And just like that, the year is ending. Has 2023 turned out to be what you had hoped it would be? Here’s a recap of what went down this year…
In the blink of an eye, we’re coming to the end of 2023. And wow, what a year it’s been! Can you recall what went down this year? Let’s recap what took place – the highs, lows and everything in between. Plus, the HoneyKids stories that you loved reading this year!
2023 year in review: All the noteworthy moments
1. Four Supermoons in one year
We had four full Supermoons in 2023 – the Buck Moon in July, Sturgeon Moon and Blue Moon in August and the Harvest Moon in September. Boy were we lucky, because the next one won’t be for another nine months (18 September 2024)! If your kids are still loving all things moon-related, we’ve got a list of moon-themed activities to try.
2. New kid-friendly atttractions & reopenings: Trifecta Singapore, Bird Paradise, KidzWorld at Singapore Zoo and more
2023 was a big year for new kid-friendly attractions! First we had Bird Paradise which finally opened after the closure of beloved Jurong Bird Park. Then The Palawan @ Sentosa made its debut with beach clubs, mini golf and an electric go-kart circuit. We got to check out the highly anticipated opening of Trifecta Singapore, the island’s first surf, snow and skate sports centre, before telling you about the amazing new KidzWorld at Singapore Zoo which has a petting zoo, water play and treehouse playground! We’ve also been treated to lots of reopenings this year, including the newly refreshed Slingshot at Clarke Quay and newly revamped Peranakan Museum.
Missed these openings in real time? You have to keep up with us on Instagram and Telegram for all the latest updates!
3. Big wins by Singapore’s female athletes (who run the world? Girls!)
Shanti Pereira became the first Singaporean track and field athlete to reach the semi-finals of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest and rewrote the 100m national mark six times and the 200m record four times throughout 2023! Most recently, she won Gold in the women’s 200m race at the Asian Games, the first for Singapore in 49 years.
Farhanna Farid, a Singaporean powerlifter exceeded her previous world mark by lifting 203.5kg and 208kg in the Under-52kg open category of the Asian Classic Powerlifting Championship, making it the eighth time she has rewritten the record in the past year and a half.
Chloe Tang is the youngest in this list, having lifted 160.5kg and breaking the sub-junior (14-18 years old) Under-57kg squat world record at the same championships – at just 18 years old! The Institute of Technical Education College East is incredibly inspiring with her achievement coming just a year after taking up the sport professionally.
4. Singapore appointed a new president
After a few short weeks of campaigning in August 2023, Tharman Shanmugaratnam was announced Singapore’s ninth president (and we got an extra public holiday, whoop).
5. Higher baby bonus, four weeks paternity leave and infant care leave doubled in 2023
The Singapore Budget 2023 announced a whole slew of updated policies for families! In February 2023 it was announced that working fathers of Singaporean children born on or after 1 January 2024 can take four weeks of government-paid paternity leave, up from the current two weeks (depending on their employers). This means more support for mums and babies in the fourth trimester, and more time for dads to adjust to life with a baby – yay!
It was also announced that all parents of Singaporean children will be eligible for a total of 12 days of unpaid infant care leave (up from six days previously) from 1 January 2024, for working parents with Singaporean children aged below two years old. Plus, eligible Singaporean children born on or after 14 February 2023 will receive an additional $3,000 as part of the Baby Bonus scheme!
6. We breathed the same air as royalty: Prince William visited Singapore
British royalty graced our shores in November 2023! It was Prince William’s first time in Singapore after 11 years, and he was in town for the Earthshot Prize (which was also a star-studded event with celebs like Cate Blanchett, Robert Irwin and One Republic!). Prince William was welcomed by adoring crowds at the iconic vortex at Jewel Changi Airport.
7. We said a fond farewell to giant panda Le Le at River Wonders
13 December 2023 was giant panda Le Le’s last day at River Wonders, and about 1,000 guests attended the farewell! We’ve always closely followed our favourite furry friend’s antics since his surprise arrival in August 2021, and we can’t believe he will soon embark on his journey to China where he will officially join the country’s giant panda conservation programme. Le Le will be the VIP, or Very Important Panda, for the duration of the approximately 4.5-hour-long flight to his new home on 16 January 2024! He will board a specially arranged Singapore Airlines flight to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, in a custom-made crate with his travel essentials, which include his in-flight meal consisting of up to 50kg of bamboo, bamboo shoots, fruit, pellets and water. We wish him all the best for his journey, and will continue to say hi to panda parents Jia Jia and Kai Kai at River Wonders!
8. The HoneyKids Asia podcast got a new look! Plus we hosted some fab events
Growing Pains has been rebranded to the HoneyKids Asia Podcast! Make sure you keep up with all our latest episodes on activity ideas and parenting hacks to ace family life in the little red dot, because we always have so much fun recording these for you. If you’ve been keeping up with us you’ll know we’ve hosted so many cool family events in 2023, from the HoneyKids International School Fair to the kid-friendly events at Forum the Shopping Mall for National Day and Plaza Singapura for Christmas! We can’t wait to plan more awesome activities and events for you in 2024.
9. We continue to hope for an end to wars and pray for peace
While most of us prepare to wrap up the year and get in the festive mood, others in some parts of the world are not as fortunate. We are always thinking of the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire in Gaza, and hope the crisis in Congo will soon come to an end. We’ve also been hearing the news about the Rohingya refugees on boats who are looking for a safe place to arrive to, but to no avail. As all this distressing news comes up more often on the telly and are widely talked about, your kids may have questions – here’s how to tackle these tough conversations.
10. Things to look forward to in 2024
We don’t know what 2024 has in store for us yet, but we do know fun is in the cards! There’s already a tun of buzz around the kids’ theatre shows that are coming to Singapore (Madagascar the Musical, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Disney on Ice, Matilda the Musical and more!). Plus we just know that kids are gonna be in for a treat with new attractions opening up all over town – we hear KidZania is making a comeback!
Our top stories of 2023
We cap off this year in review with the stories you enjoyed:
- Kid-friendly restaurants and cafes in Singapore: kids’ menus and cool play areas!
- Our favourite kids birthday party venues in Singapore for every budget
- How to order coffee and tea like a local in Singapore
- Free water play in Singapore: Fountains, splash pads and wading pools for kids
- 20 Singapore souvenirs that aren’t your usual tourist tat
- The best family-friendly hotels and resorts in Singapore for a staycation with kids
- The best low-stimulating kids’ shows you can find on Netflix, Disney+, YouTube & more
And that’s it for our 2023 year in review. See you in the new year!
