of Hari Raya Puasa for your year first. Ramadan follows the Islamic calendar and moves about 11 days earlier every year.

In recent years Ramadan started in February, and Hari Raya Puasa, a public holiday, fell in March. It is now moving into February. That is why this guide does not say March is Ramadan: in some years it will be, and in others it will not.

The Geylang Serai bazaar

In years when Ramadan runs into March, Geylang Serai holds an evening bazaar. It runs from roughly late morning to midnight, and on the night before Hari Raya it goes on until the early hours. The streets are lit up with arches and light strings, and the lights stay on for one to two weeks after Hari Raya.

The Kampong Gelam bazaar

Kampong Gelam has a Ramadan bazaar too, on Muscat Street, Kandahar Street and around Sultan Mosque📍Map. Last time it ended about a week before Hari Raya, so if you arrive late in Ramadan it may already be gone. Our Kampong Gelam guide covers the area the rest of the year.

Eating and closures

• Muslims fast in daylight, but halal restaurants open as usual. See our halal food guide for where to eat.
• The bazaars are busiest after sunset.
• On Hari Raya and the day after, many Malay-run shops and much of Geylang Serai close.
• If Hari Raya falls on a Saturday, the following Monday becomes a day off for many people.

Visiting a bazaar

The Geylang Serai bazaar opens from late morning, so you can walk through in the daytime when it is calmer, or come after sunset when it is busiest and the lights are on. If you miss the bazaar itself, the street lights stay up for a week or two after Hari Raya, so an evening walk under them is still possible.

If you want to see a bazaar, go in the evening in the weeks before Hari Raya. If you want to shop or eat in Geylang Serai, avoid Hari Raya itself and the day after.

7. Good Friday, Easter and the Chinese New Year lights

Good Friday falls in March in some years, and in those years the last weekend of March gets busy. Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday and is a public holiday in Singapore. It usually falls in April.

An Easter long weekend in March

When Good Friday falls in March, the last weekend of the month becomes a long weekend. Hotels and Sentosa fill up, and visitors arrive from Australia and nearby countries.

If your trip overlaps that weekend, book rooms and any dated Sentosa tickets earlier than you otherwise would. Check the date of Good Friday for your year as soon as you have rough travel dates.

A quick way to tell: Good Friday is two days before Easter Sunday, so it lands in March whenever Easter Sunday falls in March or on the first two days of April. In that case the Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the end of March are the busy days.

The last of the Chinese New Year lights

The street lights in Chinatown stay up for about four weeks after Chinese New Year. They reach into early or mid March only in years when the new year falls after mid February. In other years they will already be gone by the time March starts.

Chinatown is worth a visit either way, lights or no lights. Our Chinatown guide covers the neighbourhood itself.

8. Hawker centres that close for cleaning in March

Many government-run hawker centres close for a deep clean in March, and a lot of them close on the same day. Most visitors don’t know about this until they arrive and find the stalls shut.

Each government hawker centre closes completely for a deep clean once a quarter. Most do the first clean of the year in March. The closure usually starts on a Monday and lasts one to four days, so a closure that starts on a Monday can also cover the Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

Well-known centres that close in March include Maxwell, Newton, Old Airport Road📍Map, Chinatown Complex📍Map, Tiong Bahru Market📍Map, Tekka📍Map Centre, Albert Centre📍Map and Geylang Serai Market📍Map. The dates change every year, so we don’t list them here. The National Environment Agency (NEA) publishes the cleaning schedule as a table on its website and on the government open-data portal.

How to check before you go

Find the hawker centre by name in the NEA table and look at its March cleaning dates. If your planned visit falls on the first day or within the next few days, move that meal to another day or another centre.

If your centre is shut

There is usually another hawker centre nearby. Lau Pa Sat and Satay by the Bay are privately run and are not on the NEA schedule. Our hawker centre guide can help you find a backup.

Separately, individual stalls keep their own weekly rest days all year round, and that has nothing to do with March. Our early-morning guide also covers the Monday cleaning closures if you plan to eat breakfast out.

9. Other events in March

March has a few smaller events, and St Patrick’s Day is the easiest one to join. None of them is a reason to plan a whole trip, but they are worth knowing about if your dates line up.

St Patrick’s Day Street Festival

It is held on the weekend nearest 17 March on Circular Road📍Map, behind Boat Quay📍Map, and entry is free. Guinness and the Singapore River business association run it, with Irish music and plenty of people dressed in green.

The street is a short walk from the river, so it fits easily into an evening along the water. Our Clarke Quay and Boat Quay guide covers the riverside around it.

Earth Hour

Earth Hour takes place on a Saturday in late March, from 8.30pm for an hour. WWF sets the date each year. Some buildings around Marina Bay may switch off their lights, but this is not confirmed, so don’t plan an evening around it.

Women’s golf at Sentosa

A women’s golf tournament at Sentosa Golf Club starts in late February and finishes on the first day or two of March. It only matters if you follow golf and arrive at the very start of the month.

10. Planning a day around March weather

Go outdoors in the morning, stay indoors or under cover in the afternoon, and head out again after dark. The mornings are the coolest part of the day, and the storms, when they come, tend to arrive in the afternoon or early evening.

Morning outdoors

With sunrise a little after 7am, you can start walking early while the air is still cooler. The Botanic Gardens, the Southern Ridges and the outdoor gardens at Gardens by the Bay all have long stretches in the open, so they are more comfortable before the heat builds. Sentosa beaches are best in the morning for the same reason.

Midday and afternoon indoors

Midday and afternoon are both the hottest and the stormiest hours, so it makes sense to spend them under a roof. The Flower Dome and Cloud Forest, the museums and galleries, the malls and the aquarium all work well here. If a storm settles in, our rainy-day guide to Singapore has more indoor ideas.

Keep in mind that pools, beaches and open-air viewpoints may pause when lightning is close. If a swim or an open-air view matters to you, put it in the morning and leave the afternoon for indoor plans.

Evenings out

By the time the sun sets a little after 7pm, the heat has eased and any afternoon storm has usually passed. Evenings suit the skyline, a walk along the river, a hawker dinner or the Night Safari. In years when Ramadan runs into March, the Geylang Serai bazaar is at its liveliest after sunset.

11. What to pack for March

Pack for strong sun and short rain: light clothes, sun protection and one folding umbrella. You will spend the day moving between hot streets and cold air-conditioned rooms, so plan for both.

• Light, quick-drying clothes. They dry fast after a shower or a hot walk.
• Hat and sunscreen. The sun is strong in March.
• One folding umbrella. The rain is short, so you don’t need more than that.
• A light layer. Air-con in malls, museums and trains is strong.
• Clothes that cover shoulders and knees for mosques and temples.
• Sandals. They are handy on wet pavements after a storm.

For sun and heat

With less wind than in February, the sun feels hotter in the open, especially around midday. A hat and sunscreen matter most on morning walks in the Botanic Gardens, the Southern Ridges or on Sentosa.

For rain

A folding umbrella is enough because the rain comes in short, heavy bursts. It is more useful in late March, when afternoon storms become common. Sandals save your shoes on wet pavements afterwards.

For indoors and religious sites

A light layer helps in malls, museums and on trains, where the air-con is strong. If you plan to visit mosques or temples, especially around the Ramadan bazaars, bring something that covers your shoulders and knees.

12. Who March suits, and when another month is better

March suits you if you want sunny days without the Chinese New Year crowds. It also suits anyone curious about the sakura display, and Australian families in years when Easter falls in March.

March works well for

• People who want to avoid the Chinese New Year crush in February.
• Anyone who wants sunny days with few rain days, especially early in the month.
• Visitors curious about the cherry trees in the Flower Dome.
• Australian families in years when Easter falls in March.

When another month fits better

• For the Chinese New Year atmosphere: February.
• For the least rain: February as well.
• For the least heat: December and January. See our Singapore in January guide.

Dates to check for your year

Most of what makes a March trip easy or busy depends on dates that move each year. Before booking, look up the local school holiday week, the date of Good Friday and the date of Hari Raya Puasa.

Once you have your dates, check the Gardens by the Bay closure day for the Flower Dome and the NEA cleaning schedule for any hawker centre you have in mind. If none of these clashes with your plans, March is a comfortable month to visit.

One last point on timing within the month: early March gives you the driest weather, while late March brings more afternoon storms. If your trip falls late in the month, keep the afternoons for indoor plans and do your walking in the mornings.

Singapore in March: FAQ

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