Eighty-one years after Singapore emerged from the Japanese Occupation, HeritageSG is marking the moment with a weekend of remembrance. From 11 to 13 September 2026, the second edition of Liberation of Singapore (LOS) returns to Changi Chapel and Museum (CCM) and Reflections at Bukit Chandu (RBC), anchored on the theme Moments of Liberation.
Rather than a static exhibition, the three-day programme leans into live music, historical dialogues, nature-heritage trails and family-friendly workshops, inviting visitors of all ages to reflect on resilience, remembrance and Singapore’s post-war renewal.
Heritage in Harmony: wartime songs return to Changi Chapel
Headlining the weekend is Heritage in Harmony, a special concert held on 11 September within the historic grounds of Changi Chapel. In partnership with the Australian International School (AIS), ten student vocalists will perform songs from the wartime Changi Souvenir Song Album live for the first time since the war ended. The pieces, composed by internees Ray Tullipan and Slim de Grey to sustain morale in the camp, also trace the historical ties between Singapore and Australia.
The programme also features keynote remarks by Assoc. Prof. Hamzah Muzaini of NUS’ Department of Southeast Asian Studies, reflecting on what liberation asks us to remember and the role museums and memorials play in shaping collective memory.
A weekend of discovery across two historic sites
At Reflections at Bukit Chandu, author and historian Tom Trumble leads Whispers of War, an in-depth talk revisiting Operation Jaywick, the Double Tenth Incident and the bravery of civilian figures such as Elizabeth Choy and Bishop John Leonard Wilson. History and nature meet on the Heritage Trees & Tour of Pasir Panjang, a collaboration with NParks that takes participants on chartered bus rides and guided walking trails across the area’s wartime landscape and botanical heritage.
Families with younger children are well catered for, with free daily craft stations at both sites, from making a Malay Regiment songkok at RBC to crafting cardboard binoculars at CCM to spot details among the artefacts.
Ms Asmah Alias on the weekend’s purpose
Ms Asmah Alias, Director of Galleries, Exhibitions and Museums (GEM) at HeritageSG, said the sites “preserve the memories and experiences of those who lived through the Japanese Occupation and Singapore’s liberation.” Through the 2026 edition, she added, “we hope to encourage reflection, remembrance and a deeper appreciation of the value of resilience.”
How to take part
Liberation of Singapore 2026 runs from 11 to 13 September across Changi Chapel and Museum and Reflections at Bukit Chandu. For the full programme and registration details, visit the CCM and RBC pages on the HeritageSG website.
Looking for more to see and do this month? Explore SAMCollection: The Present is Unstable at SAM, catch the SSO with Petrenko and Capuçon at the Esplanade, or sign the kids up for the NLB Children Write poetry workshop.
