After a magical run of its annual Christmas Wonderland and first Christmas Train Show, Gardens by the Bay sheds its shiny tinsel to prepare for the lively festivities of Chinese New Year. Aside from the Flower Dome being refreshed with cheery spring blooms, the entire public grounds of the Gardens is getting itself spruced up for River Hongbao 2025. This is the fifth edition of the event held across the urban park, and other than celebrating the year of the snake, it also raises a toast to Singapore’s upcoming 60th birthday.
Read on to find out what you can look forward to at this free-entry Chinese New Year event, featuring stunning lantern displays, performances, carnival games, a food street and more. Oh, and make sure you don’t miss the firecracker displays that will be set off on the first three nights!
A butterfly arch, floral trellises, and a scene of Oriental storks frolicking by a waterfall are just part of the 20-over brightly-lit lantern displays you can expect at River Hongbao 2025. Of course, the 12 animals of the zodiac will also make an appearance, with this year’s creature of the moment – the snake – getting its own standalone installation. For extra luck, make sure you stop by the massive God of Fortune (cai shen ye) latnern at The Meadow.
Also at The Meadow sits a stage, where nightly cultural performances will get you right in the mood for this season of fortune. Check out the full performance schedule here.
But hold up, don’t just leave after watching the song and dance shows, because here’s where you can also catch the highly anticipated firecrackers displays – something we don’t often get to witness in Singapore. But take note: the firecrackers at The Meadow will be set off on the first three nights only, and not throughout the entire event's run.
Dates and timings for River Hongbao 2025 fireworks:
- January 27, 8pm
- January 28, 12am (countdown to the first day of CNY)
- January 29, 8pm
With River Hongbao being such a large-scale event stretching across multiple zones in GBTB, you’re probably going to put your legs to quite a bit of work. Spend some time refuelling at the food street at the Supertree Grove, where there are stalls selling local delights like muah chee and char kway sotong, along with international snacks like takoyaki and Korean spicy noodles.
Other highlights at River Hongbao include lantern riddles, carnival rides including a two-storey carousel and viking ship, booths with festive items for sale, and hands-on craft activities befitting the occasion.
Check out the full map of River Hongbao below:
To enlarge the map, press and hold the image on mobile to open it in a new tab where you can zoom in. For desktop users, simply right-click to open it in a new tab.
Find out more about River Hongbao 2025.
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