SINGAPORE – It is the ho-ho-holiday season, but you do not need to take an overseas vacation to make it a memorable one. Here are new attractions and activities in Singapore that your children can look forward to in December.
The Great Bay Fiesta
The Bayfront Event Space at Marina Bay is buzzing with festive cheer again after a three-year hiatus. The Straits Times highlights two of the four main events, which are part of The Great Bay Fiesta here.
Ice Magic: The Great Fantasy on Ice
Experience what it is like to play in temperatures as low as minus 15 deg C at this winter-themed pop-up playground, which is billed as Singapore’s biggest at 2,400 sq m.
Taking centre stage is a 4.5m-tall slide in the shape of a numeral eight. It is constructed out of ice by master sculptors from the famous Harbin Ice Festival in China.
You can also try your hand at ice bowling as well as curling, also known as ice chess and a Winter Olympics sport.
Where: Bayfront Event Space, 12A Bayfront Avenue
When: Till Jan 1; sessions are from 10am to 2pm, 3 to 7pm and 7 to 10pm
Admission: $25 for seniors from 55 years old, $35 for kids aged two to 12, $40 for local students and $45 for adults. Family packages are also available. Tickets include rental of jacket and snow boots. Wear your own gloves and socks, or get them from the venue.
Info: www.facebook.com/icemagicasia
The Great Cirque des Cascades
Catch a thrilling 80-minute show that features nine circus acts curated from Europe in a 1,000-seat big top.
Performers include bikers who will execute complex choreographed moves in a 5m-wide mesh sphere cage. And cheer for the group skipping act as they propel 6m off the ground.
Where: Bayfront Event Space, 12A Bayfront Avenue
When: Weekdays at 7pm (no show on Mondays), extra show on Fridays at 4.30pm; weekends, eve of and public holidays at 2, 4.30 and 7pm
Admission: From $76 via Trip.com (sg.trip.com/w/TGBF). Free entry for kids aged four and below, but no seats will be provided.
Info: the-showmaster.com/TGBF
Christmas Wonderland
Marvel at the 21m-tall Spalliera light installation, stroll through the 50m Walk of Lights tunnel and hop on a double-storey Venetian horse carousel.
Crowd favourites at the annual Christmas Wonderland are back, along with new LED light displays such as a 10m-tall windmill set in a field of candy canes.
Visitors can enjoy daily light and sound shows, as well as performances by local artists. Your family can also take snaps with Santa, play traditional carnival games and tuck into yummy bites.
Billed as Singapore’s biggest Yuletide event, it is said to have attracted close to five million visitors since 2014.
Where: Gardens by the Bay, Supertree Grove, 18 Marina Gardens Drive
When: Till Jan 1, from 6.30 to 10.30pm
Admission: $6 for kids aged three to 12, free for those under three. Tickets for adults from $8 via KKday (str.sg/wCpW). Pay extra for food, games and carousel ride
Info: www.christmaswonderland.sg
Seasons of Bloom
Be enthralled by an 8m-tall Christmas tree made out of poinsettias and surrounded by glittery reindeer.
But Gardens by the Bay’s year-end floral display does not only ring in the Christmas season. Visitors can also find blooms from the four seasons, such as snapdragons for spring, delphiniums for summer, zinnias for autumn and cyclamens for winter.
The attraction, which turned 10 years old in November, pays tribute to the flowers that Gardens by the Bay has brought to visitors over the past decade.
Where: Gardens by the Bay, Flower Dome, 18 Marina Gardens Drive
When: Till Jan 2, 9am to 9pm
Admission: $8 for kids aged three to 12 and seniors aged 60 and above, and $12 for adults for Singapore residents. Tickets for non-residents are $12 for children aged three to 12 and $20 for adults. Kids under three years old enter free.
Info: str.sg/wCpm
Festive Wild-erland
It is a black-and-white celebration at Singapore Zoo, River Wonders and Night Safari.
The three parks, managed by Mandai Wildlife Group, are putting the educational spotlight on monochrome animals such as pandas, zebras and, the newest residents, Tasmanian devils.
Look out for interactive installations, play activities and “snowfall”. Dress for the occasion too – in your best black-and-white outfit – and receive a free panda magnet.
Where: Singapore Zoo, River Wonders and Night Safari, 80 Mandai Lake Road When: Till Jan 2
Info: Operating hours and ticket prices vary at the three parks. For details, go to www.mandai.com/blackandwhite
A Universal Christmas
Snap wefies with popular stars in their festive best, including Sesame Street’s Elmo, the Minions from Despicable Me, and Gingy the Gingerbread Man from Shrek.
After a day of adrenaline-infused rides at the theme park, be sure to stop over at its New York zone for the Santa’s Circus Extravaganza that starts at 7.30pm daily. The show features more than 40 performers led by Ringmaster Santa, complete with circus acts, acrobatics and “snowfall”.
Where: Resorts World Sentosa, Universal Studios Singapore, 8 Sentosa Gateway
When: Till Jan 2, 11am to 8pm
Admission: $78 for kids aged four to 12, and $98 for adults. Each ticket comes with food and retail vouchers
Info: www.rwsentosa.com/universal-christmas
Pinkmas at Museum of Ice Cream
If you and your kids like all things pink, you would want to take your festive shots at the Insta-gorgeous Museum of Ice Cream, which is all decked out for the holidays.
As you wander through a pink “forest” and a gingerbread town, you can enjoy unlimited ice cream with seasonal flavours such as apple pie, taro milk tea and lychee bandung. These are supplied by Ice Cream & Cookie Co, the first Singapore gourmet ice cream brand to partner the museum.
Where: 100 Loewen Road
When: Till Jan 9 (closed on Tuesdays), 10am to 10pm
Admission: From $40 each for adults and kids. Toddlers aged two and below enter free
Info: museumoficecream.com/singapore
Children’s Museum Singapore’s Birthday Bash
Although it is not Yuletide-themed, the launch of Singapore’s first children’s museum is still a reason to celebrate.
Join its opening party where your kids can play games, collect goodie bags and enjoy stage performances.
Be among the first to have fun at its playful installations which, for instance, show how different communities in Singapore celebrate birthdays and welcome a newborn.
Visitors can also step back in time and learn about heritage trades, including street barbers and traditional letter writers.
Targeted at families with kids aged 12 and younger, the museum is located at the former Singapore Philatelic Museum.
Where: 23B Coleman Street
When: Dec 10 and 11, 9am to 7pm
Admission: Free for children and $10 each accompanying adult. Each ticket is valid for a one-hour visit to the museum and one-hour play at the games carnival. Admission to the museum will be free for Singapore citizens and permanent residents from Dec 13.
Info: str.sg/wCps
