Gardens by the Bay lights its public gardens for Mid-Autumn from 12 to 27 September 2026, 6pm to 10pm. Admission to the lantern trail is free. The official character this year is Fenbao, created by local artist Lim Sau Hoong, and the walk runs through Golden Garden, Supertree Grove, Bayfront Plaza and Dragonfly Lake.
Start at Golden Garden. Moonlit Garden puts Fenbao in a bed of glowing flowers that read as a path toward the moon. Next door, The Path of Wonder keeps the same idea but adds friends and a stream of lantern light. These two sets sit close together, so families often photograph both before the crowd thickens after 7.30pm.
Supertree Grove is louder. Waterfall Fantasy hangs luminous fish in the air around a lit waterfall. The Garden Celebration packs blossoms and floating jellyfish under the trees. Colourful Blossoms, named after the phrase 花攒锦聚, is the easier family photo stop. Gateway of Wonders is a floral arch you walk through rather than stare at.
The whale on Dragonfly Lake
The set most people come for sits on the water near Bayfront MRT. The Voyage puts Fenbao and friends on a celestial whale crossing Dragonfly Lake. It is the largest outdoor piece this year, and it photographs better from the lake edge than from the bridge, where you get backlit silhouettes and a queue.
The Colonnade of Lights, toward Canopy, is the community piece: 1,000 paper lanterns hand-painted by residents. It is slower walking than the character sets, and it is the one place the trail feels local rather than produced. Self-guided craft sessions run at the Colonnade on 13 September, 19 to 20 September, and 25 to 27 September. Attraction ticket holders get 1-for-1 on selected crafts. Friends of the Gardens members get 10% off.
What happens on opening and closing nights
The festival opens on 12 September with an LED lion dance at 8.30pm on the Supertree Grove Lawn. It closes on 27 September with the Singapore Big Flag Championship from 1pm to 7.30pm, then a dragon dance at 7.30pm. Wet weather cancels performances. Only battery lanterns are allowed. Open flame and candle lanterns are banned across the Gardens.
A marketplace with carnival games and family rides sits at Supertree Grove for the full run, 6pm to 10pm. Charges apply. Friends of the Gardens members get 10% off food stalls and $3 off every $30 spent on J'Kids carnival game cards.
If you are already buying a Flower Dome ticket, Lilytopia continues inside until 27 September, 9am to 9pm. Singapore residents aged 12 and under enter Flower Dome free from 5 to 27 September. Standard adult tickets still apply. That overlap is the practical way to do lanterns and the indoor display in one trip without dragging tired kids through both at night.
Garden Rhapsody switches to Tales of the Moon from 12 to 28 September, with shows at 7.45pm and 8.45pm. Borealis, the shorter light piece on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, moves to 9pm to 9.15pm from 12 to 27 September so it does not clash with the lantern hours. Floral Fantasy is closed 1 September, OCBC Skyway 2 September, and Supertree Observatory 3 September for maintenance. The Bay South to Bay East bridge works still divert cyclists off the Waterfront Promenade.
Car parks fill early on weekends. Gardens by the Bay tells visitors to use MRT. Alight at Bayfront (CE1/DT16) or Gardens by the Bay (TE22). Bayfront Exit A is the faster walk to Dragonfly Lake. Come around 6pm if you want food first and the lanterns as they come on, which is quieter than arriving at 8pm for the whale.
Practical details
- Dates: 12 to 27 September 2026
- Time: 6pm to 10pm daily
- Venue: Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore 018953
- Nearest MRT: Bayfront (CE1/DT16) or Gardens by the Bay (TE22)
- Price: Outdoor lantern trail free. Marketplace, crafts and Flower Dome tickets extra. Kids 12 and under (Singapore residents) enter Flower Dome free 5 to 27 September.
- Website: Gardens by the Bay Mid-Autumn Festival 2026
