Jurong Lake Gardens to hold its largest lantern display at annual Mid-Autumn celebrations
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Follow topic:
- Jurong Lake Gardens hosts "Lights by the Lake" from Sept 27-Oct 12, 2025, with 1,200 lanterns celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival and its traditions.
- This year's event features an immersive "Journey to the West" lantern display, cultural performances, and inclusive music showcases with disabled artists.
- The festival also includes a Food Market, Rockestra concert, astronomy events, and art studios, offering diverse activities for families and visitors.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – Jurong Lake Gardens will glow with 1,200 lanterns – the park’s largest display to date – when Lights by the Lake returns from Sept 27 to Oct 12, 2025.
Organised by the National Parks Board (NParks), the annual Mid-Autumn celebration will light up the Chinese, Japanese and Lakeside gardens, transforming them into a vibrant wonderland of colour, light and culture. The lantern displays will be switched on daily from 6.30pm to 10.30pm.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival, takes place on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, which falls on Oct 6 in 2025, and is traditionally a time for family reunions.
The festival’s most enduring legend is of Chang-E, the Moon Goddess, and her husband, Hou Yi, a heroic archer who once saved the earth by shooting down nine suns but later became a tyrant.
After drinking his elixir of life, Chang-E ascended to the moon, where she remains as the Moon Goddess, while Hou Yi was banished to the sun, able to see her only during a full moon.
The highlight of Jurong Lake Gardens’ celebration is an immersive experience of the Chinese classic tale Journey To The West, where visitors can wander among lanterns depicting the adventures of Sun Wukong, Tang Sanzang and their companions. Each installation captures a chapter of the story through elaborate craftsmanship and lighting design. Organisers said the theme was chosen to reflect values of reunion, perseverance, gratitude and friendship – qualities that mirror the festival spirit.
Visitors will also be treated to cultural showcases, including interactive music by ArtsEverywhere@CDC’s Reflection of the Artist, and performances by the Asian Cultural Symphony Orchestra and the Singapore Chinese Dance Theatre.
Visitors taking pictures of the Journey to the West lantern display at the Butterfly field in Jurong Lake Gardens on Sept 25.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
And for the first time at Lights by the Lake, there will be performances by musicians with disabilities, such as multilingual vocalist and wheelchair user Salleh, and Daniel Ng, a visually impaired guitarist and singer with more than 30 years of experience.
Non-profit dance company Arts Fission will present Theatre of Moon at the Japanese Garden’s Reflection Pond on Sept 26 and 27.
Other highlights include the NParks Concert Series in the Park: Rockestra, returning to the Chinese Garden’s Ficus Lawn on Oct 11 for its 24th edition. It will feature local bands performing English and Mandarin hits.
For some hands-on activity, look out for National Gallery Singapore’s weekend roving art studio, where visitors can create works of art using traditional mooncake stamps. Meanwhile, animal lovers can admire photographs at NParks’ Community Cats in the Spotlight showcase.
Ms Carmen Chen posing for a photo while wearing a traditional Ming Dynasty costume in front of the Chang'e and Moonlit Garden lantern display on Sept 25.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
In addition, the National Heritage Board will hold a Deliciously Singaporean food heritage exhibition. If the displays make visitors hungry, they can visit the outdoor food market, which will open daily at Lakeside Field from 5pm to 10.30pm, offering diverse culinary options and al fresco seating.
Stargazers can head to the nearby Science Centre Singapore, which will host an astronomy open house on Oct 3 and 4.
