Singapore’s largest nocturnal festival — Singapore Night Fest (SNF) — is finally back in the heart of the Bras Basah Bugis (B.B.B) district! Scaling bigger than ever before, over 45 attractions span across Fort Canning all the way down to Bugis Street. There will be interactive installations, performances, experiential programmes, festival villages, workshops and more.
Where to start?
You can start your journey from any of the following MRT stations: City Hall, Bras Basah, Bencoolen, Bugis, and Dhoby Ghaut. You can start from Cathay Green (near Dhoby Ghaut MRT station) and explore clockwise or anti-clockwise to cover the festival grounds.
The Singapore Night Fest (SNF) signages can be spotted along these areas, showing you an entire map of SNF’s events. There is a set of curated trails at the bottom catering to specific audience group such as families with young children or solo travellers.
In almost every indoor centre hosting an artwork, SNF pamphlets will also be displayed for you to grab and carry along. You can also download the map here.
Before heading down to the festival grounds, do checkout the festival timings. Do take note that the light installations will be activated from 7.30pm until 11pm daily, except on Fridays and Saturdays where the festival would extend till 12am.
Festival Highlights
Festival highlights include projection mappings, a kampong set-up in the middle of the CBD, a kinetic LED wall, and interactive sound and light arches responding to movement, among many others. This time there are 3 festival villages to explore as well. Most of the programmes are free but some of them are ticketed and incurs a fee.
Sky Castle
Sky Castle, an interactive installation by Australian art and technology studio ENESS, presents larger-than-life inflatable arches that respond to movement with coloured light and sound.
Occupying Cathay Green (directly opposite The Cathay), this experience acts not only as a playground for children but also as a mini festival in itself. This space features a cotton candy stall, activities such as henna drawing, and LED balloons as colourful as the arches.
I was a little intimidated to enter the arches but quickly realised how fun the experience became with every colour change and combination of xylophone tones shared with other visitors.
This experience is ticketed for $5 per pax, tickets can be bought here.
Kampong Chill
Situated next to Capitol Singapore, the Kampong Chill pavilion stands out against our monotone buildings. Decorated with “Good Morning Flags”, graffiti signs expressing different ways to relax, and short stools for a quick rest to enjoy the cosy greenery in the pavilion.
Kampong Chill is designed by artist duo Yok & Sheryo. Artist Sheryo expressed her concept for this set-up as a haven for Singaporeans who have forgotten to live slowly, hoping that this kampong can bring the slow islander life back to us even if just for a minute. Unique workshops such as calming film screenings, slow-breathing 101, and Indian head massage tutorials will be presented every weekend.
All workshops at Kampong Chill are free.
Project Mappings Installations
There are a total of 5 projection mappings installations at the façade of two of these buildings: National Museum of Singapore and CHIJMES. There are 4 different projection mapping installations at CHIJMES itself. The other key project mapping installation is Mosaic at National Museum of Singapore.
Mosaic
Mosaic by Jérémie Bellot utilises the National Museum of Singapore as the ideal backdrop for his mapping work. The projection showcases constellations and old-world cartographies, using astrology and geography as its main concepts. The projection also features moments of illusion where it appears as though our National Museum is crumbling — a testament to the effort the artist put into working with its architecture rather than a plain white backdrop.
From western constellations transitioning into Batik and Peranakan themes, Jérémie Bellot’s projection is definitely not clichéd — rather highly customised, and you can tell it was made specifically for this festival.
Night Light Installations
There are several night light installations dotted across the district but one of the more prominent one is the CYBERSWORDFISH V2.0.
CYBERSWORDFISH V2.0
Right outside Plaza Singapura’s atrium stands a swordfish-like model. CYBERSWORDFISH V2.0 is a modern-day mythical being meticulously crafted from e-waste: composed of cracked screens, frayed wires, and salvaged digital components.
At night, its RGB lighting steals the attention of all passers-by, luring you to take a closer look at its body materials. I was expecting a mini-sized figurine when I first viewed the SNF pamphlet but the actual model was surprisingly huge. It was at least twice my size and structured so elegantly despite being made out of rigid materials.
CYBERSWORDFISH V2.0 acts as perfect visual entertainment whilst chatting with friends and sitting outside Plaza Singapura. Be sure to examine the installation closely — you might even find your old Motorola phone again!
Festival Villages
Other than art installations, project mappings and roving performances, there are 3 festival villages where you can stop-over for some food, drinks, shopping and more. The festival villages are at SMU Campus Green, Armenian Street and Bugis Street Art Lane.
Paradise Island
Looking for more than just spectating during this fest? Paradise Island is where food, culture, and creativity meet. Featuring an Arab-Peranakan bazaar selling perfumes, accessories, food vendors, and workshop activities, the street transforms into a cultural escape.
Take a stroll down Armenian Street and explore the marketplace. Treat yourself to Singaporean-style dosas stuffed with rendang or roast pork, gelato, refreshing kombucha, and nasi ulam. If you’re more in the mood for something a little mystical, The Tarot Bibik will be offering her intuitive readings on 29 to 30 August. Only cashless payments are accepted at these stalls.
When evening falls, Armenian Street transforms into a stage under the stars. On 22 to 23 and 29 to 30 August, you can catch free live shows at 8pm and 9.30pm. The live shows feature heritage tunes from The Samrah Club and Suara Sayang, soulful originals by singer-songwriter Rhyu, and the high-energy New Stream Brass Band.
And if you’re feeling crafty, pop into the Peranakan Museum for Paradise Keepsakes workshops — from blending your own Arabic attar and learning delicate Kachop embroidery, to trying your hand at Jawi calligraphy or making a charm bracelet to take home. It’s the perfect way to end the night with a keepsake from your own island adventure. The workshop is free and open to all.
My Verdict
I found the experience to be a 7.5/10 as I heavily enjoyed exploring the festival grounds and checking out the installations stationed across busy malls and office areas. However, this festival experience relies heavily on the weather as it is mostly outdoors. I would recommend bringing along an umbrella in case it rains and a fan due to Singapore’s humid climate at present.
If you are not very fond of walking long distances but want to cover as many installations as possible, do plan your routes and take advantage of the public buses.
Singapore Night Fest will light up the Civic District from 22 August to 6 September 2025. Whether stumbling upon an installation or making plans to complete a trail, you won’t want to miss this annual festival. Take this as a chance to unwind on the way home from work, and let it be an unforgettable night for you.
Singapore Night Fest
Dates: 22 August – 6 September 2025
Timings: From 7.30PM until 11PM from Sundays – Thursdays
12AM on Fridays and Saturdays
Contributed by Alexis Lee
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