The best places to see Christmas lights and decorations in Singapore
Santa Claus is coming to town – and to make St Nick's visit a memorable one, the streets of Singapore is putting up a show with twinkling fairy lights, stunning festive displays and elaborated Christmas trees. Kicking in the holiday spirit, these Christmas light displays not only lighten up moods but also make excellent additions to the 'gram and idyllic backdrops while you shop or stroll through the man-made winter wonderland.
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Orchard Road
See the iconic shopping belt bursting in technicolour goodness. The 2.88-kilometre stretch, starting from Tanglin Mall to Plaza Singapura, transforms into a dreamy Disney-Pixar-themed Christmas wonderland for this year's edition of Christmas on a Great Street – and who can resist Mickey Mouse and friends? Feast your eyes on the glittery main arch at the Orchard Road-Paterson Road junction with selected 3D Disney characters mounted on it. Continue looking up (but be careful!) as trees on either side of Orchard Road are adorned with illuminated 3D Mickey Mouse icons, and hanging lights in the shape of Mickey's iconic glove and Snow White's red apple.
Immerse yourself in four distinctive zones decked with enchanting festive pieces such as illuminated displays, Instagram-worthy photo opportunities and pop-up stores featuring all your favourite Disney Princesses (Tanglin Mall to Shaw House), Mickey Mouse and friends (ION Orchard to Mandarin Gallery), the Frozen fam (313@somerset to Orchard Central) and the Toy Story characters (Orchard Central to Plaza Singapura).
Gardens by the Bay
See Gardens by the Bay dressed to the nines this festive season with whimsical decor, dazzling lights and more to amp up the charm factor for this year's Christmas Wonderland. Known for its massive luminaries, Gardens by the Bay is not shying away from setting up the tallest luminarie Christmas tree that measures at 20.7-metres high and illuminated in gold at its entrance. It doesn't stop there – navigate through its 22-metres tall luminarie mirror maze in the heart of the Supertree Grove.
Universal Studios Singapore
Have a Universal Christmas at Universal Studios Singapore with dazzling light displays, musical performances, and spectacular fireworks. Look out for the brilliantly illuminated show with impressive projection mapping and snowfall at Santa’s Christmas Light-Up Party on New York Street where cuddly characters like the Minions, the residents of Sesame Street, Shrek and Princess Fiona and many more come decked out in their Christmas outfits.
VivoCity
You may need a map to navigate your way around VivoCity, but one thing’s for sure: this sprawling mall has everything under one roof – especially during the holidays. Make your way to Sentosa – and back – via the connecting boardwalk that's decked with plenty of tinsels, baubles and fairy lights. For the money Instagram shot, head up to the Sky Park as the giant Christmas tree lights up at 7pm. Taking up the festive spirit up a notch, the mall is holding its first-ever outdoor skating rink for shoppers to show off their moves under the stars. And don't bat an eye or you'll miss the dazzling fireworks display.
Singapore Sports Hub
Take a sweet stroll down the Stadium Riverside Walk and bask in the picturesque neon glow of the ChariTrees adorned along the pathway. What makes this a sight to see and appreciate is the fact that each tree is adopted by corporate donors with all proceeds donated to the Singapore Red Cross.
S.E.A. Aquarium
The Christmas spirit spreads through S.E.A Aquarium as it transforms into a mystical water wonderland with 40,000 glowing sea creatures, mesmerising light art installations, and underwater LED divers and scuba Santa and elves appearances, amongst them all. Explore five multi-sensory zones from the interactive Glow Room to the Crazy, Colourful Corals zone and be amazed at the coral colonies fluoresce under ultraviolet light in the night sky. Discover sea creatures in the depths of the underwater world at the Imaginarium, Joyous Jiggly Jellies, and the Abyssal Zone.
