Swinging into Singapore Garden Festival with record-setting floral display at Takashimaya Square
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- A 5m swing adorned with 12,888 flowers, arranged by volunteers and NParks, achieved a Guinness World Record for "Most Flowers on a Swing".
- The display launches the 10th Singapore Garden Festival from July 4-12 at Gardens by the Bay with a "Carnival of Blooms" theme.
- The event at Takashimaya Square features floral displays, retail booths, workshops, and discounted festival tickets, running until March 15.
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SINGAPORE – A gigantic 5m swing featuring a spectacular display of 12,888 flowers from more than 60 varieties is on show at Takashimaya Square from March 12 to 15.
It has set the Guinness World Record for “Most Flowers on a Swing”, and includes blooms such as roses, carnations, lilies, orchids and hydrangeas, arranged by around 200 community gardeners, students, volunteers and National Parks Board (NParks) staff over two days.
The display is part of a launch event for the 10th edition of the Singapore Garden Festival, an international garden and flower show, which will run from July 4 to 12. The festival will take place at Gardens by the Bay, which is jointly organising the event with NParks.
“We decided on a swing as it is universally associated with happiness and a sense of wonder, and that is exactly what we want to capture under the theme ‘Carnival of Blooms’ at this year’s Singapore Garden Festival,” said Mr Dennis Lim, coordinating director of festivals, events and exhibitions at NParks.
“We also prioritised blooms that can hold up structurally for a public installation, while still delivering a lush look. The floral palette was curated to create a celebratory ‘carnival’ feel.”
Guinness World Records official adjudicator Sonia Ushirogochi (right) presenting a certificate for “Most Flowers on a Swing” to NParks chief executive Hwang Yu-Ning on March 12.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
The blooms are sourced from a mix of locations, including Singapore, Malaysia, China, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Africa.
Participants used securing tools, such as zip-ties for fastening and mesh to hold the floral foam, to attach the flowers to the swing structure.
To keep the flowers looking their best, they were first conditioned before being put up on the swing. The participants trimmed the stems to promote water absorption and hydrated them in buckets of water with dissolved floral food. Depending on their variety, the flowers are expected to last about a week.
The swing is adorned with 12,888 flowers from more than 60 varieties.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Primary 3 pupil Evelyn Teo Zi Qi of Qihua Primary School, who loves sunflowers and was involved in the set-up on March 11, said: “I learnt how to cut and prepare flowers. I did not find this process difficult at all.”
A participant from the Handicaps Welfare Association, Mr Victor Chng, 55, who uses a wheelchair, said: “Every day when I see sunflowers, it makes me very happy, bubbly and very sunny.”
According to Guinness World Records official adjudicator Sonia Ushirogochi, who flew here from Japan for this record attempt, there are several requirements to get a Guinness record. “Some of the requirements include that all the flowers that we count will only be on the swing or on the frame. The swing must be functional. All the flowers must be real and they must be of a good quality.”
Community in Bloom ambassadors taking photographs with NParks CEO Hwang Yu-Ning at the record-setting swing.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
This is NParks’ third Guinness World Record for the Singapore Garden Festival. The event set a record in 2016 for the world’s largest floral chandelier, made from more than 60,000 flowers, and in 2018, for the world’s largest flower basket, made from over 27,000 flowers.
Besides the swing, there are also floral displays, booths selling plants and lifestyle products, and programmes such as floral talks, demonstrations and workshops until March 15. The event at Takashimaya Square is open from 10am to 9.30pm.
An orchid display features 20 heritage and celebrity orchids, named after individuals such as Singaporean singer-songwriter Stefanie Sun and Serena Williams, one of the most successful tennis players.
The Dendrobium Stefanie Sun, an orchid hybrid named after the Singaporean singer, is part of an orchid display featuring 20 celebrity and heritage orchids.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Children and the young at heart can enjoy carnival-themed fairground swings, interactive photo walls, and child-friendly games like Coconut Shy and Hoopla.
Community in Bloom ambassador Siva Rajoo, 84, playing the child-friendly Hoopla game at the Singapore Garden Festival 2026 launch event at Takashimaya Square on March 12.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
Visitors to Takashimaya Square can buy discounted garden festival tickets from $6.40 for Singaporeans, and from $12 for non-residents. Those who spend at least $18 can get three stalks of their favourite flowers, subject to stock availability. People can also buy the tickets online.
Visitors to Takashimaya Square can purchase discounted Singapore Garden Festival tickets and collect three stalks of their favourite flowers – subject to stock availability – if they spend at least $18.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
The festival’s signature Show Gardens competition will have a special all-star edition to mark its 10th edition, with eight previous “Best of Show” winners competing for the Pinnacle Award.
Other highlights include a refreshed My Living Space competition – which builds on the previous Balcony Gardens competition to challenge designers to incorporate greenery and garden elements into daily living spaces in creative ways – the Floral Windows to the World Championship, Singapore Orchid Show and Flower Dome’s Orchid Extravaganza.
The Singapore Garden Festival at Gardens by the Bay in July will be open from 10am to 10pm.
For more information, visit sgf.nparks.gov.sg
