Chinese New Year 2026 is almost here! Here are all the best Chinese New Year celebration events and things to do in Singapore with kids
Chinese New Year celebrations in Singapore starts on 17 February 2026, and we’ll be ushering in the Year of the Horse! If you’ve booked your family reunion dinner or an all-out CNY takeaway at home and have finished filling your cupboards with festive snacks, you’ll need to focus on how you’ll keep the fam entertained if you decide to venture out during the Chinese New Year.
Luckily, we’ve been busy looking for the best Chinese New Year celebration events and things to do for the fam, so you can start planning now. Here’s our list of all the best ways to celebrate the Year of the Horse with kids in Singapore and enjoy the best things to do with the family over the holiday. Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Things to do with kids for Chinese New Year 2026 in Singapore
1. HUAT A Pot-sperity Festival at Suntec City
Giant inflatable hotpot playground and a bazaar with tons of CNY-themed plushies – HUAT A Pot-sperity Festival has so much for the kiddos to enjoy! The 5m tall inflatable hotpot playground with a large ball pit is definitely the main attraction for kiddos ages four to 12, just make sure to bring your own socks. Make your way over to the bazaar where you can meet various ‘stall owners’ that offer an interactive experience of creating festive treats using plushies like grilling bakwa or baking pineapple tarts. You will need to purchase an $88 bundle for the interactive experience that comes with five plushies and one mahjong blindbox. It’s such a cute experience, our writer definitely had a blast when she checked it out recently!
When: Now till 22 Feb 2026
Where: Suntec City Atrium Tower 1 & 2 (below iSteaks), 3 Temasek Blvd, Singapore 038983
Price: Mix of free and paid activities
More info
2. Lunar New Year 2026 at Chinese Garden
Fancy a journey to the west? Lunar New Year 2026 at Chinese Garden will make it worth your while with the lineup of festive events they’ve got for you and the fam. Go on guided tours, explore the CITY SingaPOP exhibition, admire the festive decorations, and watch the Grand Arch come alive with a mesmerising light and motion show – there’s definitely something for everyone to enjoy.
When: 7 Feb 2026 – 3 March 2026, 5.30am to 10pm
Where: Chinese Garden, Jurong Lake Gardens, Boon Lay Wy, Singapore 619795
Price: Free!
More info
3. Spring Blossoms: Gallop into Prosperity at Gardens by the Bay
We always love the seasonal Chinese New Year celebrations at Gardens by the Bay, and this time of year promises some spectacular treats for the senses. Take the fam along to explore the beautiful floral displays at the Flower Dome in the form of Spring Blossoms: Gallop into Prosperity (春花盛开之骏马奔腾) at Gardens by the Bay. One of the main attractions features eight handcrafted lantern horses amidst the beautiful flowers, inspired by the classic Ba Jun Tu (八骏图) ink painting of eight steeds in full gallop. This year, there are more than 10,000 seasonal plants, including the “Four Gentlemen” of Chinese art — plum blossom, bamboo, orchid and chrysanthemum — to ring in the Chinese New Year. Want a sneak peek? Here’s what we saw when we checked it out ourselves!
When: Now till 1 March 2026
Where: Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore 018953
Price: Fom $8 per child and $12 per adult
More info
4. Street Light-Up in Chinatown
Chinese New Year celebrations will be back with a bang in Chinatown for 2026, and we’re super excited! The fabulous street light-up running along New Bridge Road, Eu Tong Sen Street and South Bridge Road is already in full swing with a beautiful 8.8-metre golden horse as the centrepiece. Make sure you gallop down to see it for yourself!
When: Now til 18 Mar 2026 7pm – 12am (except 17 Feb 2026 7pm -6am)
Where: Along New Bridge Road, Eu Tong Sen Street and South Bridge Road
More info
5. Festive fairs and performances in Chinatown
The light-up is not the only thing to lap up this festive season in Chinatown. The annual festive fairs will be back, so your CNY snacks and gifts are all sorted. Based on last year’s edition, it’s fair to say there’ll be a festive extravaganza in Chinatown this year, and you’d be mad to miss it! This year’s lineup also features a Chinese paper cutting workshop, a Mandarin carrier paper craft session, and you can even adopt a lantern to take home and reuse!
Here are all the deets to take note of:
Festive Fair @ People’s Park Complex
When: 18 Jan 2026 – 16 Feb 2026, 10am – 10pm
Where: Open space before Peoples’ Park Centre, 1 Park Road, Singapore 059108
Festive Fair @ Chinatown
When: 27 Jan 2026 – 17 Feb 2026; Mon to Thu 11am – 10.30pm, Fri to Sun 11am – 11.30pm, Eve of CNY 11am – 1am
Where: Various locations including Sago Street, Smith Street, Temple Street, Trengganu Street, Pagoda Street
Lion Dance Competition & Live Screening
When: 7 Feb – 8 Feb 2026, 6pm
Where: Lion Dance competition held at Kreta Ayer People’s Theatre, live screening at Kreta Ayer Square
Countdown Party
When: 16 Feb 2026, 10pm
Where: Kreta Ayer Square
Lantern Adoption
When: 11 to 18 March 2026
Where: Check Chinatown Festivals socials for more info on where you can apply!
6. Check out River Hongbao 2026
How much do we LOVE River Hongbao? While details have yet to be announced, be ready to gallop into the Year of the Horse with many fun performances and activities that form this Chinese New Year Festival at Gardens by the Bay! Based on last year’s festivities, look forward to being dazzled by the lantern displays, spectacular stage performances and other festivities. There were also numerous food stalls, so make sure to come hungry!
When: 15 – 24 Feb 2026; 15 Feb 6.30pm to 10.30pm, 16 Feb 6.30pm to 12.15am, 17 – 24 Feb 2.30pm to 10.30pm
Where: Gardens by the Bay, River Hongbao
More info
7. Chingay Parade
The good news for Chinese New Year 2026? The Chingay Parade is back at the F1 Pit Building – yay! Last year’s parade featured 4,000+ performers from 150 organisations, a new parade layout and design, installations and food-inspired special floats, and numerous food stalls. Stay tuned for when ticket sales go live – you don’t want to miss the chance to nab yours!
Where: F1 Pit Building, keep an eye out for more details!
When: 27 & 28 February 2026, 8pm
More info
8. NEW: Play a round of Lunar New Year of the Horse Monopoly!
This is no ordinary Monopoly! Golden festive game tokens with lucky themes, a new Lunar Horoscope spinning wheel, and buying gifts instead of properties – every aspect of this game has been altered to fit the Lunar New Year, and we are loving it! Maximum huat.
More info
9. Have a meow-tain of fun with Mofusand
Celebrate this Lunar New Year with extra cuteness as Mofusand lights up CapitaLand malls with festive installations, blooming florals, glowing lanterns, and oversized cat-themed red packets! Enjoy interactive photobooths, claw machines, exclusive merch like T-shirts and tote bags, and a purchase-with-purchase deal to collect one of two adorable Mofusand CNY plushies. Don’t miss Mofusand e-red packets on the CapitaStar app and Lunar New Year sticker packs. Make sure you try the new AR filters to snap, share, tag @CapitaLandMallsSG, to stand a chance to win 88,888 STAR$! Huat ah!
Where: Mofusand Paws-perity at Capitaland Malls
When: 1 January – 1 March 2026
More info
10. Prosperity Brickland at Marina Square
Drop by Marina Square and take part in their fun Chinese New Year celebration! Prosperity Brickland is a Lunar New Year–themed brick-built playground that has giant slides, climbing zones, interactive building areas, and imaginative brick structures. There’ll also have performances by Budao Weng, a performer who skilfully balances and spins on a large spinning top with tons of stuns and stunning choreography. If that doesn’t captivate the kids, there’ll also be lion dances, carnival games, workshops – there’ll definitely be something for everyone. If that doesn’t convince you to head down, check out what we saw when we checked it out before making a decision!
Where: Marina Square Central Atrium, 6 Raffles Blvd, Singapore 039594
When: Now till 24 Feb 2026
More info
11. “Finding Har马ny” CNY Art Installation at Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre
What better way to usher in the Year of the Horse than with some horsin’ around? The kids will adore this interactive art installation at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre. This horse-themed art installation at the SCCC’s Roof Garden doubles as an art installation and playground for the kiddos. Plus, you are in for a treat with the stunning city views — great for an IG-worthy photo op.
When: Now til 20 May 2026, 10am to 10pm
Where: Roof Garden of Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, 1 Straits Blvd, Singapore 018906
Price: Free!
More info
12. Lunar New Year Celebrations at Universal Studios Singapore
Head on over to Universal Studios Singapore to get in on the festive fun. You and the kiddos exchange lucky greetings with the God of Fortune and his companions and snap photos surrounded by epic festive scenes featuring your favourite Dreaworks bunch and more. Come sundown, set to be dazzled by five vibrant lions and a golden dragon as they take the stage for a spectacular LED light show.
When: Now til 15 Mar 2026
Where: Universal Studios Singapore, 8 Sentosa Gateway, Singapore 098269
More info
13. Follow the 2026 Museum Roundtable Hong Bao trail!
This is not an event but more of a fun Chinese New Year-themed quest, especially for ang bao or red packet enthusiasts! How about trailing across all the museums, galleries, and heritage institutions across this little red dot to collect exclusive ang boas specially designed for the Zodiac Year of the Horse? The 2026 Museum Roundtable Lunar New Year Hongbao Campaign returns with 49 participating museums, heritage institutions and galleries with each location having a set of six unique angbaos. What are you waiting for, there are so many to collect!
When: Now til 15 Feb 2026
Where: Various locations across the island
Price: Free!
More info
14. Festive fun at IKEA: In-store lion dances, snack tastings & crafts
We know IKEA always has something for everyone in the family, from delish kid-friendly meals to a shoppers’ haven! You can also head over with the kiddos this festive period for a fun way to usher in the year of the horse. Across the IKEA outlets this Chinese New Year period, you and the kiddos can watch a lion dance! Find out more here.
When: Lion dance performances:
IKEA Alexandra: 22 February, 11am
IKEA Jurong: 28 February, 11am
IKEA Tampines: 22 February, 11am
Gong Xi Fa Cai!
