How to Celebrate Chinese New Year in Singapore

Lantern displays, fireworks and cultural performances – there are plenty of ways to soak up the festival spirit in Singapore.

By Dom Bewley
Published: July 18, 2024
How to Celebrate Chinese New Year in Singapore

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, is one of the biggest celebrations on the planet. Understandably celebrated by multiple countries throughout Asia, it has a strong focus on family, food, gift-giving! So, if you happen to be visiting Singapore over the Chinese new year, you might be wondering how to celebrate? Well, wonder no more. In this handy article, we'll tell all, including more info about the new year itself, what animal is represented in 2024, and what you can get up to on your vacation! The information ship is about to sail - all aboard!

When is the Chinese - or Lunar - New Year?

How to Celebrate Chinese New Year in Singapore

Chinese - or Lunar - New Year falls on a different date each year. Why? Well, because it follows the lunar calendar. The moon is a fickle beast, after all, and you simply can't trust it to walk the same path. Spacewalk the same path? Nailed it.

It usually occurs between January 21st and February 20th. In 2024 the Chinese New Year falls on February 10th, marking the beginning of the Year of the Wood Dragon in the Chinese zodiac. So, what's up with the Wood Dragon?

 

What does the Year of the Wood Dragon signify?

How to Celebrate Chinese New Year in Singapore

In the Lunar Zodiac Calendar, the dragon is considered a symbol of power, strength, and good fortune. People born in the Year of the Dragon are said to be confident, ambitious, charismatic, and have a strong sense of responsibility. Not just that, but they're also rumored to be creative, intelligent, and energetic. That's a lot of plaudits!

But why wood? Well, wood as an element represents growth, flexibility, and abundance, as well as kindness, generosity, and strong morals. So, if it's your year - good for you. Keep up the good work. Even if you're not, it's said that the year of the dragon is a good time to start a new venture or take a risk.

 

How to celebrate Chinese New Year in Singapore?

Enough flirting; let's talk about Chinese - or Lunar - New Year in Singapore, and how you can celebrate it!

 

Check out Chinatown

How to Celebrate Chinese New Year in Singapore

Shockingly, one of the best places to revel in the new year celebrations is in Singapore's own Chinatown. Every year, vibrant red lanterns, banners, and other colorful ornaments adorn the neighborhood, symbolizing good luck and prosperity.

More specifically, you'll also find the Chinese New Year Light-Up. This annual festival features over 80,000 LED lights that illuminate the district. An accompanying market is also ripe for exploration, where you'll find authentic street food, amazing souvenirs to take home, and even gifts for the locals if you want to get in on the festive fun. Oh, and did we mention the carnival full of rides? Ideal for the little ones.

 

Attend the Chingay Parade

How to Celebrate Chinese New Year in Singapore

Chinese - or Lunar - New Year is such a big deal in Singapore that you can even celebrate it outside Chinatown. How? Well, by attending the Chingay Parade, of course! And it's not just big; it's the biggest street performance and float parade in the whole of Asia!

The parade features a spectacular display of costumes, floats, and performances from different ethnic communities. You'll see a traditional lion dance, dragon dance, and other cultural performances that showcase the rich diversity of Singapore. The parade takes place on the first weekend of Chinese New Year and attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world.

If neither of these takes your fancy, don't worry; we're just getting started. There are tons more activities and events to enjoy, so if you're wondering how to celebrate Chinese New Year in Singapore and these don't take your fancy, read on.

 

Reunion dinner

How to Celebrate Chinese New Year in Singapore

Reunion dinners are commonplace over the new year, with families who live apart coming together to feast on a tableful of delicious traditional food. This tends to happen on New Year's Eve, so think of it like every inevitably disappointing NYE you've had, but much, much better.

And don't worry - if you don't have family in the city, Singapore's got you covered. Tons of restaurants offer Reunion dinner deals and special menu items to celebrate. Just book ahead, as places get snapped up quick.

Another reason to book ahead is that, given the familial nature of the holiday, many restaurants and even shops will be shut at points over the new year. Make sure you book ahead!

 

Gifts and greetings

How to Celebrate Chinese New Year in Singapore

If you want to get in on the gift-giving and are happy approaching complete strangers, then you're in luck! Grab yourself a red packet, stuff some money inside, and get to it. These tend to be given to kids, adults yet to be wedded, and elders as symbols of good luck. Whether handing one of these to married adults by accident is an insult, you'll need to discover for yourself. Also, maybe don't hand them to random children? Just a thought.

You can also learn some auspicious greetings and trot them out to all and sundry. That might be the safer option.

Temple time

How to Celebrate Chinese New Year in Singapore

The new year is also a time to get in touch with your spiritual side. Many say prayers to their ancestors, or relatives that have passed, so temples are a hotspot over the period.

Thankfully, visitors are also welcome, so why not check out the likes of Thian Hock Keng Temple, the oldest Hokkien temple in Singapore, or the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, which houses a sacred relic of the Buddha.

Spiritualized.

 

River Hongbao

How to Celebrate Chinese New Year in Singapore

And finally, you simply mustn't miss the River Hongbao, an annual event held at the Marina Bay Floating Platform. Featuring traditional lantern displays, fireworks, cultural performances, and food stalls, it's a great way to experience the festive spirit of the Chinese New Year!

 

That's how to celebrate Chinese New Year in Singapore! And, now that your brain overflows with sweet new year knowledge, you may wonder what else to do on your vacation? Never fear; Go City is here! Thanks to our All-Inclusive Pass or Explorer Pass, you can see all of the city's best bits and make huge savings while you're at it. So grab a Singapore pass and save while you sightsee!

Dom Bewley
Go City Travel Expert

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Singapore for Adults - Activities and Attractions

Singapore is one big amusement park for grown-ups, with hundreds of fun and unusual things to do, from night safaris to Singapore Slings and slurping zingy chili crab with black pepper from hawker stalls. Add world-class galleries and museums, dizzyingly high observation wheels and platforms, gardens bursting with colorful blooms and bone-white beaches so pristine we swear you’d eat your dinner off them if it wasn’t for all that pesky sand. No list of Singapore activities for adults can ever claim to be truly comprehensive and nor does ours. Here, instead, are 10 of our favorite things to do in Singapore for adults, including... Dinner on the Singapore Flyer A Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel SkyPark views at Marina Bay Sands An authentic tea-tasting experience Sizzling Sentosa island A hike through the treetops The best street food in Singapore Get Snap-Happy in the Gardens by the Bay You’ll recognize the Gardens by the Bay from their much-photographed Supertree Grove: soaring tree-like structures that light up at night and are connected by an elevated walkway. Grab your camera and beat the Instagram influencers at their own game, then mosey on over to the veritable explosion of color and scent that is the Flower Dome, only the biggest greenhouse on the planet. Cooler and more misty inside, the neighboring Cloud Forest conservatory also makes for some atmospheric snaps (assuming your lens doesn’t fog up). Follow the sound of the world’s tallest indoor waterfall through a forest of vines, ferns and aromatic orchids. Sip a Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel Raffles and its signature gin cocktail are as synonymous with Singapore as skyscrapers and orchids, making this colonial-era 19th-century icon a must-visit on any trip to the Garden City. And it would be remiss while there not to sample their Singapore Sling, a tropical blend of gin, cherry brandy, pineapple, grenadine, lime juice and bitters first concocted by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon here in 1915 and a favorite of visitors to the hotel’s Long Bar – including literary giants like Hemingway, Kipling and Greene – ever since. National Gallery of Singapore Anyone with even a passing appreciation of fine art will find much to admire at Singapore’s National Gallery in the Civic District. Focusing primarily on modern and contemporary artworks from Singapore and southeast Asia, its collection of over 9,000 pieces dates from the late 19th Century to the present day and (a common theme in this supersize city!) is the largest of its kind in the world. Don’t miss Singaporean Choo Keng Kwang’s oil paintings and woodcuts, and Georgette Chen’s evocative series of family portraits. Night safari Operated by the same group that runs the wildly popular Singapore Zoo, the Night Safari is the world’s first park that’s devoted solely to creatures of the night. Expect crepuscular critters and nocturnal beasts galore inside an 86-acre reserve that’s home to over 2,500 animals including Malaysian tapirs, Asian elephants, white African lions and the critically endangered (and ferociously cute) Sunda pangolin. Explore on foot or hop aboard the complimentary tram for an informative audio commentary as you meander through themed zones including fishing cat and wallaby trails. Marina Bay Sands You’ve heard Singapore can be expensive, right? Well, trust us when we say nowhere will zap your bank balance quite as rapidly as the Marina Bay Sands resort. Here, Michelin-star dining, achingly cool (and painfully pricey) cocktail bars, designer boutiques and, yup, even a casino, all vie for your wallet’s attention. Head 56 stories up to the SkyPark observation deck for sweeping views of the Singapore skyline and down to Supertree Grove and the huge hothouses in the Gardens by the Bay below. You’ll have to be a guest to access the quite unbelievable rooftop infinity pool (the world’s largest, natch) that straddles the resort’s three soaring towers. As good an excuse to book a room in this luxury resort as any, if you ask us. Feel Like Royal-Tea If you’re going to go tea-tasting in Singapore, you might as well do it at the city’s most storied tea house, right? Previous guests of Tea Chapter, a lovingly converted three-storey pre-war shophouse, include no less than Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Queen Elizabeth II herself! So you’ll be in fine company as you allow time to slow down while you're schooled in the noble art of tea appreciation. Relax with a cup of delicate Imperial Golden Cassia that’s literally fit for a queen inside this zen haven of elegant Eastern furnishings, ornate Chinese architecture, traditional Chinese classical music and perfect tranquility. Take a Day Trip to Sentosa Take the scenic route aboard the cable car to Sentosa or hop aboard the speedy Sentosa Express to get you there in under five minutes. Back on dry land, you’ll discover this sunny island resort has enough activities and attractions to keep you entertained for days on end. Hit the golden sands at palm-strewn Siloso Beach, where you can swim in the sea, ride an enormous swing and walk the SkyBridge 154 feet above the sunbathers below. Then head over to Imbiah Lookout where amazing views across Sentosa to the Southern Islands are already par for the course. The SkyHelix ride supercharges those vistas by taking you even higher, ascending to a dizzying 260 feet above sea level. Other attractions on the island include Universal Studios Singapore, the vast Luxury Fashion Galleria mall and the S.E.A. Aquarium. Savor the Singapore Foodie Culture Singapore’s hawker centers are the stuff of legend. There are over 100 of these open-air food courts around the city, meaning delicious, cheap, freshly cooked Indian, Malay and Chinese cuisine is at your fingertips. The noise and heady aromas – oh lord, those intoxicating aromas! – can be overwhelming at first. Our tip: look for the longest queues (indicating the most popular stalls) and get in line. A world of zingy coconut noodle soups, chili crab and spicy peanut satay awaits. Try the Old Airport Road Food Centre and Ghim Moh Market for some of the very best. Ride the Singapore Flyer Soaring to a knee-knocking 541 feet, the Singapore Flyer stakes its rightful claim as one of the tallest observation wheels on the planet. Steel your nerves for the 30-minute flight as you board at Marina Bay, with ticket upgrades that include a Singapore Sling, a glass of champagne and even a four-course dinner for two. Don’t worry: you get to stay on for two rotations with the dinner package, so no need to wolf down those profiteroles like your life depends on it! Included with all tickets, of course, are life-affirming views over Singapore and Sentosa island; even, on clear days, as far as Malaysia and Indonesia. Tiptoe Through the Treetops If the hustle and bustle of the city all gets too much, fear not! There are plenty of opportunities to escape into the great outdoors amid the plentiful lush vegetation of this tropical paradise. Pedal yourself silly on the epic Round Island bike route, or hit the Park Connector Network, which links major parks, gardens and nature reserves across the island. For those who prefer to explore on foot, the scenic Southern Ridges Trail is a breathtaking elevated walkway through the treetops of the hills south of the city. Cross Singapore’s highest pedestrian bridge and see if you can spot banded bay cuckoos, red-whiskered bulbuls and myriad other colorful bird species flitting through the canopy. Save on attractions and activities for adults in Singapore Save on admission to Las Vegas attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
The Jewel Bridge at Punggol Waterway park in Singapore.
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Things to do in Punggol Singapore

Nestled on the Tanjong Punggol peninsula in northeast Singapore, Punggol is one of the island’s most family-friendly neighborhoods, chock-full of glorious outdoor spaces, cool cafés and top restaurants. Activities here are wide and varied, from hiking the wetlands to exploring Coney Island by bike and catching and cooking your own prawns! Read on for our guide to the best things to do in Punggol, Singapore. How to Get to Punggol The waterfront district of Punggol is well connected to the rest of Singapore via the MRT, the country’s super-efficient Mass Rapid Transit system, which speeds millions of passengers around the island every day on its automated, driverless trains. Simply hop on the purple North East Line from downtown Singapore to reach Punggol, at the end of the line, in under an hour. From here, the Punggol LRT (Light Rail Transit) runs a loop around the district, allowing you to step out right in front of the attractions you want to visit, including: Punggol Beach Coney Island Punggol Waterway Park Northshore Plaza Mall Pulau Ubin Punggol Beach Forget touristy Sentosa; Punggol is where it’s really at for laid back beach vibes, and don’t the locals just know it! We’re talking bone-white sands, lush tropical foliage and great, sea-smoothed boulders that dot the beach, providing the perfect backdrop for those essential Instagram snaps. Grab your sunscreen, parasol and wide-brimmed straw hat and you could easily spend a lazy day here, just lounging and gazing out at the azure waters. There’s an epic wooden boardwalk for strolls along the waterfront, where fishermen vie with brightly plumed native birds for the catch of the day and cute little sheltered seating areas offer widescreen views of the famous Singapore sunset, all flaming oranges, flamingo pinks and bruised purples. A small heritage sign at the beach commemorates the role Punggol Point played in the 1942 Sook Ching Massacre, which saw around 300–400 Chinese men shot and killed here by occupying Japanese forces. You can pay your respects at the Civilian War Memorial by the Esplanade MRT station on Beach Road. Punggol Waterway Park Further Insta opportunities await in Punggol Waterway park, where you might even be forgiven for believing the series of weird, wonderful and downright wacky bridges were designed specifically to attract the social media generation. The Sunrise Bridge in the east of the park is a case in point, it’s pillarbox-red railings and snakelike shape making it great for those all-important sunrise selfies. At the other end of the day (and park), hit up the Jewel Bridge for its distinctive dome and more of those crazy Singapore sunsets. Keep your eyes peeled too for otters gliding silently through the water and – if you’re very lucky – the distinctive blue flash of a collared kingfisher diving for its dinner. As well as these impressive bridges, there are several different zones to explore, running the gamut from exceptional waterfront views, to sand and water play areas and a therapeutic garden with a fitness zone and aromatic plants including pandan. Coney Island Like its New York namesake, Singapore’s Coney Island is not so much an island as a peninsula, which makes it perfectly possible to visit by bike. And that’s precisely what we’d suggest you do! Hire a bike at Punggol Jetty and whiz into Coney Island via the western entrance. It’s a small park and you can cycle around it in no time at all, but don’t do that! Pack a picnic of sandwiches and ripe mangosteens and take your sweet time exploring the ancient trees, dense mangrove forests and beaches so secluded you might find you have them all to yourself, save for the occasional monitor lizard or mischievous macaque. Prawn Fishing And now for something completely different. Ever wanted to catch and cook your own prawns? Now’s your chance, thanks to Hai Bin Prawning, where – just like hooking a duck at a funfair – you’re all but guaranteed to snare your prize from the crustacean-rich pools, even if it requires you to book yourself into the bumper all-day fishing session. Kids and adults alike can fish the ponds before chargrilling their catch in the BBQ pits. Alternatively, there’s a bar and grill on site to save you the effort. Nearby Riviera Prawn Fishing offers more of the same, but minus the bar and grill. Northshore Plaza Northshore Plaza is Punggol’s brand spanking new waterfront shopping and entertainment complex, the kind of place it would be quite easy to while away a whole day. It’s split into two sections, with Northshore Plaza II right on the waterfront. This is the place for dreamy seafood lunches, sea views and gentle strolls around the dragonfly pond, where the colorful critters flit from lily pad to rock to palm leaf, while the kids let off steam in the quite excellent pirate-themed playground. The dinosaur safari-themed Nomstar food court is also not to be missed; a surefire hit with kids from three to 93. Plaza I is the place for fast food, takeaway coffee and more mega chain stores than you can shake a stick at, some of them very large indeed. Stores like Decathlon, which uses two floors to showcase just about every piece of sporting equipment you can imagine, with enough space to try most of them out, too. Pulau Ubin Located a short way off the coast from Punggol, Pulau Ubin is a boomerang-shaped island (a proper island, that is; not the kind you can cycle to!) with abundant wildlife to be discovered in and around its traditional kampongs and disused granite quarries which, long-since abandoned, now teem with diverse flora and fauna. Rent a bike to explore the well-marked cycle paths or take the looping walkway through the wild Chek Jawa Wetlands where, if you listen carefully, you might even hear the melodious song of a bulbul calling to its mate. Save on attractions and activities in Singapore Save on admission to Singapore attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak

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