More than 5,000 sunflowers of 20 varieties now fill the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay for Sunflower Surprise: Garden by the Ocean, a Portugal-themed floral display that runs until Monday 9 November 2026. Gardens by the Bay launched the display on 8 October with the Embassy of Portugal in Singapore, and it is the first time the Gardens has built a sunflower show on a Portuguese theme.
The display marks 45 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Portugal. It opens from 9am to 9pm daily, and standard Flower Dome admission charges apply.
A walk-through Lisbon hillside
The centrepiece is a 12m-long, multi-tiered recreation of the hillside homes of Alfama, one of Lisbon’s oldest neighbourhoods. Children and adults can walk through the structure, which holds Portuguese textiles, crafts and azulejo-inspired tile details, and look out at the sunflower field through its windows.
Beside it sit recreations of traditional Lisbon kiosks and old shopfronts, including a late-19th-century-style refreshment kiosk and a Porto shop dating back to 1917 with an Art Nouveau facade and coloured tilework.
A lighthouse, a ship’s bow and striped beach houses
The coastal section has a 6m-tall recreation of the Belém Lighthouse and the almost 4m-long bow of a caravela, the sailing ship tied to Portugal’s age of maritime exploration. Next to them are the striped wooden houses of Costa Nova, which fishermen once used to store nets and equipment.
The countryside corner carries wine barrels, a traditional olive oil press, cork oak trees and samples of harvested and finished cork. The Embassy of Portugal gifted two young sobreiro, or cork oak trees, to the Flower Dome to mark the partnership.
Sunflowers grown in-house
Of the 5,000 sunflowers, 1,500 across eight varieties were grown from seed by Gardens by the Bay’s research horticulturists. One is Helianthus ‘Gold Lite’, a tall variety with golden-yellow petals that can reach 1.8m.
Several varieties break from the usual look. Helianthus ‘White Nite’ has pale, creamy petals, Helianthus ‘Sunfinity Red’ carries a reddish-burgundy ring circling a dark centre, and the ‘Smiley’ series has bright yellow petals with dark centres. Chrysanthemums, blanket flowers, hydrangeas, mandevillas, dianthus, marigolds and petunias fill the gaps.
A photo exhibition and a contest
A photo exhibition, Portugal-Singapore: 45 Years of Diplomatic Relations, Five Centuries of Shared History, runs at the Mediterranean Garden for the length of the display. It traces encounters between the two countries from early maritime links to present-day community ties, and was earlier shown at the National Library Board.
Flower Dome visitors can also enter a contest for a pair of tickets to Portugal, from official airline partner Turkish Airlines.
For families, the walk-through houses and the ship’s bow give children something to climb into and spot, while the giant ‘Gold Lite’ blooms tower over most primary schoolers. The Flower Dome is air-conditioned, and Bayfront MRT station on the Circle and Downtown lines serves the Gardens.
Key details
- What: Sunflower Surprise: Garden by the Ocean
- When: Until Monday 9 November 2026, 9am to 9pm
- Where: Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Drive
- Admission: Flower Dome admission charges apply
