It has become a tradition for many families to do their Chinese New Year shopping and soak in the festive atmosphere at the Chinatown bazaar, which returns next month.

Some 440 stalls will fill the streets, selling goods from potted plants and decorations to cookies and preserved fruits.

A festive mainstay since 1989, the bazaar gained popularity when the number of stalls rose to a few hundred in 2004.

Spread out across Pagoda, Smith, Sago, Temple and Trengganu streets, the bazaar opens on Jan 6 next year and runs till Jan 27, the eve of Chinese New Year.

Mr Lim Gek Meng, head of the Chinatown Chinese New Year Festive Street Bazaar, said: "We hope to see Singaporeans and even tourists coming down with their families to celebrate."

About 16 per cent of the stalls were up for biding. The rest will be allocated to youth entrepreneurs and existing businesses in Chinatown.

The highest bid for 2017 is $12,800, down from $13,000 this year.