Gardens by the Bay runs Race to Sustainability 2026 from Thursday 22 October to Sunday 29 November, as the sustainability programme turns 10. Admission is free, with fees for selected parts. For families, the main draw is a Weekend Sustainability Fair on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, with hands-on workshops for children from age 5 and a free repair activity for all ages.
A free fair at Active Garden
The fair runs from 10am to 7pm on both days across The Canopy, the Ficus Room and the Waterfront Plaza at Active Garden, and entry is free. Six public agencies join Gardens by the Bay to show their sustainability work: the Building and Construction Authority, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, the Housing & Development Board, the National Environment Agency, Science Centre Singapore and the Singapore Food Agency.
Most workshops need pre-registration, and slots go on a first-come-first-served basis. Fees cover all materials and are non-refundable once paid. Children below 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
Workshops for younger children
WWF runs ConservaClay on Sunday 25 October from 12pm to 1pm in the Ficus Room. Participants aged 5 and above sculpt wildlife commonly seen around the Gardens in air-dry clay and work through nature-journaling activity sheets. It costs S$15 a participant, and the money goes to WWF-Singapore’s Conservation Fund.
Glotter Kids’ Our Warming Planet, on Saturday 24 October from 4pm to 5pm, uses storytelling and hands-on activities to explain why Earth’s climate is changing. Children aged 5 and above plant their own microgreens, then make miniature air-dry clay accessories for their pots. The fee is S$28 a participant.
Colours of the Garden, by Biophilic Design students from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), is on Sunday from 1.30pm to 3pm for ages 5 and above. Participants pound fresh leaves and flowers onto fabric to make a botanical handkerchief, for a S$10 donation per participant to the Gift of Gardens fund.
Tiny Garden Heroes: An Insect Expedition, by The Curious Pangolin, takes ages 8 and above round the Gardens’ community garden to spot insects, then up close to insect specimens. It runs on Sunday from 4pm to 5.30pm and costs S$35. Truly, Yours runs Hand-Made Botanical Soap for ages 7 and above on Saturday from 12pm to 1pm, where each participant makes a full-sized bar from a melt-and-pour base, for S$25.
A free repair session and two for teens
Repair Discovery by edm8ker is free and needs no registration. On Saturday from 1pm to 5pm at the Waterfront Plaza, participants of all ages spend about 20 minutes on supervised tasks such as replacing a plug and taking apart and reassembling a table fan. Inspired by Repair Kopitiam, it treats repair as a fourth R alongside reduce, reuse and recycle, and nobody takes home a finished product.
Two sessions are for ages 12 and above. National Geographic Explorer Max Han traces Siglap laksa from ocean to bowl, through its key ingredient ikan kembung (Indian mackerel), on Sunday from 10am to 11.30am, and participants get a bowl of laksa at the end. NAFA students run Scents of the Garden, a therapeutic horticulture session that turns fresh herbs into incense cones, on Saturday from 1.30pm to 3pm. Each costs a S$10 donation to the Gift of Gardens fund.
Beyond the fair weekend
A NAFA art exhibition of five original zines, interpretive posters and a short film runs for the whole programme at the Foyer beside The Canopy ticketing counter, from 9am to 9pm. On the opening day, Thursday 22 October, National Geographic Explorers Woo Qiyun, Louise Mabulo, Max Han and Melati Wijsen speak at Explorers in Conversation: Journeys Off the Beaten Track, from 2pm to 3.30pm at Flower Field Hall. The talk is recommended for those aged 18 to 35, needs pre-registration and is entered through the Group Entrance next to the Flower Dome.
