From Pongal to Ramadan to Hungry Ghost Festival and Christmas, we've been looking at all the festivals that happen in multicultural Singapore…
With Pongal and Chinese New Year fast approaching, we’ve been thinking about how lucky we are to live in a country with so many nationalities, religions and cultures to celebrate.
There’s always a festival or cultural event to get excited about, as well as tons of fun-filled indoor and outdoor activities for the kids. So, we’ve compiled a handy guide to what’s happening and when here in Singapore – all the cultural events and religious festivals to mark in your diaries. Get ready to party, people!
2025 Cultural events and festivals happening in Singapore
Pongal (13 – 16 January 2025)
Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated by the Tamil community. It is a celebration to offer gratitude to the sun, nature, and the various farm animals that help contribute to a bountiful harvest. This harvest festival is celebrated over four days. This four-day festival hailing from South India celebrates the blessing of plentiful harvests. This festival is typically commemorated with a traditional Indian sweet rice dish called “pongal”, made with rice, milk and sugar. This dish is traditionally cooked in an earthenware pot during the festivities.
However, in Singapore, Pongal is not a public holiday like Deepavali, but it is still widely celebrated here as a Thanksgiving festival. While farming is not widely practised in Singapore, unlike in parts of India, the festival remains relevant in urban cities. The festival is also an opportunity to strengthen ties with family. On local shores, Little India comes alive with Pongal festivities, including songs, dances, and feasts on traditional cuisine. Find out more about this festival here.
Chinese New Year (29 – 30 January 2025)
Arguably, the most significant event in the Chinese community is Chinese New Year. Also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, it begins on the first day of the first month in the lunar calendar (it’s also big with Koreans, too!). It’s a 15-day extravaganza where new clothes are worn, auspicious red packets (ang bao) are doled out, and families reunite over hearty reunion dinners.
Chingay (7 & 8 February 2025)
Chingay is held during the second weekend of Chinese New Year in Singapore, and there’s only one word to describe it: wow! Expect dazzling floats, fire-eaters, magicians and more in this annual street parade, the largest float parade in Asia. The word Chingay (妆艺) means “the art of costume and masquerade” in the Hokkien dialect. It originally began after firecrackers were banned here in Singapore as a new way to drive away evil spirits.
Thaipusam (11 February 2025)
Hindu devotees embark on this annual procession to declare their faith and offer thanks in honour of Lord Subrahmanya, who represents virtue, youth and power. This is not a sight for the faint-hearted – devotees carry a “kavadi“, which often has spikes that pierce into the body. The pieces of wood or steel are usually adorned with flowers, palm leaves and peacock feathers and can weigh up to 40kg. The festival is a trial of mind over matter.
Ramadan (27 February 2025 to 29 March 2025) and Hari Raya Aidilfitri (31 March 2025)
Muslims believe the sacred month of Ramadan to be the holiest month of the year. It is also one of the biggest cultural events and festivals celebrated here in Singapore. Little known fact: fasting is much more than abstaining from food or drink during daylight hours. Fasting is seen as a commitment to the purification of the soul. This means refraining from bad habits and thoughts. Once you’ve pulled through Ramadan, it’s time to celebrate. Hari Raya Aidilfitri (also called Hari Raya Puasa) is a month-long festival encouraging forgiveness and thanksgiving. Don’t mistake it for the Muslim New Year, though, because it is not!
Holi (14 March 2025)
As with many of the best legends, the story of Holi begins with a demon king. This particular demon king, Hiranyakashyap, conquered the earth but, alas, had a few parenting issues to deal with. His son, Prahlad, refused to worship him and so persuaded his daughter, Holika, to trick her brother into entering a blazing fire (knowing that she herself was immune to the flames). It turned out, though, that the immunity only applied if she entered a fire on her own. So, Holika paid the price of her sinister plot by perishing in the flames, while her brother escaped unscathed thanks to his devotion to Lord Naarayana. The name Holi is derived from Holika, and the festival celebrates good triumphing over evil. Bonfires are traditionally lit to represent Holika’s downfall and sticky end, while coloured powder is thrown to represent freedom and the colours of life.
Good Friday and Easter (18 April – 21 April 2025)
Whether you believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God or not, history suggests that this rather cool dude did exist and was indeed crucified on a cross by the dastardly Romans. No one really knows when that happened, but Good Friday became the day that Christians commemorate Jesus’ earthly demise. Good Friday is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday and Black Friday, and coincides with the Jewish Passover. Fast forward two days to Easter Sunday, and Jesus busts out of his tomb to the surprise and joy of all who followed him. His resurrection became the most important date in the Christian calendar and remains so to this day. The relatively modern term “Easter” was first coined by Bede, a monk from the 8th Century.
Vesak Day (12 May 2025)
Vesak Day is an important celebration for Buddhists as it commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha. Visit the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum and watch devotees bring offerings to the feet of their spiritual teachers. Take the time to do a good deed too, since Buddhists believe that doing so today will spread good karma.
Dragon Boat Festival (31 May 2025)
Chinese celebrate this festival in honour of Qu Yuan, a poet who drowned himself as an act of protest against corruption. People used to throw rice dumplings into the river to stop fish from feeding on his body. These days, dragon boat races are held to symbolise the “search” for Qu Yuan’s body. Young and old alike enjoy rice dumplings as a sweet glutinous snack while cheering on dragon racing teams.
Hari Raya Haji (7 June 2025)
Hari Raya Haji (which means “great day of the haj” in Malay), also known as Eid al-Adha, is an important Muslim festival where followers reflect on the story of God commanding Ibrahim to sacrifice his son, Ismail. Thankfully, no small children came to harm as God intervened by allowing Ibrahim to sacrifice a sheep instead. Today, the sacrificial ritual, known as “Korban”, is an important part of the festival and represents Prophet Ibrahim’s faith and trust in God. Mosques around Singapore take part in the ritual where sheep or goats will be sacrificed during the Korban.
National Day (9 August 2025)
Red and white take centre stage on Singapore’s National Day, so show your patriotism by donning the colours of our flag. Enjoy riveting performances and spectacular fireworks at the National Day Parade, and get ready for open days at museums, local eateries, and more!
Hungry Ghost Festival (6 September 2025)
Taoists believe that in August, the “Gates of Hell” are opened, and the souls of the dead are free to roam the earth. It’s a little like Halloween, except all the ‘candy’ are for the ghosts. Incense sticks and joss paper are also burnt as a form of prayer, while live performances on big stages (known as “getai” entertain crowds with puppetry, opera and song-and-dance numbers. Head to Chinatown, Redhill and Geylang to take a peek at the festivities and be mindful of all the ways to keep the ghosts at bay.
Mid-Autumn Festival (6 – 8 October 2025)
This is one day all kids (and the inner kid in you) will love. Known as the Lantern or Mooncake Festival, children tote paper lanterns in cute shapes and sizes once the sun goes down and feast on a whole heap of mooncakes. Whether you’re a mooncake purist preferring traditional lotus paste pastries, or a more partial to an ice-cream mooncake with exotic flavours like durian, this is definitely the time of the year to ditch the diets!
Deepavali (20 October 2025)
Also known as Diwali, the Festival of Lights is celebrated by Hindus all around the world, including in Singapore. Get henna art painted on your hands and soak up the festive atmosphere in Little India, which is bustling with bazaars full of beautiful saris and delicate costume jewellery. Don’t miss out on the street parade and countdown concert.
Hanukkah (14 to 22 December 2025)
Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday known as The Festival of Lights, typically between late November and late December. Jews worldwide celebrate it by lighting the Menora, playing games of dreidel, and eating exceptional sweet holiday food such as potato latkes and Sufganiyot. (Sufganiyot are a type of doughnut – sounds good to us!).
Christmas (25 December 2025)
In a nutshell, Christmas is celebrated by Christians around the globe to honour the birth of Jesus Christ, who is believed by many to be the son of God. As you know, maternity packages and whatnot were not quite up to the same standard as those we are blessed with today. Poor Jesus’ mum, Mary, was blue-lighted not in an ambulance to a birthing centre but on a donkey to Bethlehem, where she gave birth in a stable. Still, it was made lovely and festive with the help of a very bright star, a whole chorus of angels, and some pretty snazzy gifts from strangers arriving from the East on camels.
And that’s it! Looking to maximise those public holidays? Here’s a full list of the long weekends to take note of in 2025!