A two-week Chinese New Year celebration
Chinatown throws a fortnight-long party starting in January. Temples open their doors and stalls selling raw fish salad and decorations glow under lanterns of the night bazaar. See in the lunar year with floats and performances at the Chingay parade in Marina Bay.
Chinese New Year Website Thaipusam Hindu festival of faith
This Hindu procession in February is a unique test of faith for the devotees. Ornate, colourful frames - Kavadis - are borne from temple to temple in the middle of the day, carried by the faithful attached to body piercings.
Thaipusam Website Singapore Arts Festival
May and June evenings are packed during this month-long cultural fair with international dance ensembles, music and art installations. Singapore shopping centres, playing fields and museums transform into theatre and gallery venues as the island embraces the contemporary and avant garde.
Singapore Arts Festival Website Temple visits on Vesak Day
Monks meditate in Singapore's flower-scented Buddhist temples to celebrate Buddha's birthday in May. This public holiday is the best time to visit the Feng Shui layout of the Lian Shan Shuang Lin monastery in Toa Payoh district where chanting sessions are in full swing.
Vesak Day Website Singapore River Festivals
For a week in June the bars along Boat Quay serve cocktails from dusk until dawn for the Singapore River party while traditional Chinese bumboats parade the waters. In the same month, international dragon boat crews descend on the Marina Bay shores for the high-octane Dragon Boat Festival races.
Singapore River Festival WebsiteFireworks on National Day
See Singapore put on her finest patriotic display on 9th August. Fireworks light up the sky above The Float at Marina Bay - a huge floating stadium - after a day of proud military marches, acrobatic performances and children's choirs celebrating the country's independence.
National Day WebsiteThe Lantern Festival
Lion dances entertain locals who head to Chinatown to stock up on seasonal moon cake pastries during this colourful mid-autumn festival. The pagoda and bridges of Chinese Garden in Jurong are covered in novelty and animal lanterns that all ages will adore.
Chinese Garden, Jurong East, Singapore
Spicy evenings for Deepavali
Little India's main street Serangoon Road has its own auspicious Festival of Lights in October, when the Hindu community parties for Deepavali. Join walking tours that point out the best henna artists and sweetmeat shops, or see shrines garlanded in the temples.
Serangoon Road, Singapore
Little India WebsiteChristmas in the tropics
Orchard Road shopping street transforms into a tropical winter wonderland for Christmas. Giant snow scenes, toys, trees and candy canes eclipse mall fronts while the light display dazzles the kilometre stretch. A free open-top bus helps visitors take in the spectacle.
Orchard Road, Singapore
Hari Raya street bazaars
The maze of streets around the Sultan Mosque and Arab Street is the best place to mingle during August and September's Hari Raya and sample Muslim food from street stalls. Singapore's Malay neighbourhood Gelang Serai becomes a treasure trove selling rainbow-coloured biscuits and elaborate batik-patterned fabrics.
Malay Heritage Centre Website
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