What's on in Singapore (SG), Singapore through the year

Busy — Christmas on Orchard Road, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Thaipusam

  1 FebMajor festival

  A barefoot procession of kavadi carriers crosses the city from Serangoon Road to Tank Road, beginning before dawn. Roads close along the route for the day. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Chinese New Year

  17–18 FebLunar New YearClosuresCrowded

  Two public days when hawker stalls and family businesses shut, and a fortnight when Chinatown is impassable in the evening. Book restaurants or eat in a hotel. Source ↗

Still on: Northeast monsoon (1 Nov – 31 Jan (usually)), Christmas on Orchard Road (10 Nov – 2 Jan)

Busy — Chinese New Year, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Thaipusam (1 Feb), Chinese New Year (17–18 Feb)

Busy — between the peaks, March holidays in Singapore

Nothing new starts in March.

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in April.

Busy — Mid-year holidays in Singapore, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Vesak Day

  31 MayMajor festival

  A public holiday on the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death; the temples run all day, with free food outside and a candle procession after dark. Source ↗

Busy — Mid-year holidays in Singapore, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Regional haze risk

  1 Jun – 15 Oct · usuallySmoke season

  Fires on Sumatra and Borneo can push smoke over the island for days at a time in some years and not at all in others. The government publishes a PSI reading hourly. Source ↗

Still on: Vesak Day (31 May)

Shoulder season — between the peaks, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Regional haze risk (1 Jun – 15 Oct (usually))

Busy — National Day, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Hungry Ghost month

  1 Aug – 10 Sep · usuallyMajor festival

  Offerings burn on the pavements of the housing estates for a month and getai stages appear in car parks. Locals avoid moving house or swimming at night in it. Source ↗

• Festival

  National Day

  8–10 AugNational holidayCrowded

  9 August: a rehearsed parade over Marina Bay with a flypast, watched from every balcony in the centre, and fireworks that need no ticket to see. Source ↗

Still on: Regional haze risk (1 Jun – 15 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Mid-Autumn Festival, September holidays in Singapore

• Festival

  Mid-Autumn Festival

  1 Sep – 5 Oct · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  Lanterns go up over Chinatown for weeks beforehand and the mooncake stalls take Smith Street; the street celebration itself lands on the weekend nearest the full moon, and it is shoulder to shoulder after dark. Source ↗

• Festival

  Singapore Grand Prix

  9–11 OctMotorsport weekendCrowdedBook early

  The night race closes half the centre for a week and puts hotel rates near Marina Bay at their yearly peak, whether or not you have a ticket. Source ↗

Still on: Regional haze risk (1 Jun – 15 Oct (usually)), Hungry Ghost month (1 Aug – 10 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Mid-Autumn Festival, Singapore Grand Prix

• Festival

  Deepavali

  8 NovDiwaliCrowded

  Little India is lit for several weeks either side of the day and the night market runs late; the holiday itself closes Indian-run businesses for a day. Source ↗

Still on: Regional haze risk (1 Jun – 15 Oct (usually)), Mid-Autumn Festival (1 Sep – 5 Oct (usually)), Singapore Grand Prix (9–11 Oct)

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Deepavali

• Season

  Northeast monsoon

  1 Nov – 31 Jan · usuallyRisk

  The wet half: rain that settles in for whole afternoons rather than passing through in twenty minutes, and the only stretch that feels genuinely cooler.

• Festival

  Christmas on Orchard Road

  10 Nov – 2 JanChristmas & New YearCrowded

  Two kilometres of lights down Orchard Road from the middle of November, switched on at dusk, with the pavements busiest on the weekends before the day. Source ↗

Still on: Deepavali (8 Nov)

Peak crowds — Christmas on Orchard Road, Year-end holidays in Singapore

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Northeast monsoon (1 Nov – 31 Jan (usually)), Christmas on Orchard Road (10 Nov – 2 Jan)