Festivals in Singapore

By Dom Bewley
Published: July 18, 2024
festivals in singapore

Singapore is a melting pot of so many beautiful cultures, so it's no surprise you'll find dozens of festivals there throughout the year. If you're visiting this beautiful country and want to join in the festivities, you'll need to know when they are, what they're about, and what you can expect to do and see during them. So, let's talk about festivals in Singapore.

We've run our fine-tooth combs through the wealth of offerings to find the very best ones you won't want to miss. So, without further ado, this is our guide to the best festivals in Singapore! And by the by, this list is in chronological order. So you'll find your early-year ones at the top and your later-year ones at the bottom! Enjoy!

Including:

  • Pongal
  • Chinese New Year
  • Thaipusam
  • Lantern Festival
  • Hari Raya Puasa
  • and more!
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Pongal

When: January 15 - January 18, 2023

This four-day festival is widely celebrated by the Indian population of Singapore, as it originated there. Dedicated to the Hindu god of the sun, Surya, Pongal is honored to bring wealth and a rich harvest to the people.

Head to Singapore's Little India, and you'll find it ablaze with lights, celebrations, and events. It's customary to exchange gifts and wear new clothes during Pongal, so bear those in mind if you want to get in on the festivities.

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Chinese New Year

When: January 22, 2023

Chinese New Year is celebrated all over the world, and in Singapore, it's no different. In 2023, the big day falls on January 22, so expect Chinatown to be full of fun and fancy!

This year is the Year of the Rabbit, and people born in these years are said to be witty, ingenious, and vigilant. You can be all of those things, too, believe it or not. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Expect to find plenty of red and gold decorations, dancing in the streets, and lively processions to boot. And, like with many of these festivals in Singapore, gifts are often exchanged. Because gift-giving is fun, and fun is all we have in this cruel, cruel world.

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Thaipusam

When: February 5, 2023

'Thai' is a month in the Tamil calendar. 'Pusam' is the name of a star in the night sky. What do you get if you combine the two together? Thaipusam, of course! And you can bet your stars that Singapore's burgeoning Tamil population will celebrate it with abandon!

Over the festival, you'll see those taking part walk from Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple to the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple, carrying all sorts of symbols of divinity, but the celebration itself actually takes place over two days.

Image of Lamp,

Lantern Festival

When: February 5, 2023

Taking place on the fifteenth day of the Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival is unsurprisingly celebrated by lighting paper lanterns and letting them drift up into the sky.

It's one of the most popular festivals in Singapore, so if you're visiting at the beginning of February, you're sure to see some of these bright tributes floating in the air. Head to Chinatown to get the best views of the festivities. If you've never seen countless lanterns lighting up the sky, you're in for a treat.

Image of People, Person, Adult, Female, Woman, Dining Table, Brunch, Food,

Hari Raya Puasa

When: April 21 - April 22, 2023

Hari Raya Puasa marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting. So it's no surprise that the following day is called the 'day of celebration'!

Following a month of fasting, you can understandably expect plenty of delicious food making the rounds. On the holy side of things, many Muslims also flock to local mosques, visit the graves of their forebears, and wear new clothes to signify the purity and renewal that comes in the wake of Ramadan. If you're a Muslim and visiting Singapore at the back end of Ramadan, you'll be pleased to know you can share Hari Raya Puasa with others!

Image of Adult, Female, Person, Woman, Prayer,

Vesak Day

When: May 5, 2023

Don't worry, Buddhists, we see you. And thankfully, you're catered to too here, thanks to Vesak Day. For those that don't know, Vesak Day marks the enlightenment and death of Buddha. And, given its melting pot of cultures, you'll find many Buddhists celebrating Vesak Day in Singapore.

Meditation and charity are the name of the game here, which gives believers a chance to look inward and take part in some nice self-reflection.

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Duanwu Festival

When: June 22, 2023

More commonly known as the Dragon Boat Festival around the world, Duanwu Festival is another celebration of Chinese origin. Falling on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese calendar, it's been celebrated for thousands of years.

As you may expect from the Dragon Boat Festival, it primarily consists of dragon boats racing one another. Pretty cool! Even onlookers can enjoy the day, thanks to the food and rice wines often consumed from the sidelines.

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Hari Raya Haji

June 28 - July 2, 2023

Another Muslim festival, Hari Raya Haji is dedicated to the character of Ibrahim, who was willing to sacrifice his first-born son Ismail as an act of obedience to Allah.

Sacrifice plays a huge role over Hari Raya Haji, with volunteers from mosques sacrificing goats, sheep, and cows on the holy day. A third of the meat from these animals is given to people that need it most. The rest is given to the families of those who sacrificed their animals.

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Singapore National Day

When: August 9, 2023

No matter your religion or cultural background, August 9 is a special day for Singaporeans. It's the country's National Day, and it draws massive crowds from all over the world every year.

Expect massive parades, choreographed dance, and plenty of other festivities to enjoy!

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Diwali

When: November 12, 2023

And finally, we end our guide to festivals in Singapore with Diwali, the biggest celebration in the Hindu calendar. Marking the return of Lord Rama to his kingdom, it represents the triumph of good over evil. But what does it mean for you, oh traveler?

Well, plenty! Plenty of fireworks, bright clothes, and dancing. Little India will be buzzing all day, so make sure you go down there and check it out!

And that rounds out our guide to the best festivals in Singapore! Looking for more fun things to do on your vacation? Go City's got you covered. With our Explorer Pass and All-Inclusive Pass, you can experience the best of Singapore for one low price, and fit them around your festival itinerary!

Dom Bewley
Go City Travel Expert

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Smartly dressed man having chest measurements taken in a tailor's shop.
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Best Places to get a Suit Made in Singapore

You’re a fashionable guy, right? You like to make an impression when you walk into a room, dontcha? Heck, you want the place to be stunned into silence the second you step through the door, with only the odd admiring coo, sigh or (go on, admit it) phwoar to break the awed hush. In which case, you’ve come to the right place! So step inside sir, let us take that all-important inside leg measurement and get you kitted out in the very finest tailor-made togs in town. Here, then, is our expert guide to 10 of the best places to get a suit made in Singapore... ***Note: prices quoted are in Singapore Dollars (SGD)*** CYC The Custom Shop Established in 1935, CYC The Custom Shop is a CBD stalwart and one of the oldest and best-loved tailors in town. Good enough to clothe ministers, diplomats and even Singaporean presidents over the last near-century, their bespoke suits and shirts are probably good enough for you, too. 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Prices here start from a more palatable $400, leaving you plenty of wonga to accessorize to your heart’s content and walk out looking snappier than an alligator. Q Menswear Another tailor that’s dangerously close to Chinatown so, you know, take it easy on the dumplings if you’re heading for your fitting straight after lunch. Established in 2011, Q Menswear is a relatively young label on the Singapore suits scene, bringing contemporary style to the masses from their home inside a charming heritage shophouse on bustling Telok Ayer Street. Drop by for a fitting and to browse the hundreds of fabrics available from Europe and Asia, including well-known brands like Liberty London and Italy’s Tessitura Monti. Prices for a two-piece suit start from just under $1,000. The Bespoke Club Styled after a classic Savile Row boutique, the Bespoke Club is all leather sofas, elegant fireplaces and umbrella stands casually stuffed with smart gents’ brollies. Step inside to have your vital statistics taken down and to start designing your own suit from somewhere in the region of 5,000 – yes, that’s FIVE THOUSAND – imported European fabrics. Trust us when we say you’ll be grateful for those great big comfy armchairs by the time you’ve gone through the lot to find your perfect pattern. Suit prices start from around $1,350. Raffles Tailor Raffles Tailor promises royal blue carpets, a glittering chandelier and a name that nods to Singapore’s always smartly turned-out founder, Sir Stamford Raffles. Suffice to say then that you’re in for a fairly luxurious experience here, where the tailoring is treated like precision architecture. No wonder then that the great and good, including Singapore TV personalities galore, have visited Raffles to enhance their screen presence with a smart bespoke suit or two. And now you too can become a sartorial success story. Prices start from $1,350. 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Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
A collared kingfisher in the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore
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Singapore in July

As Singapore’s peak holiday season draws to a gentle close, July sees a slight let-up in the number of vacationers that have been thronging the hot, sticky streets for the last couple of months. But, while the crowds may have dissipated somewhat, the searing temperatures and frequent downpours of the southwest monsoon season show few signs of abating. Read on for the lowdown on what to expect when visiting Singapore in July. Visiting Singapore in July Temperature: 75–88°F • Average Rainfall: 19 days/month • Average Sunshine: 8 hours/day You’ll want to pack an umbrella along with your factor 50 for trips to Singapore in July. Thunderstorms and heavy downpours are absolutely guaranteed at this time of year, but what’s difficult to predict is when you might be about to get caught in one. A small umbrella in your backpack is the number one hack for such eventualities along with, ideally, rubber sandals or similarly waterproof footwear. 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It’s not unusual, for example, to see traffic grind to a halt to allow a family of otters to cross the road, or to be deafened by the sound of thousands of roosting myna birds as you stroll beneath the trees that line the Orchard Road in the early evening. Sultry Singapore mornings in July are a great time to experience some of this garden island’s vibrant flora and fauna up close. Rent a bike to explore one of the many traffic-free routes that weave through wetlands, woodlands, nature reserves and more. The Rail Corridor – stretching from Chinatown all the way north to Kranji – is among the very best: 24 kilometers of rewilded railway line, along which you might well encounter monitor lizards, flying lemurs and colorfully crested bulbuls. A little over halfway along the route, you can take a diversion into Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, where an epic 400 acres of tropical rainforest awaits the intrepid explorer. 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Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
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