The Vibrant & Colorful Mid-Autumn Festival

As the majority of the population in Singapore is Chinese, and therefore, celebrating Chinese festivals is a common practice in Singapore. The Mid-Autumn Festival in Singapore is a Chinese tradition to thank God for a good harvest. Every year, it is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar.

On the festival night, the Moon Goddess Chang’ E is worshipped, and thus it is also known as the “Moon Festival.” Since mooncakes are sent as a gift to family, friends, and acquaintances, it is also called the Moon cake festival. Yams, pomelos, and water caltrops are also eaten during this time since these things represent unity and good fortune.

Activities for Tourists during the Mid Autumn Festival Singapore

• Getting Around the City

Just before the festival, children make colorful lanterns and hang them around the house, balconies, and trees. Many places in the city are also decorated with colorful lanterns a week or two before the festival. The popular lantern fair is also held along the River Singapore during this time.

• Eating Moon Cakes 

Since it is also known as the Moon Cake Festival, it is a tradition to eat moon cakes and also send them as gifts to the loved ones. The moon cakes made in China and those made in Singapore are slightly different. Singaporeans like their moon cakes with durian filling. Visitors can find moon cakes all over Singapore, especially the traditional ones in Chinatown during the festival.

• Walk Around Chinatown

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Singapore gets decked with lights, especially the Chinatown area. During the festival, the streets of Chinatown come alive with stalls selling a variety of items like moon cakes, clothes, plants, decorative items, etc. Dragon dance performances, traditional dances, and songs are also performed on the streets.

To reach ChinaTown, hop into either of the bus routes 143, 190, or 2. The MRT Downtown line or North-East line also crosses through the area.

• Attend Festivals & Workshops

There are several festivals, workshops, and carnivals conducted in numerous places in Singapore. Few of the best places to go to experience the spirit of the Mid-Autumn Festival 2020 will be Wan Qing Mid Autumn Festival at Sun Yat-Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre and Jurong Point for fun games, cultural performances, workshops on lantern making and tea appreciation, opera shows, and lantern walk.

To reach Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, board any of the bus routes 130, 131, 145, 186, or 506 and get down at either Zhongshan Mall bus stop, before Balestier Plaza stop or opposite Public Man. For the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, visitors can take bus routes 106, 61, and 80 and disembark at Potong Pasir Avenue 1-Blk 120, Blk 121, or Blk 122 and Pasir Potong Avenue 3-Bet Blks 138/144. To get to Jurong Point, take any of the Bus routes 199, 30, and get down either at Boon Lay Int stop, Boon Lay, Boon Lay Station, or opposite Boon Lay Station.

• Visit Gardens By the Bay

Besides being a popular tourist point, Gardens by the Bay is one of the best places in Singapore to enjoy cultural performances, authentic local food, and Chinese art & craft. There are several brightly lit and beautifully painted lanterns displayed according to a set theme or even otherwise. There is also a light and music show at Supertree grove known as the Garden Rhapsody, where the song of the moon is played.

To reach Gardens by the Bay, take bus route 400 and get down at the Gardens by the Bay Drive bus stop.

• Moon Fest

Organized by the Esplanade Theatres by the Bay, the Moon Fest is a carnival to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival through traditional Chinese arts like woodblock painting, Chinese opera, dragon dance performances, martial arts, shadow puppetry, etc. The lantern walkabout is especially very popular in the Moon Fest, and throngs of people come to be a part of it.

To reach Esplanade Theatres, take either of the bus routes 10, 100, 131, or 961C and get down either the Esplanade or the Esplanade Bridge bus stop.

• Moon Gazing

The festival falls on the day of the full moon. Therefore, it is a great night to sit on the beach, enjoy the cool sea breeze, and gaze at the beautiful moon and its reflection in the water. Quite a few Singaporeans throw a beach party at night as a mark of celebration and to sit with friends and family enjoying the view of the moon.

The Mid-Autumn Festival 2020 will fall on the 1st October 2020, but the festivities at places like the Gardens by the Bay will commence from the 18th September 2020 till the 4th October 2020 from 18:00-22:00 (Monday-Thursday) and 18:00-23:00 (Friday-Saturday) at the DragonFly Lake, Golden Garden, Supertree Grove, and Bayfront Plaza.

Do you wish to be in Singapore and be a part of the Mid-Autumn Festival 2020? To know all about the amazing festival and how it’s celebrated in Singapore, read through the article. For tourists who wish to travel on a budget, visit redBus to avail discounts on online bus tickets and make your trip a “never-before” experience.