[Event Listings]
Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon and there are so many activities lined up for the entire family, happening at different places. Check out some of these activities which were brought to our attention, many of which are free too!
GARDENS BY THE BAY
This September, Gardens by the Bay celebrates the season of abundance with its annual “Mid-Autumn @ Gardens by the Bay” festival, and a new floral display in Flower Dome called “Autumn Harvest”.
The month also sees the launch of a new orchid display in Cloud Forest – the first in a series of biannual displays in the cool-moist conservatory to showcase the world’s most diverse botanical family.
"AUTUMN HARVEST” FLORAL DISPLAY (丰收之秋)
A lavish flower field saturated in rich hues of orange, red, gold and green welcomes visitors this
September, as autumn comes to Flower Dome in the “Autumn Harvest” floral display. Savour how the
traditional season of crop gathering is interpreted in creative ways – a bounteous land is inhabited by a
fruit and vegetable giant; a lush farm plot overflows with abundant produce and blooms like anemones,
gaillardias, phloxes and chrysanthemums; and Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage sits pretty amidst pumpkin
trees. Pumpkins take on yet another twist in the mini Halloween exhibit, where myriad carved and
decorated versions celebrate the most anticipated festival of fall. There are more than 10 varieties of
special pumpkins to see, such as the pristine white “Polar Bear”, the pretty striped “Pump-Ke-Mon” and
the bizarre-looking “Red Warty Thing”.
This year, the lanterns dotting the outdoor gardens as part of the annual Mid-Autumn Festival continue
inside Flower Dome. Look out for a plethora of fruit and vegetable-shaped lanterns, and drop by the
Mediterranean Garden for a photo opportunity with a giant pumpkin lantern.
Date: Friday, 1 September – Sunday, 29 October
Time: 9am – 9pm
Location: Flower Dome
Details: Admission charge to the conservatories applies.
CURIOUS TO FIND OUT MORE?
Pick up an Autumn Harvest Garden Trail for more interesting information or join us for daily “ASK Me!”
tours by our friendly Display Interpreters as they share fascinating botanical facts and anecdotes about
the floral display.
Date: Friday, 1 September – Sunday, 29 October
Time: Daily at 11am and 3pm (2pm – 5pm on 23 and 24 September, and 14 and 15 October)
Details:
- Guided tours are free, but admission charge to the Flower Dome applies.
- Tours last approximately 15 minutes and are available on a first-come-first-served basis.
- To participate, gather at the “ASK Me!” poster near the Flower Field. Tour will begin when a group
of five or more visitors is assembled.
- Tours will not be conducted on Flower Dome closure dates.
MID-AUTUMN @ GARDENS BY THE BAY 2017 (滨海花园庆中秋)
A much-anticipated event in the Gardens' calendar, Mid-Autumn @ Gardens by the Bay draws visitors
with its sprawling lantern displays and myriad festivities amidst a lush garden setting. This year, the
Gardens celebrates autumn abundance with lantern sets symbolic of bountiful harvests and good
fortune, nightly cultural performances, a food street featuring Asian delights, and craft booths
offering activities like lantern decorating, umbrella painting and Chinese knotting.
Visitors are encouraged to download the new “Mid-Autumn @ Gardens by the Bay” app from the
App Store or Google Play, available from 4 September, before exploring the festival. Developed by
students from Singapore University of Technology and Design, the app allows visitors to uncover fun
facts and quiz themselves on the different lantern sets while strolling through the Gardens.
Date: Friday, 22 September – Sunday, 8 October
Time: 6pm – 11pm
Location: Various locations (see details below)
Lantern Displays
Take a stroll through the outdoor gardens where sprawling lantern sets bring to life scenes of bountiful
harvests and abundance. Don't miss “Waters of Prosperity”, the largest lantern display created by the
Gardens to date. Spanning an area of 1,250 square metres over water, this lantern set portrays a fishing
village teeming with 70 carp lanterns. Other highlights include “Grains of Gold”, a paddy field illuminated
with 4,000 glowing rice stalks; “Splendour of Blooms” featuring some 250 waterlily lanterns floating on
the lake; and “Flight of the Dragonflies” with more than 100 dragonfly lanterns adorning the Supertrees
and Dragonfly Bridge. The lanterns dotting the outdoor gardens continue inside Flower Dome as part of the
“Autumn Harvest” floral display; look out for a plethora of fruit and vegetable lanterns including a giant
pumpkin one!
Updated 22 August 2017
Illuminations of Joy
The Silver Garden comes aglow with some 1,000 light installations created by beneficiaries from 30
voluntary welfare organisations in Singapore. This community project is the brainchild of local eco
designer Didier Ng and visual artist Vijaya Mohan, who holds a Guinness World Record for the largest
Rangoli pattern (2003) and 14 Singapore Records.
Blossoming Harvest – Traditional Arts Showcase
Curated by co-organiser, the National Arts Council, the free nightly cultural programme will present
opportunities for visitors to enjoy and be inspired by Singapore’s rich heritage. Appreciate vibrant and
diverse traditional arts performances by home-grown arts groups of different genres, race and age, and
bond over the creative interpretations of Blossoming Harvest.
Lantern Riddles
Traditionally written on lanterns hence the name, lantern riddles were often enjoyed during the MidAutumn
Festival. Have a go and discover more about Chinese language and culture!
Fun Zone
Try your hand at arts and crafts like lantern decorating, umbrella painting and Chinese knotting at the
interactive craft booths. Charges apply.
Food Street
Indulge in a spread of Asian delights at Colonnade at Supertree Grove! Charges apply.
GARDEN RHAPSODY: TALES OF THE MOON
This special Mid-Autumn edition of the popular nightly light and sound show Garden Rhapsody features
a medley of popular tunes that revolve around the moon, such as the jazz favourite “Fly Me to the Moon”
and the Chinese classic “The Moon Represents My Heart” (月亮代表我的心).
Date: Friday, 22 September – Tuesday, 31 October
Time: 7.45pm and 8.45pm
Location: Supertree Grove
DINING
CRÈME DE LA CRÈME 2017 MOONCAKE COLLECTIONS AT BAKERZIN
This Mid-Autumn Festival, Bakerzin presents award-winning favourites from a total of eight collections!
The new and limited Bold Collection features four new flavours – American Ginseng, Ginger, Sakura
Ebi and Tom Yum. Durian lovers rejoice as the Majestic Collection of Durian Snow Skin Mooncakes
makes its comeback. While the classic Signature and Premium Collections of pure Premium Egg Yolk
Blend Mooncakes and Classic Melon Seed Mooncakes are perfect as gifts for business associates and
families. For more information and early bird discounts, visit www.bakerzin.com.
Date: Monday, 7 August 2017 – Wednesday, 4 October 2017
Location: Bakerzin
Details:
- Mooncake flavours are subject to availability while stocks last.
- Collection of mooncakes from 10 September 2017 onwards.
MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL MOONCAKES AT MAJESTIC BAY SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
Majestic Bay Seafood Restaurant ushers in Mid-Autumn Festival with its popular mooncakes. Besides
signature favourites like Baked White Lotus Paste with Double Yolks (Low Sugar) and Mini Snow Skin
King of Durian, there are also new snow skin mooncake flavours like Thai Tea, Raw Honey and Ginger,
as well as Chocolate and Truffle. For more information and early bird discounts, contact Majestic Bay
Seafood Restaurant at 6604 6604.
Date: Monday, 28 August 2017 – Wednesday, 4 October 2017
Location: Majestic Bay Seafood Restaurant
AUTUMN GARDEN HIGH TEA FOR 2 AT INDOCHINE
IndoChine at Gardens by the Bay presents an Autumn Garden High Tea for 2 at $48++ per set. Choose
any two pots of specialty teas of your choice, such as the Orange Peel Chrysanthemum and Rock
Sugar Lemongrass, as well as a sweet and savoury tapas from the tapas collection. The lineup of
savoury tapas includes the Potato Beignet with Truffle Mayo, Norwegian Salmon with Herbs and Spices
on Tart, and Signature Rice Paper Prawn Roll. As for sweet tapas, the choices include Apple Vanilla
Les Tarte, Double Chocolate Chous Chous and more.
Date: Friday, 1 September 2017 – Sunday, 29 October 2017
Location: IndoChine
Details:
- Subject to service charge and prevailing GST.
- For enquiries or reservations, please call 6694 8489 or email rsvp-supertree@indochinegroup.com.
EXHIBITIONS
CHANGING ORCHID DISPLAYS IN CLOUD FOREST
If you love orchids, you will be in for a treat this September, as the first in a series of changing orchid
displays in Cloud Forest will be launched. Orchids belong to the family Orchidaceae, which is one of
the largest families of flowering plants in the world. The changing orchid displays in Cloud Forest aim
to educate visitors on the various genera of orchids, and showcase their fascinatingly myriad forms and
colours.
The first display, which opens on 11 September, focuses on orchids from the genus Cattleya, and will
showcase more than 400 of them in the rich colours of fall. Regarded as the “Queen of Orchids”,
the Cattleya is also called “Corsage Orchid” due to the significant size of its blooms. With hybridisation
widely practised, Cattleya flowers now come in a wide spectrum of colours. Visitors can look forward to
seeing varieties such as Rhyncholaeliocattleya Duh’s Fantasy ‘Mellow’, an award-winning orchid with
deep red blooms and a ruffled dark fuchsia lip marked with yellow grooves, and Cattleya intermedia¸ a
pinkish-white orchid native to Brazil that is known for its sweet fragrance.
Date: Monday, 11 September 2017 – Sunday, 10 December 2017
Time: 9am – 9pm
Location: Cloud Forest
Details: Admission charge to the conservatories applies.
Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival 2017
年牛车水中秋节庆祝活动
(20 Sep – 19 Oct 2017)
Walk down memory lane with your loved ones at Chinatown’s annual MidAutumn
Festival Celebrations this September! Soak in the joyous
atmosphere that will bring back nostalgic memories of your childhood, as
the streets of the Chinatown precinct are illuminated by a plethora of
dazzling and brightly-hued LED lantern displays, guaranteed to leave
visitors in wide-eyed wonder.
Other than the impressive lantern display that seeks to bring out one of the
most well-known and beloved traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival this
year, visitors to Chinatown can look forward to various other festival
activities organised by Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng Citizens’ Consultative
Committee (KA-KS CCC) from Wed, 20 Sep to Thu, 19 Oct 2017.
Themed “Celebrations of our Traditions <<传统新意庆中秋, 同心共乐贺团
圆>>”, event highlights for the Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival 2017
include:
Lantern Painting Competition
灯笼彩绘比赛
17 Sep 2017 (Sunday)
9.00am – 12.00pm
Chinatown Point
The annual Lantern Painting Competition will see up to 500 children and
students 16 and below from all over the island compete as they put their
artistic skills to the mettle to create beautifully-painted lanterns that will
add to the festive decorations in Chinatown. The winning lanterns will be
displayed along Pagoda Street until 19 October 2017.
Festive Street Bazaar
中秋街头市集
20 Sep – 4 Oct 2017
10.30am – 10.30pm
Pagoda Street, Trengganu Street, Sago Street, Smith Street, and open area in
front of People’s Park Complex
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the streets of Chinatown will be abuzz with
stalls selling a wide array of festive items, including mooncakes, decorative
ornaments, preserved fruits, potted plants, and everything you need to
celebrate the festival!
Official Light-Up and Opening Ceremony
开幕典礼与亮灯仪式
23 Sep 2017 (Saturday)
7.00pm – 10.00pm
New Bridge Road
Officially kicking off the Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations 2017 is
the Official Light-Up and Opening Ceremony, where the streets of Chinatown
will come alive in a vibrant splash of colours forming this year’s lantern
display. Take a blast to the past as this year’s performances showcase the
traditions synonymous with the Festival and be awed by the spectacular
lighting and visual effects at this year’s Opening Ceremony. There will also be
jaw-dropping acrobatic acts and multicultural performances by the various
racial and cultural communities in Chinatown.
Nightly Stage Shows
综艺晚会
23 Sep – 4 Oct 2017
8.00pm – 10.30pm
Kreta Ayer Square
Visitors can look forward to two exciting weeks of traditional Chinese cultural
performances, from festive songs to music and dance items by top-notch
troupes and entertainers, that will lift the celebratory mood each night during
the Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations.
Street Light-Up
牛车水庆中秋亮灯
23 Sep – 19 Oct 2017
7.00pm – 2.00am (Fri & Sat)
7.00pm – 12.00mn (Sun – Thu)
Eu Tong Sen Street, New Bridge Road, South Bridge Road
Following the Official Light-Up and Opening Ceremony, the Chinatown MidAutumn
Festival Celebrations’ Street Light-Up will come alive each night for a
month. One of the main highlights each year, the annual Street Light-Up
draws local and overseas visitors, young and old, to Chinatown to view the
mesmerising display of lanterns that bring out the festive mood like nowhere
else in Singapore. This year, the splendid lantern display will depict one of the
most well-known and beloved hallmarks of the Mid-Autumn Festival – the
tradition of carrying lanterns. This year’s Street Light-Up is also designed in
collaboration with the students of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA).
Mid-Autumn Family Fest @ Chinatown
中秋“家”节 @ 牛车水
24 Sep 2017 (Sunday)
9.30am – 12.30pm
Kreta Ayer Community Club, Level 2 Multi-Purpose Hall
A new highlight this year, the Mid-Autumn Family Fest @ Chinatown will be a
melting pot of traditional festive activities such as mooncake-making,
calligraphy writing, tea art appreciation, and lantern painting! It promises to be
fun-filled day of bonding and discovery of the meaning and stories behind
these traditional activities. Suitable for all ages, participants can look forward
to getting hands-on as they try their hand at the fine art of calligraphy, learning
how to savour different types of tea and even bring home luscious treats of
their own creation at the snowskin mooncake-makingworkshops.
For a participation fee of $5 per person, participants will be able to take part in
the mooncake-making, calligraphy writing and lantern painting activities as well
as receive a goodie bag containing a mooncake mould, ingredients for
mooncake-making, and lucky draw coupon. Slots for the mooncake-making
workshops are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Mass Lantern Walk
中秋大型游灯会
1 Oct 2017 (Sunday)
7.00pm – 10.00pm
Starting point – Kreta Ayer Square (Registration location)
End point – Main stage at New Bridge Road
Soak in the festive atmosphere and take part in the annual Mass Lantern Walk
during which families, friends and the community will come together and take
a leisurely walk through Chinatown while carrying lanterns of all shapes and
sizes! Featuring performances by local clan associations, dragon dance
troupes, overseas performing groups, as well as a special dragon dance
performance by the troop from Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society (德教太和观龙
狮团), celebrations will mount to a high at the closing event of the Chinatown
Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations 2017.
ESPLANADE - THEATRES ON THE BAY
Moonfest 艺满中秋 2017
From ONE to SIX: Highlights of Moonfest 2017
1. The TOP Peking Opera artists and Chinese classical musicians meet at Moonfest
Dubbed the National Key Peking Opera Troupe by China’s Ministry of Culture, Hubei Provincial Peking Opera Theatre (China) brings to opera lovers in Singapore its signature Peking opera comedy Promotion of Judge Xu featuring two-time Plum Blossom award winner Zhu Shihui, as well as Peking Opera Classic Excerpts performed by Plum Blossom Award winners Pei Yongjie, Wang Xiaochan and Wan Xiaohui. A selection of principal and star players from the China Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra—Jiang Kemei (huqin), Zhang Gaoxiang (yangqin), Chen Yin (pipa), Ma Li (percussion), Cui Junmiao (liuqin), Hou Changqing (dizi) and Zhou Yixiang (suona)—will lead a 20-strong chamber orchestra to enthrall music lovers with Virtuosos & Classics – A Chamber Concert, featuring favourite classics such as A Moonlit Night on a Spring River, Hua Bang Zi, Sentiment of Qin Chuan, Mountain Dance, and more.
2. PAIR up and double down the fun in Parent-Child Workshops
To encourage the younger generation to learn more about traditional Chinese arts in a fun way, parents can bring their little ones to participate in the Parent-Child: DIY Snowskin Mooncakes and DIY Dough Figurine Workshops. Or, get the children to make their own rocking rooster lanterns in the Lantern Making Workshop.
3. THIRD Festival Commission by Paper Monkey Theatre
Another programme that young ones can look forward to during Moonfest is the new production by Paper Monkey Theatre, The Magic Paintbrush which is a puppetry adaptation of the classic Chinese folktale. This is the third puppetry production that Esplanade has commissioned Paper Monkey Theatre to produce for Moonfest, following Journey West: Web of Deceit in 2015 and The Magic Lantern in 2016.
4. FOUR ethnic minority folk dances by young, award-winning solo dancers
Over the years, Esplanade has expanded the variety of traditional Chinese arts programmes presented at Moonfest. With Chinese opera and classical music presentations as the festival’s mainstay, Esplanade has specially commissioned a folk dance production for the first time in Moonfest! In Soulful Steps – An Ethnic Dance & Music Recital, discover the beauty of Dai, Kazakh, Mongol and Tibetan folk dances through modern interpretations by young, awardwinning dance graduates from Minzu University of China, one of the most prestigious universities in China that specialises in ethnic studies and the arts. The dancers will be paired with live music played on traditional instruments such as the dombra (long-necked lute) from Kazakh, morin khuur (horsehead fiddle) from Mongol and eagle-bone flute from Tibet.
5. FIVE new programmes to engage the youths in traditional Chinese arts
Passing on traditions and engaging the youths in Chinese arts has always been a key focus of Moonfest. This year, the festival introduces a range of new programmes that features young artists doing their part in preserving various traditional Chinese arts. These include a fashion parade in Hanfu (traditional clothing of the Chinese Han culture); Chinese opera performances by youths; ‘grandfather’ storytelling (
Chinese street storytelling) sessions, as well as hands on workshops on water calligraphy and Wing Chun martial arts.
6. SIX days of free programmes at SIX public spaces around Esplanade
Not to be missed too are the free programmes that will take place at the Esplanade Concourse, Festival Corner, Forecourt Garden, Waterfront Canopy, Outdoor Theatre, and The Edge during the six-day festival. Walk down memory lane and celebrate the Mid-Autumn season through traditional Chinese arts performances and activities such as orchestral music, dance, crosstalk, lantern riddles, street opera performances at the outdoor Moonfest Chinese Opera Stage, and more. Pick up a free lantern sponsored by Gold Roast Instant Beverages and join in the fun at the festival’s popular Lantern Walkabout on 30 September 2017 too.
Moonfest – A Mid-Autumn Celebration 2017 is made possible with the generous support of Arts Partner – Gold Roast Instant Beverages.
Esplanade&Me Special Ticket Prices for Moonfest 2017
Tickets for Moonfest 2017 are available from Esplanade’s
website, and through SISTIC (
Website, Hotline: +65 6348 5555 and all SISTIC outlets). Esplanade&Me cardholders will get to enjoy special ticket prices for various performances at Moonfest 2017. Launched on 1 July 2015, Esplanade&Me is a platform for Esplanade to build stronger community ties with its fans and supporters. Beyond the savings that cardholders can enjoy across Esplanade’s festivals and programmes all year round, Esplanade&Me is also an opportunity for arts lovers to get closer to the arts and be more involved through various behind-the-scenes activities. Sign up for Esplanade&Me now! For more information, please visit
www.esplanade.com/e-and-me.
Check out the ticketed and free programme line-up on
www.esplanade.com/moonfest!
