Mid-Autumn Festival Singapore – things to do!

The Mid-Autumn Festival in Singapore is just around the corner – on 25 September, in fact! You can expect beautiful lanterns at Gardens by the Bay, community-led activities such as lantern walks across Chinatown, loads of delish mooncakes and much more. Find out what it’s all about, along with some cool things to do during the celebrations.

What’s the Mid-Autumn festival about?

The Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month in the Chinese calendar. It traditionally marks and celebrates the end of the Autumn harvest. There are many legends surrounding this cultural festival. One of the most popular ones is the following tale of famous archer Hou Yi and his beautiful wife Chang’E.

Ten suns are said to have existed in ancient times, making the heat on earth unbearable. Hou Yi shot down nine of the suns. For his bravery, a goddess gave him a magical elixir of immortality. In order to protect the elixir from being stolen, Chang’E swallowed it. This caused her to fly to the moon, where she has remained forever. In her honour, people eat mooncakes and look at the moon in hopes of seeing her.

Another popular story behind the origins of mooncakes takes place during the Yuan Dynasty. The Han Chinese used the sweet treats to hide secret messages as part of their plan to overthrow the Mongols who were ruling at the time. From that moment, the Chinese have baked and eaten mooncakes to commemorate the event during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

What are some traditional Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations?

The festival was traditionally a thanksgiving celebration, with families gathering to eat mooncakes and admire the full moon during the Autumn harvest. Moon worship also played a part in the festivities; food was offered to the moon, and lanterns were carried to symbolise its light.

However, in modern times, some of these traditions have become less common – the focus is more on the mooncakes. (You probably already know how fancy and creative they can get!) The tradition of gifting mooncakes is still prevalent in Singapore, though some families still enjoy carrying lanterns during the festival – mainly for the kids!

Mid-Autumn Festival things to do

Celebrating Mid-Autumn with the community at Chinatown

This year, New Bridge Road and Eu Tong Sen Street will not be decorated with overhanging lantern decorations, ending a 24-year tradition. While this familiar sight won’t be there, the celebrations will be community-led.

From 11 September to 4 October, visitors can pen their well-wishes on lanterns at designated booths in Kreta Ayer Community Club and grassroots events in the Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng precinct. These lanterns will progressively be added to displays at Kreta Ayer Square and Banda Street.

There’s also a new event – Light a Lantern, Share Your Blessing. This community lantern procession takes place at 6pm on 19 September. It will also include a mooncake and tea appreciation session, lantern riddles presented in Singapore’s four official languages, and a Lantern Design Competition at Kreta Ayer Community Club.

For more details of the events, head to the Chinatown Festivals Facebook page and Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng Community Facebook page.

Lights by the Lake at Jurong Lake Gardens

From 19 September to 4 October, Jurong Lake Gardens will host its annual Mid-Autumn Festival celebration. This year’s exhibition brings to life the story of the Legend of the White Snake, through large lantern displays depicting the story of Bai Suzhen – a white snake spirit who takes human form – and her romance with the scholar Xu Xian. The displays include their chance meeting on Broken Bridge, their separation at the hands of the monk Fa Hai, and a reimagined ending that sees all four characters of the tale, including Xiao Qing, reunited in forgiveness. Beyond this, other displays include Chang’e’s Moonlit Garden, her celestial home and her jade rabbit.

There’s also a stamp rally through key locations at the Chinese Garden – follow Xiao Wing as she embarks on a special delivery mission inspired by the Legend of the White Snake, collect all the stamps and receive a special keepsake (redemption only available on 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27 September). There will also be live performances, hands-on activities and a hanfu dress-up and photo experience ongoing until 27 September. More details are available on the Jurong Lake Gardens website.

Mid-Autumn Festival line-up at Gardens by the Bay

Walk through large-scale lantern sets at Gardens by the Bay from 12 to 27 September, 6pm to 10pm. Local cartoon character Fenbao and her friends including Chiu Chiu and Pineapple Boy will guide visitors through mystical and celestial giant lantern displays.

There’s also a line-up of workshops on weekends for the family. These include self-guided craft activities to create your own Mid-Autumn festive keepsake, teams showcasing their skills and coordination in a traditional competition of balancing gigantic large flags, and a marketplace filled with food, snacks, carnival games and family friendly rides. Get all the details from the Gardens by the Bay website!

Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations at Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre

Taking place from 19 to 20 September at SCCC and the Singapore Conference Hall, this weekend festival will feature 25 family-friendly activities. They include a Mid-Autumn rooftop installation, mooncake tasting, interactive lantern walks, moon and stargazing, hands-on workshops, free craft activities, cultural performances and more. Refer to the SCCC website for details about the various programmes.

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