The best things to do in Singapore this January

Start the year with a visit to Singapore Art Museum’s latest installation, Nafasan Bumi – An Endless Harvest, featuring works by Indonesian artists Elia Nurvista and Bagus Pandega. The exhibition explores the environmental costs of economic growth in an era of climate crisis, while exploring how the items we use today may leave their mark on the future.

This immersive environment brings together kinetic, multimedia and sculptural installations that trace the impact of extractive economies across regional and global networks. Highlights include batik and palm oil sculptures depicting plantation labourers, mechanical systems powered by biofeedback from live plants and more.

Marking the return of Singapore Art Week, Sonic Shaman 2026: Borderless makes its Singapore debut at the Singapore Art Museum. Presented with Taipei’s TheCube Project Space, the large-scale exhibition brings together experimental sound, performance and contemporary art.

Featuring more than 20 local and international artists and musicians, the showcase explores new ways of listening, sound-making and collective experience, drawing from Southeast Asia’s rich cultural histories. Visitors can also browse a marketplace of booths run by locally based creatives and take part in hands-on craft workshops.

It’s the 10th edition of Light to Night Singapore, and there’s much to look forward to at this mega art festival. This year, the Civic District transforms into a living canvas over four weekends, with art installations centering around the theme The Power in Us. There’ll be light projection mappings on the surrounding buildings, roving performances, live choir singing performances, art tours, and food-theme experiences. 

This year also features the debut of the new series Santai, inspired by the Malay word “to relax”. There will be five gathering points at the Padang, Empress Lawn, Front Lawn at The Arts House, ACM Green and Esplanade Park. One highlight to look forward to is the Gathering on the Lawn installation by Taiwanese artist Michael Lin, where participants can light their path with beautiful batik-inspired designed paper lantern bags.

There’s something enchantingly extra about Sentosa right now. From now till January 4, the island is gleaming in emerald and pink, taking its cues from the highly anticipated film Wicked: For Good. We’re talking dazzling lights, larger-than-life installations, themed eats, and plenty of chances to perfect Glinda’s signature hair toss.

Little India turns up the heat with vibrant festivities at the Indian Heritage Centre across two lively weekends. Immerse yourself in the energy of live cultural performances, catch pottery demonstrations in action, and watch seniors come together to hand-paint pongal pots – a meaningful expression of community and togetherness.

There is also no shortage of hands-on activities that are suitable for visitors of every age, from creating pulli kolam designs to crafting pongal charm keychains.

Kidsfest! 2026 returns with world-class theatre made just for little ones, running from 23 January to 22 February at the Victoria Theatre. The festival brings beloved children’s books to life, with this year’s line-up featuring five crowd-pleasers: There’s a Snake in My School, The Gruffalo’s Child, The Koala Who Could, The 91-Storey Treehouse and Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book.

Each show runs for approximately 50 to 60 minutes with no interval, so parents may want to plan toilet breaks ahead for younger children. Tickets start from $42, with ongoing promotions including 15 per cent off Thursday and Friday performances, and 10 per cent off weekend shows.

In case you missed the news, Changi Airport has already begun work on its much-anticipated Terminal 5, slated to open in the mid-2030s. While the countdown continues, you can catch a preview of what’s to come at the T5 in the Making exhibition.

The showcase unfolds across five multisensory zones, blending AI and high-tech elements to trace Changi’s journey from bare land to award-winning aviation hub. It also highlights how smart technologies are reshaping labour-intensive operations and strengthening climate resilience, alongside an interactive station that invites visitors to imagine their own vision of Terminal 5.

Singapore’s arts scene continues to find its footing, with platforms such as *Scape’s COMMA 2026 creating space for young artists to step into the spotlight. This year’s edition, themed Softer Systems, runs from January 16 to 31 across the *Scape Somerset Belt, featuring live performances, art exhibitions and participatory experiences open to the public.

Music Day Out returns as a one-day festival spotlighting local and regional acts, alongside creative booths selling handmade trinkets, curated crystals and more. Other highlights range from a performance experience that weaves dance and food, to immersive theatre productions and screenings of dance-led films.

The 22nd edition of the Singapore Fringe Festival, themed Represent, showcases six events by local and international artists, exploring topics from visible and invisible disabilities to the multiplicity of ethnicities. Catch a romantic musical, join thought-provoking panel discussions, and more. Tickets for performances are priced at $38, and admission to the panel discussions is free with registration.

The annual Aliwal Urban Arts Festival returns on January 31, transforming the streets of Kampong Gelam with a major glow-up of street art, live graffiti, music, dance performances and immersive installations. Creators, artists and festival-goers alike can come together to celebrate local arts culture through a rich mix of activities, including open-studio visits hosted by Aliwal’s creative tenants.

VERSE 2026 spotlights local literature, inviting audiences to experience it in new ways by blending text, sound, movement and visual art. The festival features over 15 programmes and two commissioned works, bringing together more than 18 partners to reimagine how literature can be enjoyed. 

A luminous outdoor installation invites audiences to interact with letters “bumping” into each other, allowing visitors to rearrange alphabet blocks to form words and phrases. The festival also features captivating theatre performances, and a conversation series where six pairs of emerging writers and musicians engage in creative dialogues, including Jean Seizure, Wen-yi Lee and more. While there, explore video screenings, paintings on display, and a curated selection of art and lifestyle titles at the bookshop pop-up on Fridays and Saturdays.