Once again, Gardens by the Bay doesn’t disappoint with its extensive displays. This September, the festivities are literally lit with the Mid-Autumn Festival showcases, so bring your mooncakes down for a moonlit amble through the gardens.
“Autumn Harvest” floral display (Sep 1-Oct 29)
Take your stroll through the lantern displays into the Flower Dome, where the lanterns dotting the (free) outdoor gardens continue—in various fruit and vegetable variations. The real deal will also be on display; a lavish field of autumnal blooms and pumpkins is creatively presented to symbolize a bounteous harvest. A giant Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage sits smack in the middle of the dome—a little out of place in a Mid-Autumn Festival setup, but pretty to look at nonetheless. 9am-9pm
Admission charges into the Flower Dome apply.
Orchid displays in Cloud Forest (Sep 11-Dec 10)
The featured flower of the month (or next three months) is none other than our nation’s pride—over 400 of them, celebrating the rich hues of fall. The orchid displays will be rotated, with the first showcase spotlighting orchids from the genus Cattleya—from the pretty pink petals of the Cattleya walkeriana, to the deep red blooms of the unpronounceable Rhyncholaeliocattleya. 9am-9pm
Admission charges into the Cloud Forest apply.
The 10 lantern displays around the Gardens (Sep 22-Oct 8)
Good fortune! Bountiful harvests! Reap all that and more when you visit the sprawling lantern displays, the undisputed highlight of the festivities, scattered around the lush Gardens. From the Dragonfly Lake to the Supertrees, not an inch of space is left undecorated by multi-coloured lantern lights—which aren’t just visually appealing, but also carry significance about the Chinese festival.
The “Waters of Prosperity”, the largest lantern set stretching 1,250 sqm over water, portrays a fishing village teeming with carp—a symbol of wealth, abundance, good luck and prosperity. “Grains of Gold” depicts a paddy field illuminated with 4,000 glowing rice stalks, because rice symbolizes fertility, luck and wealth; and because as Asians we’re all about that rice life. For the Instagram-eager, “Flight of the Dragonflies” at the Supertree Grove and Dragonfly Bridge feature a total of over 100 larger-than-life dragonfly lanterns; while over at the “Field of Sunshine”, over 500 cheery yellow sunflower lanterns and lights ring in longevity and good luck. 7-11pm
Bonus: Food Street (Sep 22-Oct 8)
A happy spread of Asian delights at the Colonnade at Supertree Grove, if Satay by the Bay a few kilometers away isn’t doing it for you. 6-9.30pm
More information here.
