The best time to visit Singapore

Welcome to the new year! Big on celebrations, the city continues to party post-NYE fireworks with Chinese New Year. It paints the town red (literally) to usher in the new traditional Chinese calendar year which usually takes place in January or February. Don't blink an eye as the city amps up the annual celebration with Chingay, a colourful parade that comes complete with dazzling floats, street performers from around the world and brilliant fireworks. 

Don't miss the Hindu festival of Thaipusam too. Although it's not recognised as a public holiday in Singapore, this eye-catching festival with its colourful processions, decorated kavadis, and its most distinctive feature of skin piercings, is such an interesting event that it brings the traffic in Singapore to a standstill every year – but for good reason.

For more visual stunners, catch the city painted in a kaleidoscope of colours as artists, art collectors and enthusiasts from all over the world pull all the stops to showcase their masterpieces during the Singapore Art Week.

Things are a little bit more mellow during this period compared to the rest of the year. Besides observing Good Friday and enjoying a fun egg hunt during Easter, don your best party suit for Garden Beats Festival and HSBC Rugby Sevens – two mega annual events that usually run in March and April. Garden Beats Festival is a music and picnic affair that comes with an eco-friendly twist. Prefer some rugby action? Get ready to rock, ruck and rumble at the annual HSBC Rugby Sevens where the world’s top teams including powerhouses such as Fiji, New Zealand and South Africa, go head-to-head for the coveted trophy.

The heat turns up during this period, and we're not just talking about the temperature (it's also the driest here). With the school holidays in full-swing in June, the city is packed with exciting events, and it's not just for the kids either.

Soak up Singapore’s thriving creative scene at the Singapore International Festival of Arts which presents blockbuster performances from all around the world. Otherwise, stretch your dollar for some retail therapy as the Great Singapore Sale (GSS) returns with the best deals and steals in the city, especially at the famous Orchard Road.

Public holidays include Labour Day for Singapore's busy bees to take a sweet break, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, a festival which marks the end of the fasting month, and Vesak Day, a celebration of the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha.

The dry season ends here but the heat stays on. Go all red and white on National Day (August 8), and catch the impressive military parades, dance and music performances and a jaw-dropping firework display at Marina Bay.

When it comes to exposing music lovers here a new crop of the city's very own bands, along with emerging artists from around the region, Baybeats is one of the heavy hitters.

It's not quite Autumn but cool enough for sweater weather. Do expect the unexpected showers, though – it is monsoon season, after all. But don't let the rain dampen your spirits as you indulge in sweet mooncakes and marvel at the colourful lanterns during the traditional Chinese holiday of Mid-Autumn Festival.

Then take things up a notch with the annual night race: Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix. Expect loud sounds beyond the tracks with some of the biggest names in music. If that doesn't get your heart racing, perhaps Universal Studios Singapore's annual scare, which sees a hair-raising mix of Western and Asian ghouls and ghosts, will. Be alert – zombies might come after you!

Sadly, there's no such thing as a white Christmas in Singapore, but it's still a gorgeous tropical, winter wonderland from November through December. See the iconic Gardens by the Bay and Orchard Road transform into a dreamy Christmas paradise featuring enchanting themed festive pieces, gorgeous lights, Instagram-worthy photo opportunities and pop-ups.

Little India also gets brighter with the Hindu celebration of Deepavali where the streets are adorned with a kaleidoscope of lights, colourful displays and life-sized installations of elephants.

Towards the end of the year, party on as Zoukout returns to its home at Siloso Beach Sentosa with the best dance music from around the world. Then ring in the brand new year with a celebratory extravaganza set against the iconic city skyline at the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown. Of course, the mainstay is the highly-anticipated firework spectacle that welcomes the new year with a bang at the stroke of midnight.