The best things to do in Singapore after dark

Singapore is famous for its stunning night city skyline, and there’s no better way to enjoy it than from the Singapore Flyer. Marina Bay’s giant, 42-storey, 165m observation wheel towers over some spectacular landmarks, including Marina Bay Sands, the illuminated buildings of the Central Business District, and the ArtScience Museum. Tickets start from $40, but it also includes an immersive adventure through the Time Capsule, where you can learn about Singapore’s humble origins and how it transformed into the bustling metropolis it is today. For a classier ride, take part in the Singapore Sling Experience ($79), where you can enjoy a glass of the beloved cocktail paired with gourmet chocolates. The Singapore Flyer closes daily at 10pm – so that’s plenty of time after dark to catch a 30 minute jaunt around the wheel.

Trade the shopping arcades in for the much better version: old-school gaming arcades. Whether it's basketball hoops, dance dance revolution, or good ol' bumper cars you want to play, these places open well after dark for you to spend hours racking up points – all to win a halfway decent prize at the counter. 

For a tiny country, Singapore’s blessed with tons of areas for pub fun. With bars aplenty around town, there’s certainly a drinking spot for any mood. Feeling fancy? Head to rooftop bars like Cé La Vi at Marina Bay Sands for sky-high tipples, or to any one of Singapore's 50 best bars for a quality time. If you're more into craft beers, then go on a craft beer bar crawl and see how many you can tick off the list!

Singapore’s home to a great number of nightclubs, from glamorous ones hosting international DJs to hip spots blasting all kinds of EDM, techno, house, and other underground hits. Pick a place from the list of usual suspects like Zouk, Marquee, Avenue and Drip and put on your rave face as you bust out moves like nobody’s watching till dawn.

If Netflix-ing at home won’t do it for you, grab your sweater and head out for a night-time movie. The Projector is one of our favourite spots because it has a great selection of indie titles, arthouse flicks, and mainstream movies. If you're lucky, you'll be catching a movie on one of its themed night – so prepare to dress the part. 

Gather your friends and head  down to Teo Heng KTV for a night-long karaoke session. The small room can fit up to four people, and is priced at $19 per hour, meaning you can have a four- hour session for under $20 – what a steal! Sing your favourite hits, dance to  viral TikTok songs, or have a throwback to 2010s emo-punk music. Whatever it is, the great sound system and large collection of songs available will make you feel like you’re having a personal concert.

Entertain yourself throughout the night at latest lifestyle concept, Jewel Changi Airport. This majestic dome is home to over 280 dining and retail outlets, with some open around the clock – think dining at ungodly hours at American fast-food chain A&W or food court Five Spice, or killing a couple of hours with a movie at 24-hour Shaw Theatres. You can also catch the hourly light and sound show at the HSBC Rain Vortex, the mall’s 40m-tall indoor waterfall, from 7.30pm to midnight.

Go on an unconventional wildlife adventure at the Night Safari. As opposed to the Singapore Zoo where spotting animals is easy, at this nocturnal park, you have to patiently seek out these creatures. This dimly lit zoo is divided into seven geographical zones that you can explore on foot via its four walking trails or by tram. Animals that call this place home include the Asian elephant, spotted hyena, white African lion, sloth bear and clouded leopard.

Get brainy at The Mind Café, which is open till 6am on the weekend. This board game café’s extensive game library has over 800 games to play with your friends – whether it’s local games like Hawker Wars and Kopi King or classics like Jenga and popular friendship-ending game Monopoly. The Mind Café also offers free-flow beverages ($4.90 per person) and snacks ($2.90), or for something more substantial, dig into set meals ($13.90) with beef lasagna and grilled chicken steak to keep you energised throughout the game.

As the largest prawning site in Singapore that spans the size of seven football fields, Orto makes the perfect catch for you late-night supper. There are 10 large ponds of big head prawns and yabbies – a type of crayfish – for you to fish. It’s said that they’re the most active at night, so all you need is a rod, bait, a little luck, and a whole lot of patience.

Can’t sleep and feel like splashing some cash? Lucky you, Singapore has many shopping malls and night markets around the city and heartlands that open till late at night, including the well-known Mustafa Centre. Located in Little India, drop by this mall at any time of day (and anytime before 2am) to get your retail therapy on. You can find anything and everything here, from clothing, accessories and cosmetics to food, electronics, souvenirs and toiletries, all at great prices.

With heaps of food joints, hawker stalls, and restaurants open until the wee hours of the night, light-night cravings and hunger pangs are so easy to satisfy. Get your prata fix at Al-Azhar and order your favourite prata with the fragrant butter chicken after a night of drinking. Or if you’re looking for a late-night heart-to-heart session over food with your friends, head to Lola Faye Café and indulge in gooey fudge brownies with a scoop of ice cream.

Hop on your bicycle and whizz through the 60km-long Rower’s Bay. It’s part of the first phase of the Round Island Route, a continuous 150km park connector that circles the island. Connecting Yishun to Punggol, the boardwalk allows you to see the city in the dark with the breeze in your hair as you zoom by the edge of Seletar Reservoir. There’s also a lookout pavilion, swales, and a wetland area for you to soak in all of mother nature come dusk. If you’re making your way to Seletar Aerospace Park, there are shelters with charging points as well as vending machines selling bike equipment and a self-help repair station, just in case your wheels decide to act up.

Deemed as Singapore's "first indoor football stadium", The Cage allows football enthusiasts to kick it like Beckham on six 5-a-side pitches – rain or shine. The space is perfect for small practices, friendly matches, free-flow footies, and simply to show off those fancy footwork you've been working on for some time now. Open on a regular, the venue has energetic music pumping through its speakers to keep the ball rolling.

Our brightly lit city sure makes it hard to spot stars. But if you know where to go, you’re sure to see some twinkles in the dark night sky. Catch a glimpse of the stars, moon, and if you’re lucky, other planets, at open spaces and parks like Marina Barrage and Lower Seletar Reservoir Park or at dedicated stargazing spots like the observatories at Singapore Science Centre and Woodlands Galaxy Community Club.

Spanning over 101 hectares, Gardens by the Bay is more than just the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest. This massive nature park features three waterfront gardens – Bay South Garden, Bay East Garden and Bay Central Garden – perfect for strolling and exploring while admiring the Singapore skyline in the distance. If not, show up at the garden’s Supertree Grove for lights and music from nightly light show, Garden Rhapsody.

With more than 2,500 rooms and suites, Marina Bay Sands claims to be the biggest hotel in Singapore. We believe them. The rooms offer views of the South China Sea or Marina Bay and the Singapore skyline, but let’s be honest: the Moshe Safdie-designed SkyPark is the real crowd puller. Sitting prettily atop the three hotel towers 200 metres high, hotel guests and outsiders (who part with $20 for the privilege) can enjoy unfettered views from the Observation Deck. The best views are to be had from the infinity pool, the largest of its kind. Swimming is for hotel guests only but outsiders can watch smug guests swim while munching on $6 hot dogs, which is almost as fun. Sort of.

Get yourself a LED kite and make your way to Marina Barrage. The strong night breeze helps you get your kite up in the air almost effortlessly. As you watch your LED kites light up the night sky, lay down a mat, spread out the goodies and have a picnic.

With round-the-clock gyms like Anytime Fitness and Gymmboxx, there’s really no excuse not to work out. If you’ve been putting off exercise because you don’t want to wait in line to use the machines in overcrowded gyms, have a busy schedule or are just lazy, a trip to one of these gyms at any time of day is sure to get you back into your fitness game. You can tire yourself here, too, for nights where you just can’t go to sleep.

If you’re in need of a break from the daily grind, head over to g.Spa for some serious pampering. There are many offerings here: Recharge yourself with foot and body massages as well as soothing facials; restore your body and mind’s energy flow with Chinese meridian therapy with cupping; or sit in the sauna and steam rooms and soak in the jacuzzi pool to rip health benefits. Whatever your choice is, relax at your own time as this establishment is open all day and night.