Last week I told you about the yearly Mid Autumn celebrations in Singapore that are in town now.
Mid Autumn Festival at Gardens by the Bay was packed!
We visited the festival at Gardens by the Bay last saturday. And we were not the only ones;-).
The lantern festival started the day before, but the notorious, yearly haze was really, really bad that day. Due to changing winds, the PSI (Pollutant Standards Index) improved enormously on saturday. Yay!
So I guess everyone did what we did: stay inside on friday and hurry to the Gardens by the Bay on saturday.
It was packed!!!
I don’t like it so crowded, but the festival is pretty and it’s free, so I take the mass of people for granted. That does not mean that I did not get highly annoyed regularly that night. I hate it when people have no regards for the others (read: me) around them.
But enough grumpiness; visiting this event at Gardens by the Bay is fun for the whole family. Really. It is!
When to visit the Festival at Gardens by the Bay
You can visit the Mid Autumn festival at Gardens by the Bay until october 4th, from 7 pm till 11 pm.
That means you only have a couple of days left!
Make sure to arrive after dark, since that’s when the lanterns look their best. Don’t miss out!!!
On the left: one of the displays during daylight. On the right: the same display at night. So pretty!
There are fireworks on october 3rd at 8 pm, so visit then, if you like to see that.
Why you shouldn’t miss this festival
Their is F&B on the premises, but you can also have a picnic, walk around, take pictures, buy a lantern, watch a show, meet up with family and friends, sit on a bench or find a spot on the grass to sit or ly down.
Taking selfies and welfies is not that easy in these circumstances. This has to do with the big contrast between dark (night) and light (the bright lanterns). We had our misses. But with trial, effort and better positioning in the light, we got a few good ones;-).
It’s the Year of the Goat. Citizens were invited to decorate and paint 50 goat lanterns. (It’s SG50, you see… This year Singapore celebrates it’s 50th anniversary)
I looooooove these goats! Real works of art.
How special is it, to walk around in these beautiful, spread out gardens, at night (it’s still warm here in the evenings. Always.), to find bright and gorgeous lantern displays all along your stroll?!
And then there are the always impressive Super Trees, the two glass houses and Marina Bay Sands Hotel as a backdrop. They all add to the atmosphere and the beauty that surrounds you.
All in all, your stay at the Gardens will be good fun for a couple of hours.
What are the lantern themes this year?
The lantern displays this year are themed around: (wild) animals, dinosaurs, chinese culture, muslim culture, dragon boat racing and more.
There are some really cool lanterns. Some even have moving parts!
Giraffe lantern, during the day and by night. They are made by Chinese lantern-makers. Man, they are such good craftsmen. Aren’t the lanterns beautiful?! These kind of lanterns are made of silk, attached to frames of metal wire.
Chinese culture displays: chinese opera, lion dance, dragon dance.
Muslim and Indian lantern tableaux
My best pictures of the Mid Autumn Festival at Gardens by the Bay
Here are my best pictures of the Mid Autumn Festival at Gardens by the Bay:
Big cats.
Peacocks and birds.
Are you aware that these lanterns are real-life-sized?!
Help! There’s a gorilla in the bushes!;-)
One of the gigantic floats on the water. We just saw the movie Nemo (for the zillionstest time) on TV, minutes before we took off to the Gardens by the Bay. And then we came across him at this float;-). What a coincidence! Or is he just a very fast swimmer?;-)
Details of the ocean float. Look! There’s Nemo!
The other floats are from Dragon Race teams. Very nice! The dragon heads spit water.
We have visitors over at the end of the week. If the haze does not reach hazardous levels that night, we will return to the Gardens by the Bay to show them these beautiful displays.
Maybe it will be less crowded then?;-)… Nah, this is Singapore. Events like this are always crowded and rightfully so, I would say.
Did you visit the Festival at Gardens by the Bay already? Did you like it? Which lantern displays were your favorites?
Wow, your photography is stunning, Anja. The time and talent that go into the making of these lanterns is mind-blowing, and to think they will only last for a short time. I suppose that’s part of the beauty isn’t it, like poetry. Thanks for sharing these. Yes, huge crowds are tough on me for any length of time, but I would brave them for this show, that’s for sure.
Thanks, Mel. Also on behalf of the Chinese artisans;-). I’m not sure what happens to all of these lanterns after the event. Sometimes I stumble upon one or two smaller ones in another location later. But that’s rare.
This is incredible. Such beautiful things. You are right, they are incredible craftsmen. It seems to me there is always some big festival going on when you are there. My favourite are the peacock and birds, although the big animals like the lions are very good too. And the boats… oh heck, I love it all. Thanks for showing.
Greetje
True, with all the different cultures there are a lot of celebrations on Singapore’s yearly calendar. Lucky me!
How surprising that the peacocks are your favourites. Don’t get me wrong; they are indeed very intricate and beautiful. But there were so many good things. Like you say: “Oh heck, I love it all”. Me too!