The best things to do in Singapore in December

If there’s any doubt that Orchard Road is Singapore’s most bustling street, then Christmas on A Great Street will put that to rest. On November 16, Orchard Road lit up in a dazzling display of Christmas lights – marking the start of month-long festivities. Visit three Christmas Villages along Orchard Road, which have carnival rides, games, pop-up stores, and food and drink stations. Augmented reality displays will run till January 1 – there’s one that you can find projected on 25 glass panels along the walkway from ION Orchard to Mandarin Gallery. And on Christmas Eve, turn up for the first-ever street party which will feature lively dance performances, Christmas carolling, and a bustling Christmas market.

It’s a white Christmas dream come true at Ice Magic: Winter Wonderland, a pop-up snowy playground at Bayfront Event Space. This year’s edition features an all-new eight-metre merry-go-round on ice, a double-lane couple ice slide, as well as an exhilarating snow slope that you can whizz down on skis or a float. Dotting the indoor wintry landscape are giant ice sculptures, a cosy wooden cottage, as well as a Winter Food Village with festive treats like Swiss rosti and mulled wine. Stick around too – the last hour of each session will see multi-hued lights coming on to illuminate the snowscape in a romantic Northern Lights-like display.

Christmas Wonderland returns this December in its biggest edition yet. The annual fixture at Gardens by the Bay is spread out over Supertree Grove, Frosty’s Fairground, and Gingerbread Grove, bringing captivating light displays, carnival rides, and festive activities. The highlight is Spalliera at Supertree Grove, a handcrafted light display modelled after Italy’s Mesola Castle. Experience snowfall at Blizzard Time, and take a romantic walk down Walk of Lights, now longer than ever. Win some prizes at the many carnival game booths over at Frosty’s Fairground. Meanwhile, the life-sized gingerbread house at the new Gingerbread Grove will make for a precious picture.

The best airport in the world is putting on a huge Christmas bash, and this year's theme is simply sweet. Changi Festive Village sees the terminal transformed into candy-themed playgrounds, the highlight of which is Candy Wonderland at Terminal 3’s departure hall. Marked by a seven-metre-tall cupcake Ferris wheel, candy cane lane and gingerbread house, it’ll get your teeth rotting in the best way possible. Over at T3’s arrival hall is Candy Carnival, which has inflatable castles, go-kart courses, and more carnival games. There’s even a Candy Snow House, where you can have hours of fun sliding down snowy slides and riding in hand-pulled sleighs.