More slots for Thaipusam devotees as registration reopens till Jan 31
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Thaipusam devotees queueing at Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple after additional registration slots were opened.
ST PHOTO: JASEL POH
- Thaipusam 2026 registration reopened for devotees without slots, after initial closure on Jan 27 due to reaching maximum capacity for safe management.
- Minister Dinesh Vasu Dash announced there will be physical registration at Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple until noon on Jan 31.
- Devotees expressed disappointment over the early registration closure, while citing issues at past Thaipusam festivals such as long waits and queue-cutting.
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SINGAPORE – Organisers of the Thaipusam 2026 festival here have reopened registration for devotees who did not manage to get a slot before online registration closed on Jan 27.
On Jan 29, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth and for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash announced that devotees keen to carry paal kudams, or milk pot offerings, at the annual holy festival on Feb 1 can register their interest in predetermined time slots at Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple until noon on Jan 31.
Those who are unable to walk in the procession but wish to offer paal kudams can also register for a ticket at the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple until the same cut-off time.
“We recognise that many devotees, including families and the elderly, have been participating for years,” said Mr Dinesh on Facebook.
“It is therefore important to enable as many devotees as possible to observe Thaipusam and to fulfil their vows. And that no devotee should be turned away.”
The reopening of registration came after Sri Thendayuthapani Temple, Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple and the Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) said in a joint statement on Jan 27 that the number of devotees registered for the festival had reached the maximum capacity that the temples could manage safely and responsibly.
Each year, the festival features a large-scale procession between Sri Thendayuthapani Temple in Tank Road and Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Serangoon Road. Besides paal kudams, devotees may also carry kavadis – decorated wood and metal arches – along the 3.2km route.
To ensure public safety, reasonable waiting times and an orderly experience for all devotees, the temples were unable to accommodate more participants, the organisers said in the Jan 27 statement.
The unexpected closure of registration on Jan 27 drew flak. Some devotees took to social media to express their disappointment at being unable to participate in the religious festival, which is when they fulfil vows made to the Hindu deity Lord Murugan.
When The Straits Times visited Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple on Jan 30, about 30 people were in the queue for the new slots when ticket counters opened at 8am. The queue hovered at about 50 people for the next four hours.
Consultant Chitra R. was among those who secured a ticket after a 45-minute wait. Having carried a paal kudam in the procession for more than 10 years, she said, this was the first time she could recall registration being closed several days before Thaipusam.
“Singaporeans usually wait till the last minute (to register)... so this kind of situation is so disappointing for people who have fasted, and want to fulfil our vows,” she said.
Participation in Thaipusam has grown over the years. In 2025, some 16,000 devotees took part in the procession. With the festival falling on a Sunday in 2026, the authorities expect the turnout to be bigger than usual, the organisers had said in an earlier statement on Jan 19.
Ms Chitra recounted complaints of long waiting times in 2025, and said her family waited for more than 90 minutes before they were allowed to conclude their procession and enter Sri Thendayuthapani Temple to perform religious rites.
Thaipusam devotees queueing at Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple after additional registration slots were opened.
ST PHOTO: JASEL POH
There was also queue-cutting, and even those not carrying paal kudams and kavadis entered the designated queues in 2025, she added.
“If the organisers want to put a cap on numbers (in 2026), let’s be fair. I’m not saying non-Singaporeans cannot (participate), but there should be quotas for each group,” she said.
While the temples and HEB had earlier urged devotees without tickets to fulfil their vows at other temples observing Thaipusam, Ms Chitra said it was not the same thing.
“You won’t feel that full satisfaction of walking the Pathayathirai,” she said, referring to a spiritual journey undertaken on foot.
Staff nurse Kayalvizhi Krishnan, 32, was in the queue to obtain tickets for her family of three after her night shift.
Devotees will receive their batch numbers for paal kudam or paal kavadi and a receipt after registering at Sri Srinivasa Permual Temple.
ST PHOTO: JASEL POH
Ms Kayalvizhi, who has participated in Thaipusam four times since she first moved to Singapore in 2020, said she was surprised by the early end to registration.
Like others in line, she received a handwritten chit for a 4pm to 5pm slot, along with a number tag.
“I am quite confused as to how we’re going to manage with my six-month-old baby... If they can allow a flexible (entry) time it would be better,” she said.
Speaking to ST, Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple chairman V. Selvam said all devotees who queue up in person will get a ticket for Thaipusam. Additional arrangements have been made to accommodate the added numbers, he said, without elaborating on the details.
In a statement, HEB chief executive Sarojini Padmanathan said: “Given that we are entering a critical operational phase of Thaipusam, our immediate priority is ground readiness and the safe facilitation of devotees.”
ST has asked HEB what the original capacity for the 2026 Thaipusam was, how many new slots were added, and what additional safety arrangements are planned.
Correction note: This story has been updated to correct an error with regards to ticket registration for the offering of paal kudams.
