Lights, lanterns, and legendary spirit: Slither into Year of the Snake with fun festivities

SINGAPORE – Chinese New Year (CNY) festivities are in full swing to welcome the Year of the Snake that starts on Jan 29, with events ongoing and more to come until February. 

From crowd favourites such as light displays and bazaars to a floral rendition of a “snake spirit” and star reptiles at Mandai Wildlife Reserve, there is something for everyone to enjoy as Singapore ushers in a special CNY.

At the Chinatown Chinese New Year 2025 light-up and opening ceremony on Jan 8, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said: “This is a very special year. It’s not just welcoming the Year of the Snake, but also celebrating as one big family the SG60 edition of our Chinese New Year celebrations.”

Mrs Teo attended the event with her fellow Jalan Besar GRC MPs Heng Chee How, Denise Phua and Wan Rizal. Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong was also at the event.

Other iconic CNY events include

River Hongbao 2025

, which will feature SG60-themed lantern displays and firecrackers to mark Singapore’s diamond jubilee at Gardens by the Bay from Jan 27 to Feb 5. There is also

Chingay Parade 2025,

a multicultural street parade with food-inspired floats and costumes, on Feb 7 and 8 at the F1 Pit Building.

Chinatown celebrations

This year’s festivities are themed Ushering Fortune and Unity for a Prosperous New Year. Lantern displays will illuminate New Bridge Road, Eu Tong Sen Street, Upper Cross Street and South Bridge Road till Feb 27, from 7pm to midnight daily. On the first day of CNY on Jan 29, the dazzling displays will be lit till 6am.

Visitors can also view the lights at Chinatown Complex, which joins the light-up for the first time.

There will be a countdown party on Jan 28 at the Banda Street open-space carpark at 10pm.

There are also two festive fairs. One is in front of People’s Park Complex, from 10am to 10pm daily, which will end on CNY Eve on Jan 28. The other one along Sago Street, Smith Street, Temple Street, Pagoda Street and Trengganu Street is open from 11am to 10.30pm daily except on the final day on Jan 28, when it will run till 1am.

Weekend stage shows will be held on Jan 11 and 12, and Jan 18 and 19, from 7pm to 9pm at Kreta Ayer Square.

CNY Family Fun 2025

Watch a giant LED snake dance, play at a larger-than-life snakes and ladders installation, and enjoy golden lion dance performances at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC), located at 1 Straits Boulevard.

CNY Family Fun 2025, a yearly event organised by SCCC and the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO), offers a variety of family-friendly activities from Jan 17 to 19. Most of the activities are free.

For the first time, Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall will hold three of the 22 programmes, including a workshop on making cardboard robots.

Visitors to SCCC can check out the rooftop garden, which will feature a giant snake lawn installation and a prosperity pavilion.

A spring bazaar selling snacks and decorations will be held at the Singapore Conference Hall concourse on Jan 18 and 19, from noon to 7pm.

Rhapsodies of Spring 2025, a concert by SCO, will feature festive melodies and voices of The Purple Symphony Choir at the SCO concert hall on Jan 17 and 18 at 7.30pm.

More details are on

singaporen.sg/cnyff

Chinese Garden and Jurong Lake Gardens

Visitors to the Chinese Garden within Jurong Lake Gardens can stroll through the grounds to enjoy CNY-inspired landscaping and lantern decorations from Jan 24 to Feb 12.

As evening falls, they can watch the Cloud Pagoda come alive with a light display, providing a scenic backdrop for photos with loved ones. This iconic landmark, perched atop a hillock, overlooks the lush expanse of Chinese Garden.

On Jan 18, there will be festive floral arrangement and beverage-making demonstrations. Activities also include guided tours and a Chinese calligraphy showcase which offers visitors complimentary decorative pieces.

Registration details for the activities on Jan 18 will be made available by National Parks Board at 

http://go.gov.sg/jlgevents

Spring Blossoms: Legend of Madam White Snake

Gardens by the Bay will usher in CNY with Spring Blossoms, a floral display inspired by the Chinese folktale Legend Of The White Snake. It tells the story of a union between a man named Xu Xian and a female “snake spirit”, Bai Suzhen, also known as Madam White Snake.

Taking centre stage in the landscape of festive blooms is a 4.5m-tall floral rendition of Madam White Snake. Crafted from a variety of plants, the three-dimensional sculpture captures the elegance of the legendary figure.

Adding to the storytelling are two intricately crafted wooden models of pagodas featured in the legend – Compassion and Longevity Pagoda and Thunder Peak Pagoda. 

On loan from the Asian Civilisations Museum, these models are part of a historic set of 84 pagodas carved by artists from Shanghai’s Tushanwan Workshop between 1912 and 1914.

The floral display will run between Jan 17 and Feb 23, from 9am to 9pm at the Flower Dome.

It will feature over 1,000 dahlias, with five new varieties this year.

Mandai Wildlife Reserve

Get up close with the mighty king cobra at Singapore Zoo, the green anaconda at River Wonders, as well as the cave racer and carpet python at Night Safari.

Visitors can gain a deeper appreciation of the star reptiles at Mandai Wildlife Reserve from Jan 28 to Feb 12.

At Singapore Zoo, they can watch the king cobra during feeding sessions. For those interested in unique species, there is the Honduran milk snake – a non-venomous reptile that looks and behaves like the venomous coral snake as a defence mechanism.

But it is not just about scales and slithers. Lion dance performances and appearances by the God of Fortune will bring festive joy to visitors.