Singapore Night Festival is back for its 17th edition, running from 21 August to 5 September 2026 across the Bras Basah.Bugis precinct. This year’s theme is Myths and Legends — a nocturnal journey through the folklore, sea stories, and founding tales of Singapore and the wider region. Best of all, most programmes are free.
A New Zone, Four Precincts
For 2026, the festival expands with a brand-new Museum Zone centred around the National Museum of Singapore, the Children’s Museum Singapore, and neighbouring heritage buildings. It joins three returning zones: Funan and CHIJMES, Cathay Green and Waterloo Centre, and Bras Basah Complex and Stamford Arts Centre. The footprint encourages visitors to explore beyond the obvious headliners and into the quieter corners of the district.
Tales of Earth and Sea
The centrepiece is Tales of Earth and Sea, an immersive projection mapping showcase that will transform the façade of the National Museum of Singapore each evening from 7.30pm to midnight. Created by Indonesian multimedia collective The Fox, The Folks, the work reimagines local and regional folklore through striking visuals paired with an original cross-border soundtrack.
Roaming alongside the projections will be Birdmen, the Southeast Asian debut of Dutch theatre company Close-Act Theatre. Expect towering stilt-walking performers dressed as giant, luminous birds moving through the crowds — part street theatre, part myth made flesh.
Stormy Straits
At Bugis Street Art Lane, Stormy Straits tells the story of the Bugis seafarers who braved treacherous monsoon winds and seas to reach Singapore’s shores in the 1800s. Glowing cloud-like sculptures cast moving shadow projections across the lane, with illuminated platforms where visitors can “seek refuge” — much as those early sailors looked to lighthouses to escape the elements.
The Lost Legacy of Fort Canning: The Forbidden Hill
For those drawn to darker myths, The Lost Legacy of Fort Canning: The Forbidden Hill is a 70-minute guided night trail through Fort Canning Park. It plunges into the ancient legends surrounding Bukit Larangan — the hill that was once forbidden to all but royalty — with atmospheric soundscapes and live traditional Malay dance bringing the world of 14th-century Singapore back to life.
Inaugural MALAM Projection Mapping Competition
The Cathay is the venue for the first-ever MALAM Projection Mapping Competition, shining a spotlight on Southeast Asia’s emerging digital artists. The top 20 entries will light up the building during the festival’s opening week, with the five winning works remaining on display for the full run of the event.
More to Discover Across the Precinct
The precinct is peppered with additional installations: a towering Sang Kancil, glowing bamboo sculptures inspired by Dragon’s Tooth Gate, a recycled-plastic Blooming Hearts Fortune Merlion at Plaza Singapura, and maritime-themed alleyways. At Oldham Theatre (within the National Archives of Singapore), a curated Horror Nights film series screens vintage Southeast Asian horror cinema on selected evenings, with tickets at $10 per session.
Further artwork reveals and ticketed programme details will be announced from 3 August. The festival’s interactive map and personalised trails will go live during the event itself.
The Details
- Dates: 21 August – 5 September 2026
- Times: Sunday–Thursday, 7.30pm–11pm; Friday–Saturday, 7.30pm–midnight
- Admission: Mostly free; ticketed programmes clearly marked
- Where: Bras Basah.Bugis precinct (multiple venues)
- More info: heritage.sg/sgnightfest
