Mid-Autumn Festival 2026 has arrived in Singapore. Light the lanterns, munch on mooncakes and check out festive events!
On 25 September 2026, Singapore celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival with festive events, light-ups, family-friendly activities, and mooncake fun. We love finding cool things to do in Chinatown, which is typically the epicentre of merrymaking during the festival. Here’s everything you need to know… (Oh, and take a peek at our multicultural city’s other celebrations like Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Deepavali.)
What is the Mid-Autumn Festival about?
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.
What’s the meaning behind the Mid-Autumn Festival?
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.
How does Singapore celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival?
This year, the festivities start in September until the actual festival date arrives in October. Enjoy an array of light-ups around the city, traditional and contemporary flavours of 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 where to buy mooncakes in Singapore.
Mid-Autumn Festival events in Singapore
1. Lights by the Lake 2026
Journey to the west of Singapore and admire magical lights at Jurong Lake Gardens for the Mid-Autumn Festival. As the sun sets, the gardens are illuminated with mesmerising displays. This year’s exhibition features glowing scenes of the treasured Chinese folktale, Legend of the White Snake, and other Mid-Autumn legends.
Time your visit so you can catch vibrant light shows at the Sunken Garden and Cloud Pagoda. And don’t miss the crowd-favourite Rockestra! While waiting, you can solve some lantern riddles, enjoy a food street filled with F&B gems, and soak in all the Mid-Autumn Festival vibes.
Date: 19 to 27 September 2026; lanterns on display until 4 October 2026
Time: 6.30pm to 10.30pm daily
Price: Free admission
Address: Lights by the Lake 2026, various locations in Jurong Lake Gardens, Yuan Ching Road, Singapore 618665
2. Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival
We can’t imagine a better place to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival than Chinatown. Every year, the streets are adorned with thousands of lanterns, making it a spectacle to behold. Expect the usual iconic light installations and a boatload of exciting activities, such as food fairs, vibrant performances, and more.
The Chinatown Festive Fair will run throughout the festive period at People’s Park Square. Come early to get your Mid-Autumn Festival shopping done! The market will be bursting at the seams with mooncakes, with both traditional flavours and unique snowskin mooncakes available. If you don’t have a lantern, grab one from any of the stores selling handmade paper lanterns to join the Mass Lantern Walk.
There’ll also be open stages along the light-up route with Chinese dance troupes, orchestral performances, martial arts demonstrations, and dialect song performances. All free to watch!
Date: 18 September to 20 October 2026
Time: Daily, 10am to 10pm; light-ups run from 7pm to 12am
Price: Free admission
Address: Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival, multiple locations in Chinatown including Kreta Ayer Square, Eu Tong Seng Street, People Park Square, and more
3. Mid-Autumn Family Fun
The annual festive event brought to you by the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre and Singapore Chinese Orchestra returns with 27 family-friendly activities. Look forward to mooncake and tea tastings, interactive lantern walks, moon and star gazing sessions, hands-on workshops, merry performances, and loads more.
Date: 19 to 20 September 2026; Bit Bit Forest Mid-Autumn Light Up runs until 13 December 2026
Time: Varies with each activity
Price: Ticketed and free activities
Address: Mid-Autumn Family Fun, Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, Singapore Conference Hall, 1 Straits Boulevard, Singapore 018906
4. Mid-Autumn Festival at Gardens by the Bay
Gardens by the Bay always puts up show-stopping displays to wow us during any festive season. This year, you’ll wander through the glowing gardens filled with imagination and charm, guided by Fenbao and friends! Enter a world where lights, nature, and fantasy intertwine and bond with your loved ones over carnival games and street food.
Date: 12 to 27 September 2026
Time: 6pm to 10pm
Price: Free admission
Address: Mid-Autumn Festival at Gardens by the Bay, Golden Garden, Supertree Grove, and Bayfront Plaza at Gardens by the Bay
5. Paragon’s Mid-Autumn Lumiere
Paragon is set to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with 50 one-of-a-kind rabbit sculptures created in collaboration with Raffles Design Institute (RDI) and ART (Arts & Disability) Singapore. Spotlighting the creativity of emerging talents and artists with disabilities, you can join Paragon’s adopt-a-rabbit initiative! Each sculpture is available at $800 each, and all proceeds will be donated to ART. Beyond the sculptural showcase, you can catch live instrumental performances, candle customisation workshops, and family-friendly activities happening throughout September.
Date: 2 to 27 September 2026
Time: Daily, 10am to 10pm
Price: Free admission
Address: Paragon’s Mid-Autumn Lumiere, Atrium, Level 1, 290 Orchard Road, Singapore 238859
6. Moonlit Garden at VivoCity
Sanrio characters are about to take VivoCity by storm at the mall’s upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations! Its iconic Sky Park will be alight with celebrations, wonder, and togetherness. Snap pictures with larger-than-life displays of Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, Kuromi, My Melody, Hangyodon, and Pompompurin. After catching the displays, head off to play some carnival games while the kids hop on the Mini Express Train at the Kuromi Carnival Kingdom.
Date: 25 August to 27 September 2026
Time: Daily, 10am to 10pm
Price: Free admission
Address: Moonlit Garden at VivoCity, multiple locations within VivoCity, 1 HarbourFront Walk, Singapore 098585
Now that you’ve got all the deets, see you at the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations in Singapore!
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Mid-Autumn Festival?
Mid-Autumn Festival takes place on the 15th day of the eighth month, according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar.
This year, it falls on 25 September 2026.
Is Mid-Autumn Festival a public holiday?
No, it's not a recognised public holiday in Singapore.
Why is Mid-Autumn Festival also called Mooncake Festival?
Mooncakes are one of the festival's most recognised icons, so the terms are used interchangeably.
Why does the date change every year?
The festival follows the Chinese lunar calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar, so the dates will change accordingly.
Why do we eat mooncakes during the festival?
Mooncakes are associated with reunion, harmony, and the full moon. Gifting mooncakes is also a sign of appreciation, respect, and good wishes.
