Chinese New Year 2023 is almost here! Here's all the best things to do in Singapore to celebrate with kids...
Chinese New Year is almost here! 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, then you’ll need to turn your attention to how you’re going to keep the famalam entertained if you decide to venture out come Chinese New Year. Luckily, we’ve been busy looking out for CNY fam fun, so you can start planning right now. Here’s our list of all the best ways to celebrate Chinese New Year 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 2023 in Singapore
1. Street Light-Up and celebrations in Chinatown
CNY celebrations are back with a bang in Chinatown for 2023, and we’re super excited! Check out the fabulous street light up until 19 February from 7pm until midnight, which is running along New Bridge Road, Eu Tong Sen Street and South Bridge Road. That’s not all, the festive fair and food fair is back every evening from 6-10pm for the whole of January, too – so your CNY snacks and gifts are all sorted. It’s fair to say there’s a festive extravaganza in Chinatown this year, and you’d be hopping mad to miss it!
Details: Street light up: 3 January 2023 – 19 February 2023, 7pm-midnight, Festive Fair and Food Fair: every day in January from 6-10pm
2. Get clued up on Chinese New Year with Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre!
Looking for online CNY fun? How about checking out the one-stop online guide on all things Chinese New Year?! From a yusheng guide to zodiac predictions, Festive Fever from Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre has it all. Plus, there are loads of interactive quizzes for the kids (and grown-ups!) to test their knowledge!
3. Chingay Parade
The good news for Chinese New Year 2023? The Chingay Parade is back at the F1 Pit – yay! Check out the colourful and vibrant parade in front of a street-style container art backdrop. This is the final installation in the trilogy and is all about calling on Singaporeans to treasure the present and embrace tomorrow together as a community with hope, dream, and confidence as we commit to a brighter Singapore. We can really get on board with that theme! Looking to attend? Get in quick as the tickets are already on sale. Super excited and want to get into the CNY mood now? Listen to the theme song “Embrace Tomorrow” on Spotify!
Details: Friday 3 & Saturday 4 February 2023, 8PM, F1 Pit. Tickets priced at $60 / $50 / $40 / $28.50 / $20 (excludes booking fee). PAssion Card Members get to enjoy 20% discount.
4. Spring in the S.E.A. Aqua
Our kids LOVE the S.E.A. Aquarium at the best of times, and especially the humungous Open Ocean Habitat. This Chinese New Year, things are getting even more awesome. Delve into a bountiful Year of the Water Rabbit with 100,000 marine animals. Discover auspicious stars’ symbolisms along the Trail of Fortune and welcome a prosperous year with an underwater dragon dance (sounds amazing to us!). Plus, join Ru Yi the Mermaid as she shares how we can conserve the seas’ pristine treasures.
When: 13 January – 5 February 2023
Where: S.E.A. Aquarium, 8 Sentosa Gateway, Resorts World Sentosa
Cost: Admission fees apply
5. Chinese New Year festivities at Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
There are lots of festive happenings at Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall over Chinese New Year (see below!), and one of our faves is visiting the latest lawn installation. Celebrate Wan Qing Festival of Spring 2023 with ‘Bunny-ful Blessings!’ These cute critters are part of an exciting line up of programmes and activities suitable for all ages.
6. Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall Lion Dance and family workshops (Lion Dance, festive drums, and crafts!)
It’s not just the displays that are worth checking out at Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall; visit on the 22 January 2023 between 10 – 11am, and you’ll be treated to a lion dance performance to celebrate the Lunar New Year! Do the kids fancy trying the Lion Dance for themselves? They can with the Lion Dance workshop taking place on the 4 February 2023. Or, if your kids like to make a noise, then head straight for the Festive Chinese Drum Workshop. Finally, for the crafters out there, how about a lantern-making workshop? Learn all the basics and design, paint and print patterns to create your own family masterpiece!
When: Throughout January and February – check website for latest timings and make sure you book online in advance.
Where: Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, 12 Tai Gin Road, Singapore 327874
7. Bountiful Blessings at Universal Studios Singapore
You should definitely swing by Universal Studios Singapore to ring in the Year of the Rabbit. From 13 January to 5 February 2023, hop into fun with festive meet and greets, an exciting night Lo Hei event during extended weekend opening hours, beautiful cherry blossom trees and the chance to collect awesome gifts and prizes. Best get booking!
When: Until 5 February 2023
Where: Universal Studios Singapore, Sentosa
Cost: One-day Universal Studios Singapore admission tickets are available at S$88/adult and S$68/child and come with a Universal Studios Singapore food and beverage voucher and retail voucher.
8. Dahlia Dreams at Gardens by the Bay
We always love the seasonal 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 Dahlia Dreams. Stroll through a field of dahlias alongside a host of lunar floral favourites! Psst, this year, there’s the added bonus of nighttime lanterns to check out too!
When: 13 January – 26 February 2023
Where: Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay
9. Be dazzled by The National Gallery’s Light to Night
Light to Night has been extended this year to coincide with CNY – yay! Keep the kids up late and head on down to the Civic District to see your favourite buildings illuminated with bedazzling light displays!
When: 6 – 26 January 2023
Where: National Gallery Singapore, Light to Night 2023
10. Check out River Hongbao 2023: FREE
How much do we LOVE River Hongbao? Hop into a prosperous Year of the Rabbit with a whole bunch of fun performances and activities that form this Chinese New Year Festival at Gardens by the Bay! Be dazzled by the lantern displays, spectacular stage performances and a host of other festivities at River Hongbao 2023. This year is a hybrid experience, so you can tune in to some of the performances from the comfort of your own home! For a rundown on all the happenings, including concert dates and times, check the website. Added bonus: The events are FREE entry, so no tickets are required for admission!
When: 20 – 28 January 2023
Where: Gardens by the Bay, River Hongbao
11. Visit i12 Katong for festive art installations, poetry readings, shopping promotions and more!
Ever seen giant Lunar New Year animals made from recycled flip flops? Neither have we! Head to i12 Katong this Chinese New Year in Singapore with the kids for a whole range of fun activities (and some super special shopping promotions!) Don’t miss the Lion Dance Performance on 27 January at 12pm on Level 1 Atrium, and simply present a receipt from same-day shopping for the kids to enjoy a craft workshop! Check website for details.
When: 2 January – 5 February 2023
Where: i12 Katong, 112 E Coast Rd, Singapore 428802
13. Follow the 2023 Museum Roundtable Hong Bao trail!
Now in its 9th edition, the 2023 Museum Roundtable Lunar New Year Hongbao Campaign returns with new red packet designs based on the Zodiac Year of the Rabbit! Visitors will be able to collect a set of unique red packet designs at 39 participating museums, heritage institutions and galleries while stocks last. Each set will contain eight pieces of red packets, themed respectively to the 39 participating museums. If you want to purchase an album to keepsake, the last is available on 20 January at 10:00am, walk in only, to the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall.
When: 6 January to 3 February 2023
Where: 39 participating museums – check the list
14. Let’s get (tu)gether at SCCC’s Roof Garden!
SCCC’s Roof Garden comes alive with a spectacular rabbit-themed art installation exhibition to welcome the Year of the Rabbit. Entitled 兔gether, the art installations created by local art and design studio Whisky and Foxtrot LLP, the mixed-media artwork presents a cast of characters from Chinese New Year mythology. These characters will showcase local Chinese New Year practices enjoyed together with family and friends. Why not visit one Saturday night when the light up is happening? Check the website for details or times and activities!
When: 18 December 2022 to 31 March 2023 from 10am to 10pm daily.
Light up event: Selected Saturday evenings, 7 Jan, 14 Jan, 28 Jan, 25 Feb and 25 Mar, 7.30pm to 8.30pm
Where: SCCC’s Roof Garden, 1 Straits Boulevard, Singapore 018906
15. Spring into Prosperity at Jewel Changi Airport
There’s a Chinese New Year Fair happening at the B1 Atrium of Jewel Changi Airport, and while you’re there, you might want to take advantage of the Spend & Redeem offers for MasterCard and Citibank credit card holders. There’s lots to explore, too, including a visit to the Disney-themed Year of the Rabbit Tsum Tsum pop-up store, on level B1 (#B1-219/220). The Disney-themed pop-up store at Jewel, one of the largest in Singapore, will offer merchandise such as toys, stationery, apparel, homeware and more!
When: 12 January – 26 February 2023
Where: Jewel Changi Airport
16. HUAT’S UP this CNY at Singapore Sports Hub? LED Light Lion performances, an Asian food Street festival, #Huatrun and more!
What could make a lion dance even more spectacular? How about some LED lights? See this and more at Singapore Sports Hub this Lunar New Year! There is so much happening! Sign up for #HUATRUN, snap pics along the trail in your own time, and you could be walking away with a pair of concert tickets!
When: Most events are happening over 28 and 29 January, and 4 and 5 February
Where: Multiple locations around Stadium, check website for details
Gong Xi Fa Cai!
