Light the lanterns, munch on mooncakes and peel a pomelo! Mid-Autumn Festival 2024 has arrived in Singapore.
Who else loves that Singapore is a multicultural city? From having religious monuments side by side on one street (here’s looking at you, Chinatown!) to celebrating festivals like Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Puasa and Deepavali, we’re a cultural bunch. Come 17 September 2024, we’re prepping for the Mid-Autumn Festival in Singapore with events, light-ups and family-friendly activities. Here’s everything you need to know…
What’s the significance of the Mid-Autumn Festival?
Also known as Mooncake Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month (autumn season), hence the moniker. It marks the end of the autumn harvest and the Hungry Ghost Festival, and was traditionally a time of thanksgiving to the gods.
This 2,000-odd-year-old festival is also believed to originate from the tradition of worshipping the moon during the Song Dynasty. To celebrate, families and friends come together for moon-viewing parties (it’s known to shine the brightest during this period), with lanterns, mooncakes and autumn fruits like pomelo.
The folklore that has us over the moon
Just like many festivals, the Mid-Autumn Festival is rife with mythical stories. The most bittersweet and popular folklore follows the Moon Goddess, Chang’e. Her husband Hou Yi was a Chinese archer who saved the world from burning to ashes by shooting down nine blazing suns, leaving just one.
He was rewarded with an elixir of immortality but decided not to consume it to be with his wife. Knowing about the elixir, a greedy apprentice Peng Meng broke into Hou Yi’s house but was caught by Chang’e. In a turn of events, Chang’e drank the elixir and floated to the moon.
Left alone on earth, the devastated Hou Yi prepared a feast each year when the moon glowed the brightest, just to catch a glimpse of his wife. It soon turned into a tradition of offering worship to the Moon Goddess.
Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival in Singapore
The festivities often happen around September. Enjoy an array of light-ups around the city, delish mooncakes (these signify family reunion) and magical moon-viewing parties filled with lanterns at your nearest park. Hotels and restaurants begin the sale of mooncakes as early as two months before the main event, so get your orders in! Psst: you’ll love our roundup of traditional and unique mooncakes.
Exciting events for Mid-Autumn Festival 2024 in Singapore
1. Mid-Autumn Festival at Gardens by the Bay
4 – 22 September 2024
You can always expect Gardens by the Bay to put up show-stopping displays to wow us during any festive season. And the Mid-Autumn Festival is no different. Stroll across The Meadow, Dragonfly Lake, Golden Garden and the Supertree Grove for glowing installations inspired by childhood playtime.
The best part? It’s all free to see! Spot old school shophouse displays, enjoy free performances at the Dragon Playground, check out the Pelican Playground, and snap pics at the Colourful Blossoms floral arch and the Colonnade of Lights featuring 1,000 paper lanterns. P.S. little ones won’t wanna miss out on the nightly bubbles playtime experience at 8.15pm and 9.15pm.
For more Mid-Autumn Festival fun, swing by Gardens by the Bay throughout September for a lantern walk, lantern craft-making workshops, a marketplace filled with street food and family-friendly games, and music performances.
Mid-Autumn Festival at Gardens by the Bay, daily 6pm – 10pm, 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore 018953
2. Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival
19 August – 2 October 2024
We can’t imagine a better place to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival than Chinatown. Expect the usual iconic light installations and a boatload of exciting activities. Set to the theme of ‘Celebrating Mid-Autumn Across Generations’, this year’s festival design will light up the streets from Chinatown Point to Kreta Ayer Square. Expect to see an 8m-high lantern depicting three generations of a family gathering under the moonlight.
Other activities to enjoy include the Chinatown Lantern Walk, the new Lantern Riddles for interactive fun, a festive fair at the open space in front of People’s Park Complex, free weekend stage shows at Kreta Ayer Square, and the exciting lantern painting competition.
Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival, multiple locations in Chinatown
3. Wan Qing Mid-Autumn Festival
20 August – 15 September 2024
PSA: The Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall will shutter in September for restoration works and a gallery revamp. But before that happens, swing by for the Wan Qing Closing Fest featuring activities like a mystery puzzle adventure and an original skit by local playwright Teo Pei Si. As for the Mid-Autumn festivities, check out the Memorial Hall for the free-to-see Moonlit Legends outdoor lantern installation!
Wan Qing Mid-Autumn Festival, daily 10am – 9pm, Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, 12 Tai Gin Road, Singapore 327874
4. The Race Around The Moon
7 – 8 & 14 – 15 September 2024
A treat for little ones aged five to 10, this original play staged in Mandarin revolves around the characters Chang’e, Jade Rabbit, and Wu Gang. After spending years on the moon, the trio now have a shot at returning to Earth… but only the winner of the race around the moon can take the trip. Will their friendship prevail?
The Race Around The Moon, Sat 2pm & 5pm, Sun 11am & 2pm, $30 per ticket; Sky Garden, Gateway Theatre, 3615 Jalan Bukit Merah, Singapore 159461
5. Mid-Autumn Family Fun
6 – 8 September 2024
Did someone say giant mooncakes? Yup, these massive treats are part of an installation at the annual festive event brought to you by the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre and Singapore Chinese Orchestra. Look out for 21 family-friendly activities including theatre production The Moon Mission, a classic concert, a parent-child workshop about the guzheng instrument, free mooncake sponges, game booths, and loads more.
Mid-Autumn Family Fun, Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre and Singapore Conference Hall, 1 Straits Boulevard, Singapore 018906 and 7 Shenton Way, Singapore 068810
6. Donald Duck’s 90th Anniversary
20 August – 22 September 2024
The Mid-Autumn Festival gets a Disney makeover this year at VivoCity’s Sky Park, and we’re totally down for that. To celebrate Donald Duck’s 90th Anniversary, the mall is hosting a cool beach party with illuminated displays. Highlights across the six zones include Donald’s epic birthday cake, adorable couple seats for Donald and Daisy, a tunnel of oversized lifebuoys, and a 7.5m-tall Donald-themed boat.
Head over to snap pictures at the photo booths and create special prints to bring home. You can also snag Disney-themed merch at the Level 1 pop-up near Owndays, or head to the Tangs Mid-Autumn Fair (till 17 September) to stock up on mooncakes from brands like Janice Wong and Tai Chong Kok.
Donald Duck’s 90 Anniversary, VivoCity Sky Park, 1 HarbourFront Walk, Singapore 098585
Now that you’ve got all the deets, are you excited to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in Singapore this year? We sure are!
