Christmas in Singapore and New Year’s Eve at Marina Bay: Events, Fireworks Spots and Getting Home

1. When everything happens, mid-November to 1 January

Singapore’s Christmas season runs from mid-November, when the Orchard Road lights switch on, to 1 January, the last night of both the lights and Christmas Wonderland. In between come the Flower Dome📍Map‘s Christmas display, the Supertree Christmas show, a Christmas market, a street party on Christmas Eve and the fireworks over Marina Bay on 31 December.

Most of this season’s dates haven’t been announced yet. The shape of the season barely changes from one year to the next, though, so you can plan around it now and slot in the exact days once the organisers publish them.

Public holidays over Christmas and New Year

Christmas Day (25 December) and New Year’s Day (1 January) are public holidays. Both fall on a Friday this time, which gives two long weekends: 25 to 27 December and 1 to 3 January. Expect plenty of local families out on both.

Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are normal working days. Boxing Day (26 December) isn’t a public holiday here either, so if you’re from the UK or Australia, don’t plan around it as a holiday.

When it’s busiest, and when it’s quieter

The third week of December through to 1 January is the busiest and most expensive stretch. Local schools are on holiday from 21 November to 31 December and reopen in early January. Australian summer school holidays begin in mid-December, so many Australian families come over Christmas and New Year as well.

Weekdays in early to mid-December let you see everything with fewer people. Wonderland is open, the lights are up, and the year-end rush hasn’t started. If the Orchard Road lights are all you want to see, any evening after mid-November works.

December weather

December is one of Singapore’s wettest months. During northeast monsoon surges, from December to early January, it can rain across the island all day with strong wind. It’s also the least hot time of year, around 30 to 31°C by day and 24 to 25°C at night.

Christmas Wonderland and the countdown both carry on in the rain and don’t refund for weather, so pack a poncho. For the month’s weather, hotel prices and everything else about December, see our December in Singapore guide.

2. Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay

Christmas Wonderland is a ticketed evening Christmas fair on Supertree Grove📍Map and The Meadow at Gardens by the Bay📍Map, open from 6.30pm to 11pm. The last four editions ended on 1 January. It has run every Christmas since it started, with big light installations, fairground rides, games, food stalls, a gift market and stage shows. Blue Sky Events organises it, and Trip.com is both the presenting sponsor and the official ticket seller.

This season’s dates aren’t out yet. The opening night was in late November for the last two editions, while earlier editions mostly opened in early December. Watch the official Christmas Wonderland website for the announcement.

Sessions and ticket prices

Every ticket is for one date and one entry session: 6.30pm, 7.30pm, 8.30pm or 9.30pm. The session only sets when you go in. Once you’re inside you can stay until closing at 11pm, and last entry is 10.15pm.

Adult prices go up and down with the date. Last time the highest prices were on weekends in early and mid-December and across Christmas week (19 to 28 December). The lowest were in opening week and on early-December weekdays.

Buying in advance costs S$2 less than buying on the day, and same-day tickets are sold only while they last. Advance tickets can’t be moved to another date, so pick your night carefully.

Rides and games inside cost extra. So do the Supertree Observatory📍Map, the OCBC Skyway📍Map and the two cooled conservatories, the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest📍Map. Last time Gardens by the Bay also sold a Supertree Observatory and Wonderland bundle, at S$22 to S$26 for a non-resident adult.

What’s inside

The signature piece is the Spalliera, a 20-metre arch of lights handmade by craftsmen from Puglia in Italy. Its design changes every year. Around it you’ll find:

• Artificial snow, called Blizzard Time, after every Supertree light show. It has been a regular feature of recent editions.
• A double-decker Venetian carousel, which is there every year.
• A tunnel of lights, a mini train, bumper cars, swings and game stalls.
• An air-conditioned pavilion where you can meet Santa and his reindeer.
• A gift market and food stalls.

Last time also brought a Flying Santa, which was called off in strong wind or bad weather, and a 16-metre Christmas pyramid. Both were new that season, so don’t count on seeing them again.

How to pick a session

Plan your session around the Supertree light show, because the snow falls straight after it. During Wonderland the show ran at 7.45pm, 8.45pm and an extra 9.35pm in the last two editions, with a further 7.10pm show in Christmas week last time.

On a weekday, go for the 6.30pm session. You’re in at opening, you see the 7.45pm show and the snow, and you can stay on for photos after 9pm when it thins out. Weekends and Christmas week bring long queues, so a weekday in early December is worth aiming for if your dates allow.

Getting there

Take the MRT to Bayfront (CE1/DT16) and leave by Exit B. Follow the underground link, then cross the Dragonfly Bridge or the Meadow Bridge to Gate 3. From Gardens by the Bay MRT (TE22), Exit 1 leads to Gate 1, about 11 minutes on foot.

Satay by the Bay closed on 1 October, so don’t plan to eat there before your session.

Rain and house rules

Wonderland goes ahead rain or shine, and there are no refunds for weather. The organiser’s FAQ gives one exception: if the organiser itself cancels a session because of extremely heavy rain or a thunderstorm, you can ask for a refund or move to another session. Tickets are valid only for the date and session you bought.

Outside food and drink aren’t allowed, though a filled water bottle is fine. Re-entry is only through set gates, and most of the site is wheelchair accessible. For the rest of the Gardens, see our Gardens by the Bay guide.

3. The Flower Dome train show and the Supertree Christmas show

The Flower Dome’s Christmas display is a train show again this season, called the Christmas Train Show and themed on Rovaniemi in Finland, Santa’s hometown. It runs from about 20 November to early January, daily from 9am to 9pm, and it’s included in the normal Flower Dome ticket at no extra charge.

The Flower Dome puts on a Christmas display every year. The theme changes each time, but the name has repeated: it has been the Christmas Train Show for several years running. Last time it had about 20 model trains running on 145 metres of track, a LEGO Christmas tree, and poinsettias and other winter flowers. That was the second display in a row built around model trains.

Domes by day, Wonderland at night

Last admission is 8.30pm for the Flower Dome and 8pm for the Cloud Forest, and Christmas Wonderland opens at 6.30pm. So the natural order is the domes in the afternoon or at dusk, then Wonderland once it’s dark.

The domes are indoors and air-conditioned, which makes them a good place to wait out an afternoon shower. The conservatories keep their normal 9am to 9pm hours at Christmas and New Year. A Wonderland ticket doesn’t cover them, so you’ll need a separate conservatory ticket.

The Christmas Special Supertree show

Garden Rhapsody, the nightly light and music show in Supertree Grove, has a Christmas version called The Christmas Special. Gardens by the Bay has announced it for 29 November to 1 January, subject to change.

The show normally runs at 7.45pm and 8.45pm. In the last two editions an extra 9.35pm show was added during Wonderland, and last time a 7.10pm show also ran in Christmas week.

Garden Rhapsody is usually free to watch. On Wonderland evenings, though, Supertree Grove is inside the ticketed area, so without a Wonderland ticket you’ll need to watch from the World of Plants side.

4. Orchard Road Christmas lights: hours, villages and a walking route

The Orchard Road Christmas lights are free, and they’re on every evening from the switch-on, around the second weekend of November, until 1 January. The event is called Christmas on A Great Street. The light-up has been held every year for about four decades and is now run by the Orchard Road Business Association. The lights stretch about 3.1km from Tanglin Mall📍Map to Plaza Singapura📍Map, including Scotts Road.

This season’s switch-on date isn’t out yet. The last four all fell between 8 and 16 November, and the date is usually announced in late October or early November on the official Orchard Road Christmas website. Our November in Singapore guide covers the switch-on night itself.

What time the lights are on

The hours have been the same for the last four seasons:

If you’re heading over after an evening at Gardens by the Bay, remember that the lights go off at midnight from Sunday to Thursday. On Fridays and Saturdays you have until 2am.

The main arch and the Christmas villages

The main arch stands outside ION Orchard📍Map, at the junction of Orchard Road and Scotts Road. Last time it was 14 metres tall.

Last time there were also two Christmas villages, both free to enter, with rides and games paid separately. There have been one to three villages, depending on the year, and the last two editions used the same two places.

• Ngee Ann City📍Map Civic Plaza: a 14-metre Christmas tree with artificial snow at 8pm and 9pm (the same times in the last two editions), a carousel, a Ferris wheel and other rides, and a small Christmas market. From early December it was open from noon to 10pm (it opened in the afternoon before that), and until 12.30am on the 24th and 31st.
• Shaw House📍Map Urban Plaza: rides and trampolines.

Last time the facade of Hilton Singapore Orchard📍Map also had a 3D projection, a three-minute loop shown nightly from 7pm to 10pm, and until 12.30am on the 24th and 31st.

A walking route

To see the lights on foot, start at Orchard MRT and walk towards Dhoby Ghaut📍Map:

1. Orchard MRT (NS22/TE14), then up to the main arch outside ION Orchard.
2. The Christmas village at Ngee Ann City, timed for the 8pm or 9pm snow if it runs again.
3. On past Somerset MRT (NS23).
4. Finish at Plaza Singapura, next to Dhoby Ghaut MRT (NS24/NE6/CC1).

The walk is quietest on weekday evenings after 9pm. If it rains, cut through the underpasses and malls along the way. For shopping and food on the same stretch, see our Orchard Road guide.

Seeing the lights from an open-top bus

If you’d rather sit down, two bus tours have covered the lights:

• Big Bus Christmas Light-Up Tour: an open-top double-decker that loops the Orchard Road lights non-stop in about 50 minutes, leaving from the Big Bus and Duck tourist hub at Suntec City📍Map. Last time it ran on set evenings from late November to late December, departing at 7.30pm and 8.30pm.
• FunVee Christmas Light Up Tour: about an hour around Orchard Road and Marina Bay with a live guide. Last time it cost S$26 for adults and S$17 for children online.

5. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Singapore

Christmas Eve (24 December) is a normal working day in Singapore, and Christmas Day (25 December) is a public holiday. The big free event of the two days is the Christmas Eve street party on Orchard Road. Christmas Day falls on a Friday this time, so it starts a long weekend.

Christmas Eve on Orchard Road

For the last three editions, Orchard Road has held a street party on the 24th. About 400 metres of road between ION Orchard and Ngee Ann City closed to traffic from 6pm to 2am, with shows from 8pm to 12.15am and a countdown to Christmas at midnight. Entry is free.

The lights stay on until 6am that night. Last time the Ngee Ann City village stayed open until 12.30am, and so did the projection on Hilton Singapore Orchard.

Christmas Day

With 25 to 27 December a long weekend, local families will be out alongside visitors, so book any popular restaurant ahead. Street lights and skyline views make a better plan for the day than queuing at indoor attractions.

A few places have published their holiday hours. Gardens by the Bay’s conservatories keep their usual 9am to 9pm hours at Christmas and New Year. The Singapore Flyer📍Map opens every day including public holidays, from 10am to 10pm. The National Gallery opens daily from 10am to 7pm.

Malls and hawker centres don’t publish Christmas hours, so check the specific place you have in mind before you set off.

Christmas church services

Visitors are welcome to attend Christmas services quietly. St Andrew’s Cathedral📍Map and the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd📍Map are both in the city centre:

• St Andrew’s Cathedral (Anglican, by City Hall MRT): last time it held a 10.30pm service on Christmas Eve, morning services on the 25th, and a Lessons and Carols evening on the Sunday before Christmas.
• Cathedral of the Good Shepherd (Catholic, Queen Street): holds a Christmas midnight mass. Check the times on the cathedral’s own notices.

Don’t take photos or chat during services, and cover your shoulders and knees.

6. More Christmas events: Jewel, Marina Bay Sands, Universal Studios and the market

Away from Gardens by the Bay and Orchard Road, Christmas events also run at Jewel Changi Airport📍Map📍Map, Marina Bay Sands📍Map, Universal Studios📍Map Singapore, the Christmas market and the Mandai wildlife parks. Most are free or come with a ticket you’d buy anyway. Themes change every year, so treat last time’s details as a guide.

Jewel Changi Airport

Last time Jewel ran a festive light and music show on the Rain Vortex, put a 16-metre tree in Forest Valley, and had artificial snow in the evenings. Forest Valley is free, while Canopy Park needs a ticket. The theme changes from year to year. If you’re flying in or out over Christmas, it’s an easy stop; see our Jewel Changi Airport guide.

Marina Bay Sands and Universal Studios

At The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, a free light show ran in the Grand Colonnade at 7.30pm and 8.30pm last time, from early November to late December. The theme changes every year.

Universal Studios Singapore runs A Universal Christmas from late November to early January, included in a normal park ticket. Last time there was a snowfall show, a projection on the castle and fireworks on some nights. The park also stayed open longer, from 10am to 9pm in late December.

The Christmas market and the Mandai parks

Last time the Christmas market, called Togetherland, was at Bayfront Event Space next to Marina Bay Sands from mid-December to early January. It started out ticketed at S$5 to S$8, then switched to free entry from 17 December because of the December rain, except on the 24th and 31st. The venue was different in each of the last two editions, and this season’s market hasn’t been announced.

At Mandai, Bird Paradise and Rainforest Wild ASIA put on Christmas activities inside the parks last time, and you need a park ticket for those. The 8-metre Christmas tree stood outside the parks on the Mandai Wildlife West lawn, a free public area.

7. How the Marina Bay countdown works

The Marina Bay Singapore Countdown is free with no tickets, and the fireworks start at about 11pm and finish with a finale at midnight. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) runs it with support from the Singapore Tourism Board, and each edition is named after the year it welcomes in. Marina Bay is one of the ONE Countdown sites, the islandwide set of New Year’s Eve countdowns.

What time the fireworks start

For the last two editions the fireworks started at 11pm and ran for 30 minutes in total, in four parts, with the finale at midnight. The edition before that had three parts, at 11.10pm, 11.35pm and midnight. So for three years running, the pattern has been several bursts from about 11pm, ending at midnight.

If you turn up just before midnight, you’ll miss most of the show. Aim to be settled by 11pm.

The fireworks go up from pontoons out in the middle of the bay, and they’re designed to be seen from all around it; the organisers call it 360°. Each show is set to music, and the theme and title change every year.

Free events before the fireworks

Last time there was plenty to fill the evening without paying. Light projections ran on the facade of The Fullerton Hotel📍Map from 26 to 31 December, from 8pm, the same window for three editions running, and UOB Plaza had projections too.

The Esplanade📍Map held free concerts all December. On the 31st its Outdoor Theatre had a set starting every hour from 6pm to 10pm, with the last one ending at about 10.40pm, and one more just after midnight, at 12.12am.

When this season’s details come out

The announcements arrive in the same order every year, so you know when to look:

All of it appears on the official Marina Bay Singapore Countdown website. Until then, last time’s closing times and train times are the best guide you have.

8. Where to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks

Any open waterfront around Marina Bay gives you a view of the fireworks, because they’re fired from the middle of the bay. What differs from spot to spot is the backdrop you get and how early police close it when it fills up.

These are the viewing areas named by official sources: the government map, the police advisory and the closure updates on the night. The last column shows when police stopped letting people in last time.

Those closing times are when each area was full on the night, according to last edition’s police updates. They move with the year and the weather, so treat them as a rough guide.

Which side of the bay to pick

• West (Merlion Park, One Fullerton, The Clifford Pier): the Merlion and Marina Bay Sands together. These areas filled first, at about 8pm last time.
• North (Esplanade Park and the waterfront promenade): looking across the bay to Marina Bay Sands, with the free concert at the Outdoor Theatre close by. Closed at about 9.40pm last time.
• East (Helix Bridge, the Marina Bay Sands promenade and Event Plaza): facing the city skyline. Closed at about 10.40pm last time.
• South (The Promontory, The Lawn, the Waterfront Promenade): open lawns, with The Promontory close to head-on and capacity-controlled.

If you want the Merlion in your photos, go early. If you’d rather arrive after dinner, the Marina Bay Sands side stayed open longest last time. For the bay on any other night, see our Marina Bay at night guide.

Check the live crowd map

The police put up a live crowd map, Crowd@MarinaBay, at 7pm on the 31st. It shows how crowded each area is, so open it before you head for a spot and again if your first choice closes.

Spots further out

The media also suggest a few places outside the official areas. None of these is an official viewing area:

• Marina Barrage📍Map green roof, a raised view over the water.
• Bay East Garden📍Map at Gardens by the Bay, across the water.
• Mount Faber📍Map, a distant view from above.
• Tanjong Rhu📍Map Promenade, which also catches the fireworks at The Kallang.

9. The night of 31 December: when to arrive, rain and what to bring

For a spot on the Merlion or Fullerton side, be in place before 7pm; for the Esplanade, around 8pm; for the Marina Bay Sands side, around 9pm. There’s no official arrival time. These times follow when each area closed last time, so earlier is always safer.

Here’s how the night ran last time, from the first road closures to the last train:

Final road closures are confirmed around 29 December on the official countdown road closures page.

Bag checks and closed areas

Expect bag checks on the way in. Once an area is closed, leaving it may mean you can’t get back in, even for a toilet break. The toilets are in the malls around the bay, so go before you settle in.

If it rains

New Year’s Eve falls in the northeast monsoon, so rain is a real possibility. The fireworks have gone ahead in rain in recent editions, and on one wet night the crowds were still packed in by about 8pm. The official countdown website doesn’t give a wet-weather policy, so there’s no promise either way.

Wear a poncho. Umbrellas block the view of everyone standing behind you.

What to bring

• A poncho
• Water
• A power bank
• Something to sit on for the hours of waiting
• A meeting point agreed in advance, in case your group gets separated

An early dinner before you take your place makes the wait much easier, especially if you’re aiming for the Merlion side and need to be there before 7pm.

10. Getting home: last trains, buses and road closures

Trains run late on New Year’s Eve, and last time the final trains left the stations around the bay between 1.40am and 2.44am, depending on the line. The last-train times were almost the same in the last two editions, with differences of a minute or two, so they’re a good guide. This season’s times are usually confirmed in mid to late December.

Late trains run from the stations around the bay: Marina Bay, Raffles Place, City Hall, Shenton Way, Downtown, Bayfront, Promenade, Esplanade and Gardens by the Bay.

Last trains, station by station

The Changi Airport branch doesn’t get later trains. A long list of bus services also ran late last time, with the last buses leaving between 2.40am and 3.35am.

Which stations to use

The police advisory names City Hall, Raffles Place and Bayfront as the most crowded stations, and suggests Esplanade, Promenade, Downtown or Marina Bay instead. If Bayfront gets too packed, trains may skip it, and some exits may close.

At Marina Bay station, only the Circle Line train towards HarbourFront stops early, at 1.40am last time. The station’s Thomson-East Coast Line trains ran later, until 2.20am towards Woodlands North and 2.32am towards Bayshore, so the whole station doesn’t shut at 1.40am.

Check the official countdown getting-there page for this season’s train and bus times once they’re out.

Taxis, Grab and driving

Roads around the bay reopen at 2am. Until then, taxis and Grab can’t get inside the closed area, so walk out of it before you try to book a ride.

If you parked in a building car park inside the closure, you may not be able to drive out until the roads reopen. The simplest way home is on foot to a hotel nearby. For getting around the rest of the trip, see our Singapore MRT and transport guide.

11. Paid places to watch the fireworks

A handful of venues sell New Year’s Eve packages with a fireworks view. Sales start at different times, some are already open, and they sell out early. All the prices here are last time’s, and ++ means service charge and tax are added on top.

The Singapore Flyer

The Flyer’s countdown flight is sold only by the Flyer itself. If you’d like a ride on another night of your trip, standard tickets are on our Singapore Flyer page.

Boats and the closed inner bay

The inner bay, from Jubilee Bridge to Helix Bridge, is closed to boats from 8pm to 2am, the same for three editions running. Countdown cruises watch from outside it or from the river.

Singapore River Cruise has already listed its 31 December sailing for this season, leaving from the Clarke Quay jetty. The price hasn’t been published yet.

Hotel rooms with a view

Some hotels sell room packages for the night of the 31st with a fireworks view, such as Pan Pacific’s Fireworks by the Bay. Read the terms before you book: the Pan Pacific package states that it doesn’t guarantee an unobstructed view.

12. Countdowns away from Marina Bay

Last time The Kallang, Sentosa📍Map and Clarke Quay each held their own free countdown, so you can see in the New Year somewhere other than Marina Bay. The line-up changes a lot from year to year. The official ONE Countdown list usually comes out in mid-November.

The Kallang

Last time The Kallang, the former Sports Hub, held a free countdown with fireworks over the Kallang Basin, 35 minutes in four parts. That included a five-minute family set at 9pm, new last time, and 15 minutes at midnight. The concert venue itself was ticketed at S$10 and sold out.

The 9pm fireworks suit families with young children who won’t last until midnight. For more ideas, see our Singapore with kids guide.

Sentosa

Last time Siloso Beach📍Map had a free show put on by a broadcaster, with more than 10 minutes of fireworks at midnight. Palawan Beach📍Map had midnight fireworks too, as it has in several recent editions. For getting to the island, see our Sentosa guide.

Clarke Quay

Clarke Quay’s countdown is free and has used drone shows instead of fireworks in recent editions, at 9pm and 11pm last time. With lots of riverside bars along the water, it’s a good place to spend the whole evening; see our Clarke Quay guide.

Neighbourhood countdowns

There were also countdowns in the housing estates, known as the heartlands, though far fewer sites took part last time than the year before.

13. Where to stay and when to book

Book your hotel early, because 25 December to 1 January is the dearest week of the year in Singapore, and it overlaps the school holidays. Take a free-cancellation rate as soon as you know your dates, then adjust later if you find something better.

For the countdown: Marina Bay

If the fireworks are the reason for your trip, stay at Marina Bay and walk back afterwards. Rooms for the night of the 31st go first, so book that night before anything else. Our Marina Bay hotels guide compares the options.

Road closures around the bay began at 6pm last time, so if you’re arriving by taxi on the 31st, check in earlier in the day.

For the lights and shopping: Orchard Road

If Christmas is the main event for you, stay on Orchard Road so you can walk back after the lights and shop by day. See where to stay on Orchard Road.

For every area and budget, start with our Singapore hotels guide.

14. Sample plans for Christmas and New Year’s Eve

For a Christmas-season day, spend the afternoon in the Flower Dome, take the 6.30pm Wonderland session and finish under the Orchard Road lights. New Year’s Eve needs a different plan, built around getting to your spot early.

A Christmas-season day

1. Afternoon: the Christmas Train Show in the Flower Dome, indoors and out of any showers.
2. Dusk: a walk around Gardens by the Bay.
3. 6.30pm: the first Christmas Wonderland session.
4. 7.45pm: the Supertree light show, then the snow.
5. Later: over to Orchard Road for the lights, which are on until midnight on weekdays.

On a weekday in early December this is about as relaxed as the season gets. At weekends and in Christmas week, book your session in advance, because same-day tickets are sold only while they last.

New Year’s Eve

1. Daytime: stay indoors, in malls or museums.
2. Early evening: an early dinner.
3. Before 7pm: in place at your viewing spot, or later if you’ve picked the Esplanade or Marina Bay Sands side.
4. 11pm: the fireworks begin.
5. Midnight: the finale.
6. Afterwards: walk back to your hotel, or skip the busiest stations and use Esplanade or Promenade MRT.

The National Gallery, open daily from 10am to 7pm, is one indoor option for the day.

With children

Families with young children don’t have to stay up until midnight. Last time The Kallang’s 9pm family fireworks gave children a show well before bedtime.

An early Wonderland session works too. Children aged 3 to 12 were S$7 last time and under-3s went free, and the 6.30pm session gets you to the first light show and the snow early in the evening.

Frequently asked questions

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